Coffin Island...Easter 2011

At last...sailing pictures again...and very beautiful ones that tell their own story of our wonderful weekend at Coffin Island...crystal clear water...white sand beaches...beautiful weather...great friends...can you feel the love?

We sure did (!) and enjoyed "the simple life" on board Orion...but that's nothing new, or is it?

Coffin Island is indescribably beautiful...pictures tell more than a thousand words! We had a very relaxing time...our friends Richard and Mercedes were already anchored there and our friends Bob and Joan joined all of us for a day on Saturday. How fun!

Here is a photo of our anchor chain, taken from Orion...the water reflections, the clearness, the white sand on the bottom...it is all quite unbelievable, even for us, who sail to Coffin Island almost every weekend!

We feel so blessed! Life is good, and at least we can share the pictures for everybody to enjoy with us :o)

Despite the holiday weekend it was not very crowded...what a nice surprise! There were quite a few boats during the day, but by evening all but two of them had left the island. It was peaceful with even the music subdued...all in all a very enjoyable weekend. Thank you to all fellow boaters :o)

We had a rain shower on Friday night...of short duration and welcomed by the thirsty vegetation on the island! Otherwise the skies were blue, the winds were calm, and the spirits were high :o)

Food...of course we had to eat! This time around we decided to go without cooking, because we agreed to spend most of our time snorkeling, beach combing, and having fun with friends :o)

So I prepared stone-ground whole wheat and flax wraps filled with turkey breast, Havarti cheese, lettuce leaves, tomatoes, and sour cream...accompanied by plain old potato chips :o)

It was a feast...so good that my non-raw-veggie-eating hubby gobbled them up with mumbled remarks of  "these are so good"...can you believe it?

Some work had to be done though...cleaning Orion's bottom, which Rick did in record time all the way down to the full keel...WOW. I helped a little bit by brushing the waterline (a black stripe around the perimeter of the boat just above the water)...it was good exercise, but pretty yucky work...ugh...little creatures all over my shirt...ugh...but I survived! I don't know why Rick doesn't get bitten by those creatures...I sure do...but I'll spare you the pictures.

On the left you see Richard, Mercedes, and their dog "Copper" having a good time in the water :o)

And on the right you see the Easter Eggs that the Easter Bunny's helpers left on Orion's deck on Sunday morning. Hmmm...we saw one of the helpers leave on a red kayak...hmmm...just like the one on the picture above...

We say thank you to the Easter Bunny's helpers and want them to know that the hard-boiled eggs made a delicious lunch for us, sliced and put on 7-grain-bread...quite yummy indeed!

My smiling captain always warms my heart...I feel so privileged to share this wonderful life with him!

Another look at our backyard at Coffin Island...the white clouds on the horizon look like the cream on the pie...don't you think?

We sailed back on Sunday afternoon in strong winds and waves...hmmm...the forecast didn't mention any wind. Never mind, we are used to a "bumpy ride" when we sail back to Salinas...the wind is always on our nose or so it seems, which does not diminish our spirits...we love to sail...it's as simple as that :o)

The sun goes down in a golden ball...who needs television out here? Saying good night for now until the next post on this blog...

Oh...and saying hi to Grandpa Harvey Klumb, who really enjoys our blog and the pictures! It was nice to hear all the stories about your trip with Rick from North Carolina to Florida and back...2000 plus miles in a week...way to go at 91 years of age! We love you!

God bless all of you!