Ventura & San Diego

Whew!  We made it to San Diego early this morning (10/21) after hanging out at Dana Point long enough for me to bake my birthday cake and make pizza for dinner.  After a few hours sleep, we moved to our slip for the remainder of our stay (through the 26th).  The kids are enjoying the marina's pool while Dave is off to West Marine for what we hope is the last time for a long while.  October 26th is the official start of the Ha Ha as there is a skipper's meeting at 11:30am.  We are a little nervous, but look upon that as a good thing.  It will keep us sharper/more alert - we hope.

Our overnight trip from Morro Bay to Ventura (10/17- 10/18) was uneventful.  I enjoyed my watch for the excellent stargazing and the opportunity to sing for my own pleasure since everyone was asleep.  It was an easy watch: I merely had to keep the boat pointed between two oil rigs and we had wind behind us.

We were all excited to see the surf in Ventura so we walked from the marina to the beach for a little boogie boarding.  I also trotted to the visitor center for the Channel Islands to pick up information for when we sail north from Mexico.  We would like to anchor at one or more of the islands on our return trip.  Our anchorage information comes from "Charlie's Charts" and the hiking info from the park service.

          Our son thought the signs were fun.

       If those smiles don't express true joy, nothing does!

     The end of a successful run.....

       10/19: we were sailing to Dana Point slowly so we let the kids dabble in the water.  The lines are for them to catch if they slip off.  The boy likes to flip it up and down against the water.

I am starting to do more cooking while on the longer passages.  As long as I can reasonably stay upright, I feel more confident using the stove and oven.  I've made one loaf of bread while underway and the aforementioned pizza dough and cake.