Catalina - June 2008

We left Newport Beach at approx. 4 am on the 9th of June heading out to Avalon harbor. As usual it was a uneventful trip as we motored the entire way. We had 7 people aboard for the trip to Avalon including 4 teenage girls and 3 adults. We then picked up two more guests that had taken the express over on Wednesday which brought the total aboard to 9 for the rest of the trip. Needless to say it was a full house on the Chrokeva.

Once we arrived at Avalon we met up with more friends from Chrokeva's sistership the Teal Sea. We spent several nights enjoying the hospitality of Craig and Debbie from Teal. Spending time at Teal Sea also had the added advantage that the teenagers stayed on Chrokeva while the adults enjoyed there time at Teal Sea. Nothing like a little space :)

On Thursday we motored over to Emerald Bay which is a rather remote but beautiful anchorage. We were amazed to be able to see the bottom at a depth of 30 feet! We were able to anchor with a bow and stern anchor right next to Teal Sea. What a sight it was to see two CT54's anchored together in this wonderful place.

On Saturday morning it was time to pull anchor and sail home. The weather was good as we had 20 knots on the stern almost the entire trip back.

IS IT SUMMER YET?????

It sure has been a long chilly winter and we are all ready for the summer to come with some warm weather. I am definately adding a heater to the list of things that are needed in the near future. Trying to keep the boat warm with my Mr Heater (which is totally unreliable as it only works when it feels like it and eats propane like nothing I have ever seen) and the alcohol heater I bought of Ebay (puts out as much heat as a few candles on a good day) has proved to be a real challenege even in southern California. I know I know it's not like we are in Alaska but cold and damp is still a bad combination.

Mark has been spending just about all his free time (which is not much) fishing. He even accomplished catching this prize ....... YIKES!!! He can't expect me to eat this thing can he?

Goodbye 2007.....Hello 2008

Well another year is gone and we are another year closer to cutting our dock lines and heading out for our extended cruise. We are currently looking at the fall of 2009 as our date to head south and thankfully that date really does sound closer than it did last year.

Looking back on 2007 I realized just how much has happened for us this past year. We took a big step in February by moving aboard full time (a decision that we are so glad we made). Amanda started a new school, met some really great friends and celebrated her 16th birthday. We learned alot about the boat (and each other), definately got a little saltier and took a few hard knocks along the way. We met some really great people this past year and had a wonderful time with friends new and old. Chrokeva got a few upgrades including a new stove, new solar panel, new toilet, new windlass, and lets not forget the 110 washer/dryer. We also got our 200 gallon a day water maker up and running (which I am sure we will need now that we have a washer/dryer. All in all a pretty good year :)

Plans for this year? Well back to school for Amanda, work for Mark, and lots of time moving the boat and learning more about the Chrokeva. We would all like to get certified to dive since the Chrokeva is outfitted with dive equipment as well as a dive compressor (something that I think we all would enjoy). We will be spending the summer again in San Diego and hopefully make a few trips to Catalina and possibly the Channel Islands. Upgrades for the Chrokeva scheduled for this year are looking at a new paint for the topside and a haulout and bottom paint sometime this year.

CATALINA - CRUISERS WEEKEND 2007

We had a great time on our first trip to Catalina for the Lats and Atts Cruisers Weekend.
We left Newport Beach at midnight on Thursday and ended up motoring the whole way. We arrived at Two Harbors before sunrise but waited till the sun came up before we went in and picked up a ball.
There was some really great seminars and Catalina was beautiful, we wish we had more time to explore the island but that will have to wait until the next trip. Mark even got to meet Bob Bitchen! He was so excited!!
We left on Sunday and actually was able to sail all the way back to Newport. The weather was perfect and we were able to average 6 knots which is not exactly fast for the Chrokeva but it got us there and we had a great time.

CORONADO - SUMMER 2007

After leaving the Cruiser's Anchorage we headed over to Coronado and spent a few days anchored at Glorietta Bay. The view of the Hotel Del was really something to see. We then headed over to Fiddler's Cove which we call home and is where our permanent mooring is located. We spent two weeks on the guest dock there enjoying the time with all the wonderful people. If there is one place that is truly a gem within San Diego it would have to be the Navy Marina at Fiddler's Cove. It was hard to leave but we look forward to coming back and spending some more time there in December.

SAN DIEGO - SUMMER 2007

After leaving the police dock we headed over to the Cruiser's Anchorage (A9) which is located right next to the Star of India in downtown San Diego. The view of the city was incredible and watching the tall ships sail every afternoon was definately a perk. Amanda turned sweet 16 during our stay there

SAN DIEGO - SUMMER 2007

We left Newport Beach June 23rd with plans to spend the summer in San Diego and although normally both the wind and the current would blow us directly to San Diego we seemed to have the luck of the Irish with us and both the wind (15 knots) and the swell (5-7 feet) was directly on the nose the entire trip. Needless to say it was a bumpy trip down but we arrived safe and sound in San Diego well before dark. We were able to find a spot at the police dock and spent the 4th of July visiting with good friends watching the fireworks over San Diego Bay.

ABOUT THE CREW

The amazing Captain Mark
Here is Captain Mark in his favorite place (the bilge). Mark currently works for the fire department at Camp Pendleton but is due to retire in July of 2009.



The beautiful and talented 1st mate and cruise coordinator Amanda and her trusty sidekicks Jasmine and Dancer. Amanda graduates high school in the summer of 2009 and plans to join us for at least a year or so to see some of the world after graduation.



Last but not least is Admiral, Galley Slave, Line Handler, Varnish Queen and Poodle Groomer Jackie the Great.

ABOUT THE BOAT

SPECS::
Designer: Robert Perry Year: 1978 LOD: 54' LOA: 65'
Displacement: 60,000 Beam: 15.6" LWL: 43' Draft: 7'
Gross Tons: 26 Ballast: 19,000 lbs
Engine: 120 HP Ford Lehman
Cruising Speed: 8 knots
Max Speed: 9 knots
Tankage: Fuel: 300 gal. Water: 250 gal. Holding: 45 gal.
Full keel with spade rudder
Masts keel stepped on both main and mizzen
Rudder has been rebuilt from original design and fully-epoxied with S/S reinforcements
Spars: painted spruce completely unstepped and professionally overhauled in 2006

EQUIPMENT:
8KW Northern Lights Genset
Bow Thruster (Side-Power SP125T Thruster 12V)
Probe Sonar (1500-feet forward-looking)
Water Maker: 500-gal/day Village Marine Tech (new in 2003)
Dive Compressor
3 Kyocera Solar Panels (300 watts total)
Xantrex Pro Watt 3000 watt inverter, Statpower 800 watt inverter
Lofrans Anchor Windless (rated at 3500 lbs)
Anchors: CQR 75#, CQR 65#, Danforth stern anchor
Steering has 2 hydraulic systems (SeaStar new in 2003)
2 independent autopilot systems (ComNav & WH Autopilots, P-3C system 2003)
Wagner & ComNav rudder angle indicator
Icom 802 SSB
Raytheon R20 24-mile Radar
Raytheon Nav 398 GPS
Raytheon RC520 Chart Plotter
406 EPIRB
Built-in Freezer Unit (110/engine driven)
Refridgeration (12V/110/engine driven)
Washer/Dryer (Majestic MJ9000V)
Tecma Silence Head
Harken roller furling on both staysail and jib
New spinnaker sock w/cone (2003)
10 self-tailing winches
1 - Antel Electric WInch
Entire rig new in 2003






























The CHROKEVA started life in 1978 with the lovely Herb and Margaret along with there 4 beautiful children, Cheryl (CH), Roxanne (RO), Kenny (KE), and Virginia (VA).