Ayla Kai at 2 months 7 days

Recent photo of our grand daugther Ayla Kai. See how she has grown. In the photo she is 2 months, 7 days old. She is looking really beautiful.

Mi Paraiso - in Sausalito Yatch Harbor

Curtis after 9 hours of travel with John in Mi Paraiso. On the way they hit some rough weather. They manfully handled the rough weather. They saw whales on the way over.

Mi Paraiso as she enters her new berth, Sausalito Yatch Harbor.

Mi Paraiso = Approaches Her New Berth

Mi Paraiso as she approaches her new berth, the Sausalito Yatch Harbor. In the background is the city and the Bay Bridge.





In the background is the Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island.

Mi Paraiso as she passes the beautiful homes in the hills opposite Sausalito proper.

Mi Paraiso - Cast Off to Sausalito Yatch Harbor

Mi Paraiso finally left the Montery Bay Yacht Harbor. She is on her way to Sausalito Yacht Harbor, her new berth.

Accompanying John to the trip is our friend Curtis Spitler. He is a true friend. We thank him so much for being such a sport.

We are excited to have the Sausalito Yacht Harbor as the new home of Mi Paraiso. We hope to have a lot of fun as there are many more places you can visit there compared with the Monterey Bay Yacht.

Nordhavn - Re: Lugger/Northern Lights Owners' Seminar

We are excited that we are going to learn all about the engine that is the heart of Mi Paraiso. Here are some of the few things we are going to learn:

Content and Agenda:
Captains' Class seminars address Preventive Maintenance, routine maintenance and problem solutions in these areas:
Preventive Maintenance -
1. Fuel system & primary (Racor) filters
2. Cooling system(s) & pumps
3. Exhaust system: elbows, mounting, leaks
4. Air Intake: Air filters, turbocharger, ventilation
5. Electrical: starting, charging, fuses & breakers
6. Chafe, wear & vibration issues: cables, bolts, hoses, wiring, belts
7. Why any leak is bad - early warnings
8. Corrosion, erosion & rust
9. Proper startup and shutdowns
10. Control systems: Cables, mounts, hydraulics, electrical
11. Look, Listen, Smell, Feel
Routine Maintenance - How To's
1. Changing fuel filters
2. Priming and bleeding: low and high pressure systems
3. Changing engine oil and filter, find the O-ring
Problem Solutions-What you can fix under way
1. Electrical: Alternator & starter issues, finding fuses & breakersHow to read a multimeter - what to look for
2. Cooling system: Pumps you fix, pumps you replace. How to do it.Where the thermostats are hidden & why you probably don't need to fix them.
3. Fuel System: How electronic engines work, why they're simple and reliable
4. Lube system diagnostics: making oil, missing oil, milky oil
5. Smoke-ology: diagnosing smoke by color
6. Engine and transmission oil coolers

Weekend with Marylou & Bud Hastings

Just finished spending the weekend with Marylou and Bud. Marylou is John's sister. They are very nice couple who lives in Riverside Calif. Marylou will be 79 years old and Bud 80 years old. They are still in good shape and still able to travel.

We had dinner on Saturday at Luca, see the link http://www.cantinettaluca.com/kitchen/menu_dinner.html a really good italian restaurant in Carmel. They have the best "Al Ceppo Bolognese". They have very good Italian wine selections at reasonable prices. Check them out, it is really good. Then on Sunday, I prepared a picnic lunch for them and they went to the boat to spend the beautiful afternoon.

I then prepared a mexican burito dinner for all us. John made killer margaritas. They were sooooo good.

That was a terrific weekend.

Cistus Purpereus

Mi Paraiso 43-32 Dashboard Layout

This is the current Dash Layout of Mi Paraiso showing a couple of adjustments.
Basically, Todd Cowley switched the positions of main engine panel and wing engine & generator panels. (Main panel goes to the left and wing engine & gen set panel to the right of B&G gauges.)

How About Some Pie on the Face?

Mi Paraiso-Mainship-Casting Off

Depending on the weather, "Mi Paraiso", our current 30ft Mainship Pilot II boat might be casting off from the Monterey Bay Dock to Sausalito Yatch Club Dock. John is constantly checking the weather and the buoys information. Estimated length of the trip is about 6 hours.
We are excited to have Sausalito as the new home of "Mi Paraiso-our floating island."

Amazon.com: La Trilogie marseillaise : Marius - Fanny - César: Books: Marcel Pagnol

Amazon.com: The Fanny Trilogy (Marius/Fanny/Cesar): DVD: Raimu,Pierre Fresnay,Orane Demazis,Fernand Charpin,Alida Rouffe,Paul Dullac,Alexandre Mihalesco,Robert Vattier,Édouard Delmont,Milly Mathis,Marcel Maupi,Vale- this is the link to the DVD.

Below are comments from some who have seen this Trilogie. I sure would love to see this. You can get this from Amazon.com.

"These films have some of the best French actors of the time in a beautifully told story of life in Marseilles before the modern era made travel banal. The story of yearning for the exotic, but also needing to belong to your hometown - all wonderfully acted and filmed."

"Each story captures the spirit and the soul of life on the French seaport city of Marseilles and each story captured my heart with its endearing characters".

Amazon.com: La Trilogie marseillaise : Marius - Fanny - César: Books: Marcel Pagnol - this is the link to the book.

Maggie & Baxter

Maggie & Baxter when they were 8 weeks old. Baxter is the one peeking from the back.

Nordhavn - Power That Is Oceans Apart

Come and take a look!Nordhavn - Power That Is Oceans Apart. This is the website that hosts the boat we are having built in Taiwan. In the website, you can see what our new boat "Mi Paraiso" will look like. Just click on any of the thumbnail photos, for example Interior.

Mi Paraiso

Recent photo of our boat - Nordhavn 43 being built in Taiwan. She is expected to ship around June 2007. She will be delivered in Dana Point around July 2007 and will be comissioned there for the next 3 months after delivery.

Ayla Kai

On March 9, 2007 we were blessed with a new addition to our family. Her name is Ayla Kai. She was born to our son Christopher and his soulmate Lani. She is 7.5 lbs and 19 inches long and is very beautiful. We are looking forward to sharing their newest life adventures.