After having a dock party to celebrate the Wasatch’s departure a couple of days previously, on October 29, 2007 we slipped the lines for one last time and headed off on our journey. Only Judy, one of our dock neighbors, and her dog were there to actually say goodbye as the Wasatch moved out of her slip of some 12 years for the final time. For me it was a rather emotional moment as I was to say goodbye for a final time to my home and life not only in Marina Del Rey, but also in Salt Lake City. We had on board 3 crew: myself, Mary, my new bride of 4 months, and Peter, a friend and dock neighbor who was going to sail with us to Mazatlan, the first leg of the journey. I had thought that I wanted to head off on this journey with just my wife and my self, but as the time for leaving grew near I decided to bail on that idea and have Peter go with us. Peter had already done this trip to Mazatlan and years of experience sailing as well as single handing. On the other hand, I was not familiar with the landmarks, the weather, or the logistics of this trip. More importantly, not only was I untried, and the Wasatch untried, but my wife and our relationship sailing together was untried. With his knowledge and skill, Peter would help ease our way into this new lifestyle that we were embarking on. Mary and I had been going together for nearly 4 years. She had answered my add in Match.com and our personalities and plans seemed to match. She had done some sailing previously, enjoyed it, and more importantly entertained my plans for sailing around the world. So, it was with not only anticipation, but also some anxiety that we left the MDR breakwater and headed for Catalina Harbor, on the far side of Catalina Island, some 60 miles away. We had an uneventful night there, but since the next day was a 70 miles sail to San Diego. We got up early before the light, got the boat ready, hoisted the mainsail, pulled the anchor up, and head off for San Diego. However, in the dim morning light we noticed that a fishing vessel had strung his nets across the harbor entrance. I steered the Wasatch, while Peter went up on the fore deck to scout out where the nets were and where I needed to head to get out around them. We had no sooner cleared them, that the wind picked up, filled the mainsail, and the we heard a loud bang as the main sheet gave way. I had replaced nearly ever running and rigging line on the boat except for the main sheet and it was the one the one that broke. In the early morning light confusion, I had Peter take over the wheel while I worked on the main sheet. First, I got an extra line, connected one end to the boom, the other end to near a point at the center of the traveler and pulled the main back to near where it should be. The eye spice in the main sheet which attach to the block on the pulley had separated. So I took the end of this line and re-lead it through the blocks, and then tied off the bitter end with a bowline. With the line main sheet now back in its former place just as it had been except for a bowline replacing the eye splice, I re-secured the main sheet, and untied the temporary line. We then turned on the autopilot and settled back to watch the sun come up. The rest of the sail was uneventful.

To be continued.