July 21st
We got up and left Half Moon Bay, but not before purchasing an 8 lbs. King Salmon off the dock. We motored South toward Monterey, after a few hours the winds picked up and we were able to sail for the majority of the day. As we entered Monterey Bay, just off the coast of Santa Cruz, Lisa spotted a shark swimming on the surface just next to our boat. He was about 8' and fun to watch for the short time he was visible. Shortly after that we saw several whale spouts, but they were to far off to identify what type of whales were making them. We finally arrived at the Monterey Yacht Club and were greeted at the dock by our friends Joe and Jake, who we met a couple weeks earlier at Coyote Point. The two of them helped us with our lines then escorted us to the club where a post race party was going on. Joe's wife Lisa was waiting at the club with drinks and a table. We had agreat meal and spent the night exchanging stories of our trips from San Francisco to Monterey. Theirs was more eventful as they were greeted by 2 Blue Whales one on each side of their boat about 40 feet away. We weren't so lucky.
July 22nd
Lisa and I went into town and walked around a bit picked up some groceries, then met up with Lisa Headley. My Lisa went back to the Headley's house and did some Laundry, while I met our friends, Leonard and Lorena, who we have been shadowing down the coast from Eureka, for Coffee. I then went back to the boat for a long nap. My Brother, John showed up about 9:00 pm. and the 3 of us went up to the Tower Bridge Pub for a bite to eat.
We got up and left Half Moon Bay, but not before purchasing an 8 lbs. King Salmon off the dock. We motored South toward Monterey, after a few hours the winds picked up and we were able to sail for the majority of the day. As we entered Monterey Bay, just off the coast of Santa Cruz, Lisa spotted a shark swimming on the surface just next to our boat. He was about 8' and fun to watch for the short time he was visible. Shortly after that we saw several whale spouts, but they were to far off to identify what type of whales were making them. We finally arrived at the Monterey Yacht Club and were greeted at the dock by our friends Joe and Jake, who we met a couple weeks earlier at Coyote Point. The two of them helped us with our lines then escorted us to the club where a post race party was going on. Joe's wife Lisa was waiting at the club with drinks and a table. We had agreat meal and spent the night exchanging stories of our trips from San Francisco to Monterey. Theirs was more eventful as they were greeted by 2 Blue Whales one on each side of their boat about 40 feet away. We weren't so lucky.
July 22nd
Lisa and I went into town and walked around a bit picked up some groceries, then met up with Lisa Headley. My Lisa went back to the Headley's house and did some Laundry, while I met our friends, Leonard and Lorena, who we have been shadowing down the coast from Eureka, for Coffee. I then went back to the boat for a long nap. My Brother, John showed up about 9:00 pm. and the 3 of us went up to the Tower Bridge Pub for a bite to eat.
July 24th
We left San Simeon for a
short day to San Louie Obispo, just 46 miles south across Morrow Bay and down
the coast. We dropped anchor about 300 yds. off the beach, filled with people
enjoying a beautiful sunny day. The evening started with a party at the golf
course just off the beach. we didn't leave the boat, we didn't have too, the
music was very loud as 3 bands played including, Sublime, the only one I had
heard of. A local to the area stopped over to the boat and described the music
as stoner music, maybe that's why I hadn't heard of them.
July 25th
Port
San Louie's fuel dock opened at 08:00 am, giving us a later start than we hoped
for. Today is a long day from Port San Louie around Arguello Point and
Conception Point and over to Santa Barbara, about 120 miles or 17 hours. We had
little or no wind for most of the day. John, Lisa and I spent a few hours
playing Yatzi and other games while "Auto" drove the boat. ( thats autopilot ).
We motored around Point Arguello, where Vandenberg Airforce Base is located. We
had some great views of the A.F. Base, then continued around Conception Point.
For those who have been following from the beginning you may remember this area
as our first test in rough weather as it took us 22 hours going north around
this area and it was just Lisa and I, in very strong head winds. Today was just
the opposite very light tailwinds, at least for a while. Lisa started cooking
dinner down in the galley as the water was so calm. About halfway thru dinner
the winds decided it was time to sail. We pulled out the sails and finished
dinner with a strong tailwind and sailed for several hours until we dropped
anchor in Goleta Bay at the west end of Santa Barbara, near the airport. We
dropped anchor between midnight and 01:00am.
We left San Simeon for a
short day to San Louie Obispo, just 46 miles south across Morrow Bay and down
the coast. We dropped anchor about 300 yds. off the beach, filled with people
enjoying a beautiful sunny day. The evening started with a party at the golf
course just off the beach. we didn't leave the boat, we didn't have too, the
music was very loud as 3 bands played including, Sublime, the only one I had
heard of. A local to the area stopped over to the boat and described the music
as stoner music, maybe that's why I hadn't heard of them.
July 25th
Port
San Louie's fuel dock opened at 08:00 am, giving us a later start than we hoped
for. Today is a long day from Port San Louie around Arguello Point and
Conception Point and over to Santa Barbara, about 120 miles or 17 hours. We had
little or no wind for most of the day. John, Lisa and I spent a few hours
playing Yatzi and other games while "Auto" drove the boat. ( thats autopilot ).
We motored around Point Arguello, where Vandenberg Airforce Base is located. We
had some great views of the A.F. Base, then continued around Conception Point.
For those who have been following from the beginning you may remember this area
as our first test in rough weather as it took us 22 hours going north around
this area and it was just Lisa and I, in very strong head winds. Today was just
the opposite very light tailwinds, at least for a while. Lisa started cooking
dinner down in the galley as the water was so calm. About halfway thru dinner
the winds decided it was time to sail. We pulled out the sails and finished
dinner with a strong tailwind and sailed for several hours until we dropped
anchor in Goleta Bay at the west end of Santa Barbara, near the airport. We
dropped anchor between midnight and 01:00am.
July 26th
We all woke to the noise of people around the boat. The bay was very active, with paddle boarders, kayakers, and surfers paddling around to the point. We made coffee, had breakfast and lazed around for a few hours. I somehow dropped the top to our brand new french press off the boat in about 20' of water. I went below and got my wetsuit and snorkeling gear, dove several times looking for it with no luck. I will have to invest in a regulator and air tanks soon, especially if I keep dropping things. We pulled anchor around noon and went over to East beach of Santa Barbara and anchored there for a day. The marina was full, as there was a big race going on. The race would leave at noon the next day and end up in L.A. I was told the first boats would take 4 to 5 hours. We met our friend Robert along with one of his local friends Janet, for dinner near the marina. We had a very fun evening starting off with oyster shooters, one with vodka and one without. Both were awsome. We went back to the boat on the dingy and tried to sleep The winds were coming from the west and the swells from the south so the boat was rocking alot and the water was banging on the hull, sounded like drums all night. We should have used a stern anchor to keep us facing the swells. None of us wanted to get up and try to deal with that.
We all woke to the noise of people around the boat. The bay was very active, with paddle boarders, kayakers, and surfers paddling around to the point. We made coffee, had breakfast and lazed around for a few hours. I somehow dropped the top to our brand new french press off the boat in about 20' of water. I went below and got my wetsuit and snorkeling gear, dove several times looking for it with no luck. I will have to invest in a regulator and air tanks soon, especially if I keep dropping things. We pulled anchor around noon and went over to East beach of Santa Barbara and anchored there for a day. The marina was full, as there was a big race going on. The race would leave at noon the next day and end up in L.A. I was told the first boats would take 4 to 5 hours. We met our friend Robert along with one of his local friends Janet, for dinner near the marina. We had a very fun evening starting off with oyster shooters, one with vodka and one without. Both were awsome. We went back to the boat on the dingy and tried to sleep The winds were coming from the west and the swells from the south so the boat was rocking alot and the water was banging on the hull, sounded like drums all night. We should have used a stern anchor to keep us facing the swells. None of us wanted to get up and try to deal with that.
July 27th
After a noisy night and not much sleep, the 3 of us took the dingy back over to the marina and met up with Robert, then we all went to the University Club for lunch as Janets guests. Janet met us there. After lunch Robert showed us where the grocery store was. After we dropped him off for a massage he let us use his car to go shopping. We loaded the dingy with groceries so only one of us could take them back to the boat. It took an hour to get the groceries back to the boat and put away. meanwhile Lisa and John went back to pick up Robert. The marina had one slip open now that our boat would fit into. When John, Lisa and Robert got back to the marina we moved the boat off the anchorage, and Robert invited us to San Ysidro Ranch for dinner. All I can say is WOW, what a cool place. This is where J.F.K. and Jacky honeymooned. Also Gweneth Paltrow and Chris Martin got married here. A very beautiful property. Another wonderful evening.
July 28th
John, Lisa and I met Our friend John, for breakfast on the pier then we set off for Santa Cruz Island. We had no wind for the first few hours, then it picked up and we had a nice sail over, then east down the coast to a protected cove called prisoners harbor, where we anchored for the night. Lisa and I took the kayak down and went for a paddle.
After a noisy night and not much sleep, the 3 of us took the dingy back over to the marina and met up with Robert, then we all went to the University Club for lunch as Janets guests. Janet met us there. After lunch Robert showed us where the grocery store was. After we dropped him off for a massage he let us use his car to go shopping. We loaded the dingy with groceries so only one of us could take them back to the boat. It took an hour to get the groceries back to the boat and put away. meanwhile Lisa and John went back to pick up Robert. The marina had one slip open now that our boat would fit into. When John, Lisa and Robert got back to the marina we moved the boat off the anchorage, and Robert invited us to San Ysidro Ranch for dinner. All I can say is WOW, what a cool place. This is where J.F.K. and Jacky honeymooned. Also Gweneth Paltrow and Chris Martin got married here. A very beautiful property. Another wonderful evening.
July 28th
John, Lisa and I met Our friend John, for breakfast on the pier then we set off for Santa Cruz Island. We had no wind for the first few hours, then it picked up and we had a nice sail over, then east down the coast to a protected cove called prisoners harbor, where we anchored for the night. Lisa and I took the kayak down and went for a paddle.
July 29th
After a calm night and good sleep we decided to circumnavigate the island, heading west along the north coast then around the west end of the island. Santa Cruz is a very rugged island with high mountains and very few trees, the coast is mostly cliffs and rocks with a few scattered beaches. A mostly dramatic coastline. As we sailed along the south coast we came across a large pod of dolphin, and watched as they played in our wake and surfed in the growing swells, so much fun to watch. At some point we sailed thru some kelp, that got caught up in our prop. We found out when the wind died and we started up the motor, there was a familiar vibration. We shut down the engine, on went the wet suit as the water was only 60 degrees. I jumped in and cut it free. The day was coming to an end, so we needed to find a good anchorage. The anchorage we had planned on was not going to work with the unseasonable northeast winds. We altered our course and headed for a better more protected anchorage. Without going into details we found the first cruisers that were unfriendly, after months of cruising up and down the west coast from L.A. to Canada and back. The members of Longbeach Yacht Club that cruised into Santa Cruise were rude and not helpful. None the less we anchored and fixed dinner. Luckily Lisa and I went to sleep early.
July 30th
01:30am. the keel thumped on the bottom, Lisa and I jumped up, I woke John who had just gone to sleep and felt nothing. I asked him to help me quickly pull the stern anchor. We took up some of our bow anchor line, known as rode, pulling us into deeper water. I decided we needed to move to a new anchorage. we pulled the anchor and headed east along the coast. The next anchorage was a few hours away, so I suggested we keep going to Marina del Rey, John and Lisa agreed. I told John to go back to sleep, and we would take shift on watch for the trip. Lisa and I took the first watch as we sailed passed Anacapa Island in a dark fog. At 06:00am Lisa woke John then went to sleep. I napped in the cockpit as John took his first watch. We sailed for about 14 hours before we pulled into Marina del Rey around 3:30pm. We parked the boat in the very slip that it was in just after we bought it a year and a half ago. We were met by our good friend Ron who was on his boat next to us. We introduced John, then later Ron's girlfriend Stacey came down, and we chatted for quite a while. We were very touched when Ron brought out a binder and said I have your book. He held in his hand our entire website in print, as Stacey would print up the pages as we updated them, then bring it down to the boat for Ron to read. Lisa and I decided as John only had the one day here we would naturally take him to Venice Beach to enjoy the interesting people there. Afterward John treated Lisa and I to Dinner Near the beach.
July 31st
We had to say goodbye to John as he had a morning flight back to Chicago where he would rent a car and drive back to Bettendorf. It was great having him on the boat and we can't wait to have him back. Lisa and I spent most of the day cleaning the salt everything as it has been quite some time since we have had the time and the fresh water to clean up. We also got the t.v. working so we could catch up on what was happening at the olympics.
After a calm night and good sleep we decided to circumnavigate the island, heading west along the north coast then around the west end of the island. Santa Cruz is a very rugged island with high mountains and very few trees, the coast is mostly cliffs and rocks with a few scattered beaches. A mostly dramatic coastline. As we sailed along the south coast we came across a large pod of dolphin, and watched as they played in our wake and surfed in the growing swells, so much fun to watch. At some point we sailed thru some kelp, that got caught up in our prop. We found out when the wind died and we started up the motor, there was a familiar vibration. We shut down the engine, on went the wet suit as the water was only 60 degrees. I jumped in and cut it free. The day was coming to an end, so we needed to find a good anchorage. The anchorage we had planned on was not going to work with the unseasonable northeast winds. We altered our course and headed for a better more protected anchorage. Without going into details we found the first cruisers that were unfriendly, after months of cruising up and down the west coast from L.A. to Canada and back. The members of Longbeach Yacht Club that cruised into Santa Cruise were rude and not helpful. None the less we anchored and fixed dinner. Luckily Lisa and I went to sleep early.
July 30th
01:30am. the keel thumped on the bottom, Lisa and I jumped up, I woke John who had just gone to sleep and felt nothing. I asked him to help me quickly pull the stern anchor. We took up some of our bow anchor line, known as rode, pulling us into deeper water. I decided we needed to move to a new anchorage. we pulled the anchor and headed east along the coast. The next anchorage was a few hours away, so I suggested we keep going to Marina del Rey, John and Lisa agreed. I told John to go back to sleep, and we would take shift on watch for the trip. Lisa and I took the first watch as we sailed passed Anacapa Island in a dark fog. At 06:00am Lisa woke John then went to sleep. I napped in the cockpit as John took his first watch. We sailed for about 14 hours before we pulled into Marina del Rey around 3:30pm. We parked the boat in the very slip that it was in just after we bought it a year and a half ago. We were met by our good friend Ron who was on his boat next to us. We introduced John, then later Ron's girlfriend Stacey came down, and we chatted for quite a while. We were very touched when Ron brought out a binder and said I have your book. He held in his hand our entire website in print, as Stacey would print up the pages as we updated them, then bring it down to the boat for Ron to read. Lisa and I decided as John only had the one day here we would naturally take him to Venice Beach to enjoy the interesting people there. Afterward John treated Lisa and I to Dinner Near the beach.
July 31st
We had to say goodbye to John as he had a morning flight back to Chicago where he would rent a car and drive back to Bettendorf. It was great having him on the boat and we can't wait to have him back. Lisa and I spent most of the day cleaning the salt everything as it has been quite some time since we have had the time and the fresh water to clean up. We also got the t.v. working so we could catch up on what was happening at the olympics.
Aug. 1st
Lisa and I met with Steve Curran and his wife B.J. for happy hour
at the California Yacht Club, then they took us to a fantastic Moroccan
restaurant for dinner. Steve and B.J. have been wonderful friends to us ever
since we bought the boat. Steve was the broker that we bought the boat
thru.
Aug. 2nd
Our good friends in Washington needed some help to get caught up
at their winery, so Lisa and I with the help of Tina’s buddy passes, jumped on a
plane and flew up to Portland. We spent the night with our friends Jim and
Terri, who were so nice to pick us up at the
airport.
Aug.3rd
Jim drove us to Haden Island, where we met Gary who drove down to
pick us up. We then drove back to Gary and June’s house where we said our
hello’s then got to work bottling desert wines. June, Gary, Lisa and I managed
to bottle 47 cases of fruit wine the first day. We had a wonderful dinner of Red
Snapper and Mt. St. Helen’s wine.
Aug. 4th
Lisa and June went and spent the day at a wine festival at the
Oceanside Convention Hall promoting Mt. St. Helen Cellars. Meanwhile Jim
McCafferey drove up to help Gary and I bottle some red wines. The 3 of us
managed to bottle 72 cases of red wine while the girls bagged 2 new accounts at
the convention.
Aug. 5th
Lisa, June, Gary and I had a big breakfast, and then got straight
to work bottling more wine. Today we focused on whites, namely Pinot Gris and
Riesling. After work some other friends Jim and Maila came up to have dinner
with us, Steak and Mt. St. Helen’s wine. We had a great visit with some great
friends, but most of all we were able to help get them caught up. 144 cases of
wine in 3 days + 2 new accounts, I call that a successful 3
days.
Aug. 6th
Gary and June drove us back to Portland, where Lisa and I got a
flight back to LAX. We then had a quiet night on the
boat.
Aug. 7th
Lisa went to the Grocery store while I went to West Marine with
our new bike. The gears were all messed up and the bike was already rusting. The
manager at West Marine replaced the bike with a brand new one. West Marine is
one of the best companies I have ever come across. They hire knowledgeable
friendly staff, with great customer service. They also showed us how to keep
the bike from rusting so fast out on the ocean. After finishing our errands for
the day, we had our friends Ron and Stacey over for a glass of wine and said
goodbye.
Aug. 8th
Cleaned the boat and got it ready to leave. After the boat was
organized Lisa and I went over to the Y.C. swimming pool and cooled off. Later I
went over to talk to our friend Jefferson who is from Brazil. Jefferson has
spent a great deal of time between Panama and Mexico, and is a great resource.
He gave me names of people to contact and places to avoid, as well as places to
go.
Aug. 9th
Got a late start leaving Marina del Rey. It felt a bit weird
leaving again, like leaving home. This would be the beginning of our journey
south to new places. We watched the familiar harbor disappear off the stern as
we headed just about 15 miles to Cabrillo Yacht Club in San Pedro, CA. Again we
were welcomed by friendly yachtsmen as we conversed over a cold beverage at the
Yacht Club. After cocktail hour Lisa and I went down to the boat and Lisa
prepared a wonderful salmon dinner.
Aug. 10th
We left the Cabrillo Yacht Club around 06:30am,
and then sailed southeast to Dana Point, arriving at the Dana West Yacht Club
about 4:00pm. Not before
encountering another large pod of dolphin, two of which had babies in tow, so
much fun to watch. We then caught sight of 2 Blue Whales just a couple hundred
feet off our port stern. Dana
Point is one of the most active marinas we have been into yet. Entering the
harbor we were behind a jet ski, being passed by a motor yacht while a sailboat
was coming right at us. As if it wasn’t crowded enough, we were all passed by,
not one, but two harbor patrol boats blasting by at about 40mph. in a no wake
zone. We saw where they stopped, but never did find out what the hurry was. Then
as we came around the corner into the marina, looking for our assigned slip, we
had to maneuver around kayaks, paddle boarders, and fishermen in float tubes.
CRAZY! After getting secured in our slip, without running over anyone, we
cleaned the boat and met up with Lisa’s cousin Karen and her husband Tom. We
were invited to spend the next three days at their house, while getting some
chores done, including re-finishing the little bit of wood that is on the
exterior of the boat.
Aug 11th
Woke up early as usual, and then spent the entire morning
stripping and sanding the steps for the swim ladder and the step into the
cockpit, getting them ready for multiple applications of polyurethane. Lisa,
Karen and I left for the airport around 12:30 to pick up Tina who was coming in
on an overnight for a quick visit. We had a fantastic dinner then walked up the
street and hit a couple parties, ending the night in the swimming pool of one
of Karen and Tom’s friends.
Aug. 12th
Karen, Lisa, and I took Tina back to the airport. We were all
very tiered, all except for Tina who had to go to bed early because she was now
flying the airplane. Lisa went back to sleep, I tried too, and Karen pushed
right thru. After a long lazy morning we rallied and went down to the beach.
The surf was definitely up, and the lifeguards were earning their money, as
they seemed to be out of their stands more than in them. After a long day at
the beach we went back to Karen and Tom’s house, had dinner and watched part of
the Olympic closing ceremonies.
Aug. 13th
Karen took Lisa and I back to the boat
around 10:00am, as we were to meet Jim and Terri there around that time, along
with their friends Jeff and Kat. Checkout time is 12:00pm at 12:01 I got a call
from the dock master asking when I would be leaving. Our guests were still not
here, so I delayed and said I was just getting ready to leave. Everyone
eventually showed up and we pushed off without any more calls. The six of
us went out sailing back up to Newport Beach which took us about 5 hours.
We had steady winds and tacked against them for 3 hours, then turned the motor
on and got up to the Lido Isle Yacht Club at 4:50pm, they closed at 5. We sat on
the boat and had cocktails and were soon visited by the commodore Carter Ford,
who came down to welcome us. Carter was a friend of Lisa’s cousin Karen, and
after a phone call from her, at the house, he arranged a slip for us. Thanks
Carter. Jim and Jeff then treated us to dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the
water, followed shortly by food coma’s all around. Another fun
day!
Aug. 14th
Jim and Jeff went golfing, while Kat, Terri, and I played in the
water. We spent several hours paddleboarding and kayaking in Newport Harbor,
during which time we watched people trying to fly jet packs on the water. It
looked like a lot of fun. The jet was powered by a jetski engine (look it up
online). Later that evening we went out for a sunset cruise, and after seeing
hundreds of sunsets on the water, I finally saw the green flash, it is not a
myth.
Aug. 15th
Not a fun day, Lisa spent most of the day at the dentist and I in
the waiting room. Later the 2 of us went for a nice walk and watched the sunset
from the park on Lido Island. A very beautiful
sunset.
Lisa and I met with Steve Curran and his wife B.J. for happy hour
at the California Yacht Club, then they took us to a fantastic Moroccan
restaurant for dinner. Steve and B.J. have been wonderful friends to us ever
since we bought the boat. Steve was the broker that we bought the boat
thru.
Aug. 2nd
Our good friends in Washington needed some help to get caught up
at their winery, so Lisa and I with the help of Tina’s buddy passes, jumped on a
plane and flew up to Portland. We spent the night with our friends Jim and
Terri, who were so nice to pick us up at the
airport.
Aug.3rd
Jim drove us to Haden Island, where we met Gary who drove down to
pick us up. We then drove back to Gary and June’s house where we said our
hello’s then got to work bottling desert wines. June, Gary, Lisa and I managed
to bottle 47 cases of fruit wine the first day. We had a wonderful dinner of Red
Snapper and Mt. St. Helen’s wine.
Aug. 4th
Lisa and June went and spent the day at a wine festival at the
Oceanside Convention Hall promoting Mt. St. Helen Cellars. Meanwhile Jim
McCafferey drove up to help Gary and I bottle some red wines. The 3 of us
managed to bottle 72 cases of red wine while the girls bagged 2 new accounts at
the convention.
Aug. 5th
Lisa, June, Gary and I had a big breakfast, and then got straight
to work bottling more wine. Today we focused on whites, namely Pinot Gris and
Riesling. After work some other friends Jim and Maila came up to have dinner
with us, Steak and Mt. St. Helen’s wine. We had a great visit with some great
friends, but most of all we were able to help get them caught up. 144 cases of
wine in 3 days + 2 new accounts, I call that a successful 3
days.
Aug. 6th
Gary and June drove us back to Portland, where Lisa and I got a
flight back to LAX. We then had a quiet night on the
boat.
Aug. 7th
Lisa went to the Grocery store while I went to West Marine with
our new bike. The gears were all messed up and the bike was already rusting. The
manager at West Marine replaced the bike with a brand new one. West Marine is
one of the best companies I have ever come across. They hire knowledgeable
friendly staff, with great customer service. They also showed us how to keep
the bike from rusting so fast out on the ocean. After finishing our errands for
the day, we had our friends Ron and Stacey over for a glass of wine and said
goodbye.
Aug. 8th
Cleaned the boat and got it ready to leave. After the boat was
organized Lisa and I went over to the Y.C. swimming pool and cooled off. Later I
went over to talk to our friend Jefferson who is from Brazil. Jefferson has
spent a great deal of time between Panama and Mexico, and is a great resource.
He gave me names of people to contact and places to avoid, as well as places to
go.
Aug. 9th
Got a late start leaving Marina del Rey. It felt a bit weird
leaving again, like leaving home. This would be the beginning of our journey
south to new places. We watched the familiar harbor disappear off the stern as
we headed just about 15 miles to Cabrillo Yacht Club in San Pedro, CA. Again we
were welcomed by friendly yachtsmen as we conversed over a cold beverage at the
Yacht Club. After cocktail hour Lisa and I went down to the boat and Lisa
prepared a wonderful salmon dinner.
Aug. 10th
We left the Cabrillo Yacht Club around 06:30am,
and then sailed southeast to Dana Point, arriving at the Dana West Yacht Club
about 4:00pm. Not before
encountering another large pod of dolphin, two of which had babies in tow, so
much fun to watch. We then caught sight of 2 Blue Whales just a couple hundred
feet off our port stern. Dana
Point is one of the most active marinas we have been into yet. Entering the
harbor we were behind a jet ski, being passed by a motor yacht while a sailboat
was coming right at us. As if it wasn’t crowded enough, we were all passed by,
not one, but two harbor patrol boats blasting by at about 40mph. in a no wake
zone. We saw where they stopped, but never did find out what the hurry was. Then
as we came around the corner into the marina, looking for our assigned slip, we
had to maneuver around kayaks, paddle boarders, and fishermen in float tubes.
CRAZY! After getting secured in our slip, without running over anyone, we
cleaned the boat and met up with Lisa’s cousin Karen and her husband Tom. We
were invited to spend the next three days at their house, while getting some
chores done, including re-finishing the little bit of wood that is on the
exterior of the boat.
Aug 11th
Woke up early as usual, and then spent the entire morning
stripping and sanding the steps for the swim ladder and the step into the
cockpit, getting them ready for multiple applications of polyurethane. Lisa,
Karen and I left for the airport around 12:30 to pick up Tina who was coming in
on an overnight for a quick visit. We had a fantastic dinner then walked up the
street and hit a couple parties, ending the night in the swimming pool of one
of Karen and Tom’s friends.
Aug. 12th
Karen, Lisa, and I took Tina back to the airport. We were all
very tiered, all except for Tina who had to go to bed early because she was now
flying the airplane. Lisa went back to sleep, I tried too, and Karen pushed
right thru. After a long lazy morning we rallied and went down to the beach.
The surf was definitely up, and the lifeguards were earning their money, as
they seemed to be out of their stands more than in them. After a long day at
the beach we went back to Karen and Tom’s house, had dinner and watched part of
the Olympic closing ceremonies.
Aug. 13th
Karen took Lisa and I back to the boat
around 10:00am, as we were to meet Jim and Terri there around that time, along
with their friends Jeff and Kat. Checkout time is 12:00pm at 12:01 I got a call
from the dock master asking when I would be leaving. Our guests were still not
here, so I delayed and said I was just getting ready to leave. Everyone
eventually showed up and we pushed off without any more calls. The six of
us went out sailing back up to Newport Beach which took us about 5 hours.
We had steady winds and tacked against them for 3 hours, then turned the motor
on and got up to the Lido Isle Yacht Club at 4:50pm, they closed at 5. We sat on
the boat and had cocktails and were soon visited by the commodore Carter Ford,
who came down to welcome us. Carter was a friend of Lisa’s cousin Karen, and
after a phone call from her, at the house, he arranged a slip for us. Thanks
Carter. Jim and Jeff then treated us to dinner at a wonderful restaurant on the
water, followed shortly by food coma’s all around. Another fun
day!
Aug. 14th
Jim and Jeff went golfing, while Kat, Terri, and I played in the
water. We spent several hours paddleboarding and kayaking in Newport Harbor,
during which time we watched people trying to fly jet packs on the water. It
looked like a lot of fun. The jet was powered by a jetski engine (look it up
online). Later that evening we went out for a sunset cruise, and after seeing
hundreds of sunsets on the water, I finally saw the green flash, it is not a
myth.
Aug. 15th
Not a fun day, Lisa spent most of the day at the dentist and I in
the waiting room. Later the 2 of us went for a nice walk and watched the sunset
from the park on Lido Island. A very beautiful
sunset.
Aug. 16th - 26th
After leaving Newport, CA. Lisa, her cousin and husband and I all went to Catalina for 4 days, 3 of them were "on the hook" at anchor, and the last night we stayed in Avalon on a mooring ball, just outside the old Casino. The anchorage was on the back side of Catalina in a small cove called "Little harbors", it was very quiet and secluded, different from the city of Avalon, and the diving around the kelp was awsome. The whole weekend was a lot of fun, swimming, fishing hiking Kayaking and a few cocktails here and there..
We arrived back in Newport and dropped off Karyn and Tom, the next day Lisa and I went across the bay to the American Legion Yacht club for 1 night before heading back South to Dana Point.
After setting the Anchor inside the harbor at Dana Point I ran Lisa over to the shore to meet up with Karyn and she spent the night with her before going for the follow-up at the dentist.
The next day I pulled up the anchor and moved to a slip at the Dana Point Yacht Club where we spent 2 nights before heading South to Oceanside Yacht Club.
Hurricane Issac is looming and I am put on stand-bye to go to work. Lisa and I spent one night at Oceanside where we met Hank who was a member of the Coronado Yacht Club. After a lengthy conversation about where he was going and what we were doing we exchanged contact information and we went south to San Diego and he went North to Newport.
Our first couple nights in San Diego we spent at the Silver Gate Yacht Club, on Shelter Island. The second night we were there we got a surprise visit from one of our good friends in Colorado. Jeff had a call out and flew last minute to San Diego where he met up with us and spent the night on the boat before flying back to Colorado early the next morning.
It was now apparent that Issac was going to hit Louisiana so we made arrangements to leave the boat on a mooring while we went to work. Lisa and I sailed south in the bay toward a mooring field under the Coronado bridge, we picked up our mooring then had to figure out how to get to shore with all our luggage while leaving our dingy secured to the boat. After a few phone calls a guy comes rowing toward our boat in a small underinflated raft, I said jokingly to Lisa here comes our ride. To our surprise it was our ride. Jim was told that I needed a ride to shore, he wasn't told there were 2 of us with luggage. We fit everything in the raft and made it to shore relatively dry, then caught a taxi to the airport.
We flew to Iowa to pick up our truck and wait to be deployed.
NO WORK
After leaving Newport, CA. Lisa, her cousin and husband and I all went to Catalina for 4 days, 3 of them were "on the hook" at anchor, and the last night we stayed in Avalon on a mooring ball, just outside the old Casino. The anchorage was on the back side of Catalina in a small cove called "Little harbors", it was very quiet and secluded, different from the city of Avalon, and the diving around the kelp was awsome. The whole weekend was a lot of fun, swimming, fishing hiking Kayaking and a few cocktails here and there..
We arrived back in Newport and dropped off Karyn and Tom, the next day Lisa and I went across the bay to the American Legion Yacht club for 1 night before heading back South to Dana Point.
After setting the Anchor inside the harbor at Dana Point I ran Lisa over to the shore to meet up with Karyn and she spent the night with her before going for the follow-up at the dentist.
The next day I pulled up the anchor and moved to a slip at the Dana Point Yacht Club where we spent 2 nights before heading South to Oceanside Yacht Club.
Hurricane Issac is looming and I am put on stand-bye to go to work. Lisa and I spent one night at Oceanside where we met Hank who was a member of the Coronado Yacht Club. After a lengthy conversation about where he was going and what we were doing we exchanged contact information and we went south to San Diego and he went North to Newport.
Our first couple nights in San Diego we spent at the Silver Gate Yacht Club, on Shelter Island. The second night we were there we got a surprise visit from one of our good friends in Colorado. Jeff had a call out and flew last minute to San Diego where he met up with us and spent the night on the boat before flying back to Colorado early the next morning.
It was now apparent that Issac was going to hit Louisiana so we made arrangements to leave the boat on a mooring while we went to work. Lisa and I sailed south in the bay toward a mooring field under the Coronado bridge, we picked up our mooring then had to figure out how to get to shore with all our luggage while leaving our dingy secured to the boat. After a few phone calls a guy comes rowing toward our boat in a small underinflated raft, I said jokingly to Lisa here comes our ride. To our surprise it was our ride. Jim was told that I needed a ride to shore, he wasn't told there were 2 of us with luggage. We fit everything in the raft and made it to shore relatively dry, then caught a taxi to the airport.
We flew to Iowa to pick up our truck and wait to be deployed.
NO WORK
Lisa and I hung out in Iowa for 3 weeks, waiting to be deployed for 2 of them, then attended Derriks wedding.
Sept. 18th - Oct.1st
we arrived back on the boat and lived on our mooring until the 1st of October. During the 3rd week of September Lisa and I went over to the Coronado Yacht Club to see if they would extend reciprocity to us. When we got there the office was closed. Once again Lisa and I met the nicest people at the club. Steve , Susan and Ron were sitting on the deck and invited us to join them. We spent the next month entertaining each other. Steve and Susan had us onto their new boat for drinks where they introduced us to some of their friends, Fred & Martha, who also were extremely fun. We later decided that they were invited for protection, just incase we were serial killers, LOL.
Lisa and I were treated like we were life long friends and now we will be.
Another member of the Coronado Club, Hank, we met up in Oceanside CA. several weeks earlier, he too treated us like gold when we met up at his home club.
Oct. 1st
We moved the boat off the mooring and over to the Coronado Yacht Club. We stayed at the club for 3 days before moving to the Chula Vista Yacht Club at the south end of the bay.
Oct.4th
Lisa and I arrived at Chula Vista, Where we started making preliminary plans for our trip along the Baja Penninsula with Leonard and Lorena.
Oct.5th
I was getting off the boat when our neighbor who had just pulled in said "howdy neighbor" I looked up and said "Hi Terry" Lisa and I had been trying to find Terry ever since we arrived in Southern California. Lisa and I have known him for Years, but had lost touch. Then out of no where, he shows up on his boat right in front of us.
Sept. 18th - Oct.1st
we arrived back on the boat and lived on our mooring until the 1st of October. During the 3rd week of September Lisa and I went over to the Coronado Yacht Club to see if they would extend reciprocity to us. When we got there the office was closed. Once again Lisa and I met the nicest people at the club. Steve , Susan and Ron were sitting on the deck and invited us to join them. We spent the next month entertaining each other. Steve and Susan had us onto their new boat for drinks where they introduced us to some of their friends, Fred & Martha, who also were extremely fun. We later decided that they were invited for protection, just incase we were serial killers, LOL.
Lisa and I were treated like we were life long friends and now we will be.
Another member of the Coronado Club, Hank, we met up in Oceanside CA. several weeks earlier, he too treated us like gold when we met up at his home club.
Oct. 1st
We moved the boat off the mooring and over to the Coronado Yacht Club. We stayed at the club for 3 days before moving to the Chula Vista Yacht Club at the south end of the bay.
Oct.4th
Lisa and I arrived at Chula Vista, Where we started making preliminary plans for our trip along the Baja Penninsula with Leonard and Lorena.
Oct.5th
I was getting off the boat when our neighbor who had just pulled in said "howdy neighbor" I looked up and said "Hi Terry" Lisa and I had been trying to find Terry ever since we arrived in Southern California. Lisa and I have known him for Years, but had lost touch. Then out of no where, he shows up on his boat right in front of us.
Oct. 6th
We spent the day ay a swap meet in the parking lot of the maria and washing and waxing the entire hull of the boat, glad we don't do that every week. The evening was spent at a club with Hank, his girlfriend Debra and Terry and his wife Susan, there was a great local band and lots of dancing, a little by me.
Oct. 7th-9th
We crossed the bay to the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, not to be confused with the Coronado Yacht Club. Again we were greeted by friendly people and welcomed, we took advantage of their swimming pool and hot tub.
Oct. 10th
We moved back up the bay a bit to Glorietta Bay and dropped anchor for 6 nights just outside of the Coronado Yacht Club.
Oct. 11th
I took Lisa to the dock where she was met by our new friend Susan, who was nice enough to take Lisa back to the airport, where she would fly back to Colorado for a couple nights to see the kids before we left the country. I spent the rest of the day doing preventative maintainence on A&F.
Oct. 12th-14th
I continued with maintainence for the first half of the day, after coffee at the YachtClub with the boys. Later in the Afternoon my good friend Craig drove down from Phoenix for a visit, he brought good Scotch and cigars. As it happens I don't really smoke cigars, and I felt like SH__ the next day. I still don't smoke cigars. None the less I had work to do and climbed the mast for some cleaning and lubricating, not fun on a hangover with cigar and toothpaste taste in your mouth, just can't get rid of that taste.
Craig and I had a couple good days together before he had to get back home, Great Visit.
Oct. 15
Lisa got on an earlier flight back to San Diego, so I took the dingy up the bay to pick her up. On the way I stopped to watch the Navy training a Dolphin in the bay, The dolphin would swim up to and jump onto the boat, very fun to watch. It was great to have Lisa back. We went up to the Yacht Club to watch Monday night football with all the Charger fans. the first half was tough to watch, the second half was harder because I had to keep my hand over Lisa's mouth. LOL. We said goodbye to all the people we had met over the last month
Oct. 16th
We pulled anchor and moved the boat back into a slip at C. Y.C. for provisioning. Susan and Lisa went shopping and I did some last minute re-arranging to make room for our new crew member. Lisa got back with the groceries and I didn't think they would even fit on the boat, some how she did that women thing and made them disapear into nooks and crannies. Sontian, our new crew member showed up around 4pm and Lisa and I left at 6pm for a dinner Party in our honor at Steve and Susan's house. They are the best. Where we said goodbye to some other new friends. A terrific night again.
Oct. 17th
We left C.Y.C. and went North to Shelter Island for what was to be a short night with an early departure for Mexico. That didn't happen. The water pump was leaking like crazy so I went up and got a new O ring just as everything was closing, when I got back to the boat to put it on I saw that it was the wrong size. now it was to late to fix it tonight.
Oct. 18th
I went up to the parts place at 8:30 am when they opened and got the right O ring fixed the problem by 9:30am to late to leave. So all is good and we're ready to leave on Friday
Oct.19th
We wake up at 03:30am for a 4am departure, about 5am we get into a kelp bed and have kelp wrapped around the propshaft some 5 or 6 miles outside San Diego. I get on the wetsuit and jump in to cut it loose, then we are again on our way. 6:30am we have a beautiful sunrise and the rest of the day is great. The wind picked up around 11am and was blowing 11-18knots all day. perfect sailing day. 25 miles North of Ensenada we came across a large pod of dolphin that stayed with us for about 15 minutes I still find them amazing, and so much fun to watch. We came across several pods along the way. However we were a bit behind schedule and didn't arrive in Ensenada until 4:30pm. customs and imigration close at 3pm. uhoh... When we got tied up at the marina I went to the marina office and asked what I do about checking in? He said the gov't closes for the weekend just wait until Monday and tell them you just arrived. I'm a bit apprehensive but agreed, what else could I do? 9:30pm I go to bed and leave Lisa and Sontian at the table working on their computers. As soon as I got undressed and in bed there is a knock on the boat. Lisa calls me and says the police want to board the boat. 4 Military police in full gear with semi- automatic AR 15's come aboard ask who I am where I came from and how long I plan to stay they look in the fridge and cupboards, then leave.
We spent the day ay a swap meet in the parking lot of the maria and washing and waxing the entire hull of the boat, glad we don't do that every week. The evening was spent at a club with Hank, his girlfriend Debra and Terry and his wife Susan, there was a great local band and lots of dancing, a little by me.
Oct. 7th-9th
We crossed the bay to the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, not to be confused with the Coronado Yacht Club. Again we were greeted by friendly people and welcomed, we took advantage of their swimming pool and hot tub.
Oct. 10th
We moved back up the bay a bit to Glorietta Bay and dropped anchor for 6 nights just outside of the Coronado Yacht Club.
Oct. 11th
I took Lisa to the dock where she was met by our new friend Susan, who was nice enough to take Lisa back to the airport, where she would fly back to Colorado for a couple nights to see the kids before we left the country. I spent the rest of the day doing preventative maintainence on A&F.
Oct. 12th-14th
I continued with maintainence for the first half of the day, after coffee at the YachtClub with the boys. Later in the Afternoon my good friend Craig drove down from Phoenix for a visit, he brought good Scotch and cigars. As it happens I don't really smoke cigars, and I felt like SH__ the next day. I still don't smoke cigars. None the less I had work to do and climbed the mast for some cleaning and lubricating, not fun on a hangover with cigar and toothpaste taste in your mouth, just can't get rid of that taste.
Craig and I had a couple good days together before he had to get back home, Great Visit.
Oct. 15
Lisa got on an earlier flight back to San Diego, so I took the dingy up the bay to pick her up. On the way I stopped to watch the Navy training a Dolphin in the bay, The dolphin would swim up to and jump onto the boat, very fun to watch. It was great to have Lisa back. We went up to the Yacht Club to watch Monday night football with all the Charger fans. the first half was tough to watch, the second half was harder because I had to keep my hand over Lisa's mouth. LOL. We said goodbye to all the people we had met over the last month
Oct. 16th
We pulled anchor and moved the boat back into a slip at C. Y.C. for provisioning. Susan and Lisa went shopping and I did some last minute re-arranging to make room for our new crew member. Lisa got back with the groceries and I didn't think they would even fit on the boat, some how she did that women thing and made them disapear into nooks and crannies. Sontian, our new crew member showed up around 4pm and Lisa and I left at 6pm for a dinner Party in our honor at Steve and Susan's house. They are the best. Where we said goodbye to some other new friends. A terrific night again.
Oct. 17th
We left C.Y.C. and went North to Shelter Island for what was to be a short night with an early departure for Mexico. That didn't happen. The water pump was leaking like crazy so I went up and got a new O ring just as everything was closing, when I got back to the boat to put it on I saw that it was the wrong size. now it was to late to fix it tonight.
Oct. 18th
I went up to the parts place at 8:30 am when they opened and got the right O ring fixed the problem by 9:30am to late to leave. So all is good and we're ready to leave on Friday
Oct.19th
We wake up at 03:30am for a 4am departure, about 5am we get into a kelp bed and have kelp wrapped around the propshaft some 5 or 6 miles outside San Diego. I get on the wetsuit and jump in to cut it loose, then we are again on our way. 6:30am we have a beautiful sunrise and the rest of the day is great. The wind picked up around 11am and was blowing 11-18knots all day. perfect sailing day. 25 miles North of Ensenada we came across a large pod of dolphin that stayed with us for about 15 minutes I still find them amazing, and so much fun to watch. We came across several pods along the way. However we were a bit behind schedule and didn't arrive in Ensenada until 4:30pm. customs and imigration close at 3pm. uhoh... When we got tied up at the marina I went to the marina office and asked what I do about checking in? He said the gov't closes for the weekend just wait until Monday and tell them you just arrived. I'm a bit apprehensive but agreed, what else could I do? 9:30pm I go to bed and leave Lisa and Sontian at the table working on their computers. As soon as I got undressed and in bed there is a knock on the boat. Lisa calls me and says the police want to board the boat. 4 Military police in full gear with semi- automatic AR 15's come aboard ask who I am where I came from and how long I plan to stay they look in the fridge and cupboards, then leave.
