A funky bridge at Nob Hill
Look closely and find the Hummingbird!Yay some how, don't ask me cause I'm not really sure, but I played around with the settings on the laptop this afternoon and were back online!! Sad how reliant we have become on the ability to Google questions, Blog to family and email documents. I was just saying to Geoff how difficult this how process would have been 12 years ago, if we were trying to buy a yacht? Scary to think of how much it would of cost in phone and fax calls, and lots of running around in a car! Now we just Google the query, like used sails in Alameda and bam, there it is. Go to their website and review the listing of used Sails and decide whether it is worth a drive out to see them or not? Very time efficient and fuel efficient.
New monster Gel 12 volt deep cycle 180 amp hours batteries are installed, though Geoff says he doesn't think he will be able to move tomorrow as they were so heavy to maneuver around. Our rigging arrived today and the guys at the yard are busy getting it ready for us to take Sea Otter around tomorrow morning. They will crane the mast over to the boat and install. Sounds very nerve wracking to me, so I might just head off to another Shopping Centre we found today, called Nob Hill. Don't ask me why they call it that as there is NO hill on Alameda and I didn't see any Nobs?? ;)
This Centre looks like it is the newest of the three on the island and sort of explains why the main street Webster looks a bit shabby and vacant. Everyone is going to the lovely shiny Supermarkets, where they can get a coffee, buy freshly prepared meals and lunch items, do their banking or postal needs. All the Supermarkets have internal Starbucks, Post Offices counters and a Bank. Oh of course add to that their internal Pharmacy and alcohol on the shelves....well it's a wonder any small independent business can survive on a street front site. We haven't found a Pub or Hotel, they don't exist. Only bars like Moe's on the Simpson's...no really that's what they look like! The independent stores on the street fronts are little old Barbers, antique stores, Liquor stores/Convenience stores, Restaurants, Laundromats and Fast food outlets. And man there Laundromats are MASSIVE usually about 20 -40 washers of varying sizes and 20 plus dryers, soap dispensers and change dispensers. Amazing but a little grotty - not like our shiny clean Hillsdon Road Laundromat!
New monster Gel 12 volt deep cycle 180 amp hours batteries are installed, though Geoff says he doesn't think he will be able to move tomorrow as they were so heavy to maneuver around. Our rigging arrived today and the guys at the yard are busy getting it ready for us to take Sea Otter around tomorrow morning. They will crane the mast over to the boat and install. Sounds very nerve wracking to me, so I might just head off to another Shopping Centre we found today, called Nob Hill. Don't ask me why they call it that as there is NO hill on Alameda and I didn't see any Nobs?? ;)
This Centre looks like it is the newest of the three on the island and sort of explains why the main street Webster looks a bit shabby and vacant. Everyone is going to the lovely shiny Supermarkets, where they can get a coffee, buy freshly prepared meals and lunch items, do their banking or postal needs. All the Supermarkets have internal Starbucks, Post Offices counters and a Bank. Oh of course add to that their internal Pharmacy and alcohol on the shelves....well it's a wonder any small independent business can survive on a street front site. We haven't found a Pub or Hotel, they don't exist. Only bars like Moe's on the Simpson's...no really that's what they look like! The independent stores on the street fronts are little old Barbers, antique stores, Liquor stores/Convenience stores, Restaurants, Laundromats and Fast food outlets. And man there Laundromats are MASSIVE usually about 20 -40 washers of varying sizes and 20 plus dryers, soap dispensers and change dispensers. Amazing but a little grotty - not like our shiny clean Hillsdon Road Laundromat!
Once we get that rig on we plan to go out into the Bay and do some test sailing, see how wet she gets, what creaks, what gets tossed on the floor from the shelves, how fast she goes...should be fun. As long as we don't run aground or get boarded by the Coastguard that is just opposite our Marina! We also are determined to make it to San Fran this week or weekend. And that should produce a mass of photo's from both of us!
No comments:
Post a Comment