Rob died just over one year ago from lung cancer– an otherwise very healthy 58 year-old guy who never smoked.

Help us raise money for the #1 cancer killer — lung cancer by bidding on some amazing items donate by Rob’s friends and associates. This online auction is part of the fundraising efforts of the 1st Rob Moore Memorial Regatta, being held on February 16, 2013 in conjunction with the CYC Midwinter Regatta. Jointly organized by the Corinthian Yacht Club and the Bay Area Racing Federation, all proceeds from this auction will go directly to the National Lung Cancer Partnership to support lung cancer research and awareness.

http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Browse.action?auctionId=186418954

Thanks to the best sister in law for having my nieces and nephew send me the special birthday greetings!

I was on call for the Marine Mammal Center last week. There are not normally many calls at this time of year so I helped out loading four sea lions to be released at Chimney Rock. One was a big guy and the others small.

I got one call to go an assess a sea lion at Kirby Cove. which was quite lethargic and malnurished. I will have to get to know what sea lions normally act like as they are different to furries.

I hung out at the beach which had a beautiful view of SF while two people came down from the center and two other rescue volunteers. We wheeled the cage down to the beach. The stranding intern had the net and ran in to attempt to capture it however, a big wave came in and took out Ben who was boarding in an attempt to stop her from making her way into the surf. I was also in the surf so got a little damp but not as damp as Ben got.

A beautiful view of Rodeo Beach from the Marine Mammal Center.

The Davis and I went out for mexican dinner then onto the bowling alley.

Lori Fromm of the Women’s Auxilary at SFYC called me out of the blue in October and asked if I would accept the Nancy Rodgers Race Grant from SFYC. Normally it is a surprise award that is presented at the womens auxilary luncheon in November. This is the second time the award has been given. As I have never been to the luncheon in previous years they had to call me to get me to come.

It was a very nice surprise and rather embaressing when they talked about me before presenting me with the trophy.

Close up of the trophy – this was the second time that it was awarded. The deed of gift is that it is to be given to a woman who is a member of the club that has raced nationally, internationally at a high level intends to continue participation and is an ambassador for women in the club.

I was presented with a silver bowl to take home with me filled with beautifully scented flowers.

The money from the grant will be used to pay some of my GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress Safety Systems) course that I will take in the spring time.

I didn’t take the above picture but it was the view I had from Darling while I was working on her this morning. Pretty amazing seeing it go by just above Sausalito with a fighter jet just behind it.

After work I headed over to Stinson beach for my friend David’s rehearsal dinner and caught up with some old sailing friends. I love the drive out there this time of year the california coast is stunning.

The sunset at the beach was stunning and the food delicous. Back home early as I have to get Darling ready for a day cruise on the bay tomorrow so it will be 6am wake up to get to the boat at first light. A relief skipper will have the helm so I can head back over to Stinson for the wedding.

Looking forward to it.

The last S is that my right shoulder has been giving me some gyp the last few days so I am biking instead of swimming in the morning and today I had a deep tissue massage to attempt a fix but it is still not a happy situation. Finding it hard to use my arm so I am hoping it will fix itself with some time off swimming.

After todays meeting at The Marine Mammal Center I am officially an active volunteer. Based on the experience I gained in South Georgia working with animals under Ali’s tutelage they are allowing me to start with stranding rescues without doing the courses (which aren’t until next spring). Looking forward to rescuing some mammals in the bay . As an aside in two weeks I will be out on the Baylis tagging white sharks at the Farlonnes I am looking forward to seeing how this is all done. Will post pictures…

Pretty amazing documentry check out the largest boat evacuation in history even larger than Dunkirk.

I am back home without my seabag as American Airlines sent it to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and lost it.. with my expensive sailing kit in it. They just called to say they would deliver it to JFK which of course is a fat lot of good. Then they said they would deliver to SFO I told them they would deliver it to my house NOT the airport!!

So why the picture above? Well that is to do with my USCG Masters License.

Basically long story short USCG won’t accept my MCA 200 ton license and when I did the exams in 2008 for USCG the paperwork was messed up so I have to do the process all over. It has now taken 2.5 months to get to the stage where hopefully in the next week I will have a letter allowing me to take 7 exams and get my license before it is too late to take the job on the Baylis. I have had to have drugs test, fill out multiple sea service forms and have people that I sailed with in 1991 to sign them (so I had to track them down!), I have had a full medical, had to get a Transport Workers ID card and last but not least do a CPR First Aid course. The last is where the towels come in….

No disrespect to Emergency University but an online course that takes 25 minutes and then a skype video with an instructor is a bit worrying. That is all the training that a captain needs apparently! The towels are meant to simulate a maniquin so I can show the instructor on video skype that I know how to do CPR. The instructor was quite cool and figured out quickly that I didn’t need the training as BAS medical unit does a far better job and instead we chatted about the new methods of teaching CPR and about AED’s and their usefulness on a boat in the middle of the ocean etc.

My book that I have been reading continuously for the past month and half. Do you think if I sleep with it under my pillow the knowledge will seep in I am at a disadvantage as the questions are all multiple choice which having been educated in the UK is a new thing for me. I have to get 90% in the COLREG exams and 70 in the rest so I am a busy bee for next three weeks.

Not only am I busy with that book but I am happily busy writing permit applications to return ‘home’ to the south onboard a 27m yacht. Getting excited about sailing into KEP and then down to Rothera and Ryder Bay in Dec – Feb.

We attempted to go out on the Extreme 40 this morning but came across a few problems that made it impossible to go out, despite getting out to the turning basin and hoisting the main. After an hour of working on the boat so it would be prepared for going out next weekend, I went off to the mountain play.

I jumped on the shuttle but it turned out to be the wrong one so I ended up at Muir Woods instead of the top of the mountain with only 15 minutes before the play started – oops. So I hitchhiked with some very nice people from Boston with two kids in their car who drove me to the top of the mountain- very kind of them as it was a 15 minute drive. I arrived only 10 minutes late.

Tara and myself at the play! I enjoyed hanging out with the Davis and their son Tyler.

This years play is The musicman and it was a beautiful day for it with a stunning view of the bay. The musical was as well done as usual. This evening I watched the eclipse of the sun and it is time to do some more studying for my coastguard exams. Hope you all had a great weekend.