Firstmate's Log Friday 12-7-12

To start this day let us all take a moment to remember the Veteran’s we lost in Pearl Harbor 70 years ago.  It is easy for us to scurry about in our daily routines without much thought to the freedoms we have due to our fearless men and women serving in our Armed Forces.  If our veterans were income driven instead of dedicated to protecting our country the United States of America would be just another third world country.  My father  (Riley) served in the Army twenty years and Will’s father was a pilot in the Air Force over 15 years fulltime and 10 years part time in the Guard.  Both our fathers were in Korea for the Korean War and Will’s father  (John) also flew in the Vietnam War.  Neither parents worried about owning mansions and BMWs they worried about their protecting their  country and their families.  Again, we should all take a moment to include our Veterans and their families in our prayers  regularly and especially today.  Will and I  passed a battleship as it practiced maneuvers 2 days ago. It was interesting  to say the least,  watching  helicopters fly to the ship and depart with equipment attached to the dangling line.  It is required that you maintain a distance of 3 nautical miles from these ships.  The radio on your boat is set on Channel 16 at all times generally to monitor incoming alerts and should you be within the Three Mile Zone -  you will receive a Security Alert.

Yesterday was one of our Navy Veterans birthday…Happy Birthday Linc of the Downtown Marina . Linc and GiGi have “served voluntarily” as our best friends for several years. They also live aboard their boat Passage on the same dock in Long Beach. Gigi (lovingly referred to as Moma Gi to our Swab Nikki) has dog sat endlessly over the last few months while we had contractors servicing our boat engines and installing equipment. Linc and Gigi also hosted our Bon Voyage Party on 11/3 which was quite the party. Our Nikki is enamored with their pit bull Pirro and they have been quite the odd couple for years. Thank you Linc and Gigi for everything! We love ya!!!

 

 

 

We arrived in North San Diego yesterday and opted to anchor in Mission Bay in lieu of paying $100 for the night at the Hyatt Mission Bay Marina. We headed out this morning to Shelter Island located inside the bay of San Diego this morning.  This minor two and a  half hour sail was the only challenge we have faced since leaving the dock.  It is lobster season and there are endless lobster pots floating throughout the waters from Long Beach thus far to San Diego and some are located  in the wildest of locations…ie… the entrance into the marinas. (No joke.)   It seems it should be against the law however, it is boat at your own risk and good luck.  What makes it such a challenge in this San Diego area is the amount of kelp growing everywhere.  So not only do you have the possibility of wrapping kelp around your props you have the worse of the two evils available… the dreaded  lobster line wrapping around your props.  We had  larger swells  today  and hitting us on the beam this morning …..swoosh….boom….up down  and whoa …. there is a lobster pot quickly to your port whoosh slide over and there are 2 more to the starbird side.  It was a complete obstacle course today.   Hooray to my fearless Captain whom successfully navigated through this barrage of endless  crustacean  traps and miles of kelp.

 

Prior to last night we spent two nights at the Oceanside Yacht Club’s guest dock. It was grey and cloudy again. The sun did not come out until  3:30 (this is not a typo) and lasted until about 4:20.  Will and I discussed how we cannot wait to have the sunny mornings in Florida.   California provides an extraordinary coastline and with it comes a perpetual marine layer that often does not breakup until about noon.  We did as I mentioned previously  meet a couple whom has been cruising 8 years now.  As hoped for we met for drinks at 7 pm the night before our departure.  They were hanging out longer because they had a lobster pot  line wrapped around one of their props and needed better weather to get under the boat and remove it properly.  (Not joking.) Holly and Denis (pronounced De NEE he is French from Ontario, Canada) have the 43 foot Perry Catamaran with the 22 foot beam named Tango. We discussed different ports from California to the South Pacific, what it was like to be at sea over 2 weeks with no land in sight, tsunamis, rogue waves and storms.  Yes, what great cocktail conversations,  it was better than watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.  We had our own opportunity to interview the subjects on the Discovery Channel.  (AWESOME)  The one story they told us that was surprising to say the least to me was when we  were talking about Mexico and how a lot of people are apprehensive about going to the Mexican Marinas.  They told us they have ONLY been afraid one time in a marina.  Here is what surprised me. “We were in a marina in the back bay of San Francisco on the east side.  We were instructed NOT TO EVER leave the marina and turn left and DO NOT leave the marina at night.”  Interesting I thought for a couple that had gone all the way to the south end of Mexico over to the Marquesas’ Islands to Hawaii and up to Alaska this was the only time they felt fearful about their surroundings.

Will and I are now guests of the Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego and it is NICE!! We will be here until Monday.  I will keep you posted on our adventures.   LATERS!