Well Tracey headed home in the rental car this morning, dark and early at about 5:30am.  The cat was not pleased.  She'll come on back down, when I'm somewhere south of San Fransisco and it's a little sunny and warmer.
I almost got out of Newport this morning.  Sunny, no fog with a good breeze out of the north.  Unfortunately about 6 miles out the electric autopilot gave up the ghost and started slipping.  Now, I don't really need the tiller pilot for sailing.  Mighty Thor the Monitor does much better and is much stronger.  But the tiller pilot is nice if there's little or no wind and when  coming into harbor alone, it can steer while I get the boat ready to dock.  So figuring it would be shorter to turn around and see it I could get it fixed in Newport, than continuing for the 65 miles to Coos Bay, I turned around.  The plus side is I did have a nice sail back and today there is almost no swell.  Will wait for parts here at the marina, where the office ladies said they would be happy to accept shipment for me.
Ed