August 20 , 2007

San Diego, California!!!


Greetings from the Folks on Wand’rin Star,

It’s been 2 months since we’ve seen rain….guess we’re not in the Pacific Northwest anymore! After traveling 485 nm since the last log, the sunny skies and calm waters of San Diego Bay are currently “home” for us.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in San Francisco Bay and Gary had the opportunity to “play” with the new iPhone at the Apple Store before leaving Emeryville. I’m sure if we weren’t leaving the country in a few month there’d be an iPhone aboard, but it doesn’t make sense, as we’ll be in Mexico by November. After a wonderful visit and great pizza dinner with Liz & Kathy from MV SunnyII we left Emery Cove Marina and headed to Ayala Cove on Angel Island for our final night in San Francisco Bay. It was déjà vu as this was what happened on the trip north; luckily, we did a much better job of picking up a mooring even with 20kt winds. See June 2005. On July 10 th we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge with overcast skies and calm seas, it was again bittersweet as we have many wonderful memories of the Bay area and of the friends we made there! Would we ever pass under the bridge again on our boat?

Buoyweather gave us a good forecast for the trip south and our next planned stop was Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. Conditions ranged from flat calm and no wind to 18 kt winds, low swells and 3-4’ wind waves, all in all - just fine! We still used the mizzen and staysail for stability as we’d blown out the main north of Fort Bragg. At dawn on July 12 th we rounded Point Conception in relatively calm conditions and 13 kt winds. We’d read many tales of what a difficult area this is, but our two experiences with Pt. Conception were non-events. Dolphins and whales periodically entertained us on the trip south, always a delight!

That evening we dropped anchor at Smugglers’ Cove, Santa Cruz Island and were greeted by large flocks of pelicans and sea gulls. It was a glorious evening and it felt good to be anchored after almost 56 hours at sea and 317 miles. The Channel Islands are one of our favorites places and we experienced two idyllic days before heading south to Cat Harbor on Catalina Island. As we neared the island on July 15 th, we sighted some of the BIG boats in the TransPac Race; those boats definitely move faster than we do! We spent an overnight in Cat Harbor, but were anxious to get to San Diego so we didn’t go ashore. Rather than entering San Diego Bay in the dark, we opted to head to Mission Bay for one more night out and then go to SD in the morning. Mission Bay had been our first stop on the trip north so it was fitting that it was our last stop before entering the bay where this 3-year journey started. On July 17, 2007 we tied up to slip #22 at the Police Docks 3 years and 47 days after we sailed out of the bay to begin our odyssey north…”oh the places we’ve seen and the things we’ve learned!”

It felt like old home week during our brief stay there as we saw folks we’d met during our northern travels. On July 18 th MV Queen pulled into the dock right next to us. We were astonished to see Frank and LaRue again as we’d met them originally in Port Angeles, WA in 2005. They remembered us as the folks who they’d had strawberries and whipped cream with! LaRue was my inspiration to pick up knitting needles again after a 30-year hiatus and I’m so grateful for that. Just thinking of their smiling faces brings a smile to mine as I write about them. We wish them well wherever their travels lead them and hope to meet up with them for more than just a few days in the future. A couple days later a man walking 2 dogs knocked on the boat and he was David, who we had moored next to in Monterey! He helped us with lifting our engine when we had to replace the engine mounts & bolts, December 2004. Seems that he and Delaine are now in San Diego Bay looking for work and a mooring. Then, the next day a group of folks stopped by the boat and it was Nels & Loretta who own SV Marion, our sister ship and hull #1. We’d met them in Anacortes in 2006! It just amazed us to reconnect with all these folks within days of arriving in San Diego. We commented that we guessed we were finally cruisers as we could come into a port and find people we’d met before without even trying!

A boat can stay at the Police Docks for 10 days every 40 days and we hoped to find a slip to call home soon. Little did we know how tricky that was going to be, 50’ slips are difficult, if not impossible to find. After visiting every marina on Shelter Island and being told that there was a waiting list of at least 6 months for a slip, we broadened our search and eventually found a slip at Sunroad Marina on Harbor Island. It’s a lovely ($$$) marina, but unfortunately not close to anything but hotels and the airport. Luckily the bus stop is about 3/8 mile away and there are good bike paths so we’re managing to get around. We’ve met some wonderful folks here in the marina. Bill & Jean live on MV Dream Warrior next to us and have been very helpful with local knowledge and transportation…just another example of the great folks one meets cruisin’. There’s also a local osprey and Gary’s had great enjoyment photographing him. We’ve also had the opportunity to catch up with Tom & Sue on SV Three Bags Full and are looking forward to seeing Joseph & Marci on SV Horizon when they return from the Channel Islands. Murray has also made the transition to southern California and is enjoying being outside on deck; one of his favorite spots is in the shade of the kayak on the pilothouse roof. He also has a great time poking his head through the open hatches.

Remember our main sail had blown out just north of Fort Bragg??? A new one has been ordered and should arrive soon. We’ve also ordered an awning for the cockpit and are looking forward to shade in the near future (not that we’re complaining about sunshine!!!) Gary has definitely made the transition back to warmth and sunshine…I can’t remember the last time he had long pants on. He’s also been busy installing our new Spectra water maker, repairing the bow thruster, fixing the aft head anti-siphon valve, inspecting the two masts, having the rigging tuned, getting wood stripped and ready for varnishing, installing new electronic charts, and doing the other zillion things that need to be done before we leave on the Baja Ha-Ha in October. We’re in the process of “lightening our load” and selling things that we no longer need, i.e. our Alaska charts & books, the slide scanner, etc. It’s nice to have a little money coming in, especially in relation to all that’s going OUT!

Oh, I didn’t say anything about the Ha-Ha! After talking with folks along the way, we’ve decided to join the crowd heading to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with the Baja Ha-Ha, a 10-day Cruisers’ Rally from San Diego to Cabo. Last year 160 boats were in the Ha-Ha and this year they have capped the entries at 200. Gary wasn’t too sure that he wanted to travel with so many boats, but I’d heard wonderful things about the people involved and after talking with Rob & Teresa on SV Yohelah, who participated last year, Gary finally succumbed to my brow-beating and said “Yes, you can send in the entry.” We are looking forward to flying the purple Baja Ha-Ha 2007 burgee and heading down to the land of sun, sand, and margaritas!

The next couple weeks will find us in Michigan as we’re going to celebrate my folks’ 60 th Wedding Anniversary (they only knew each other for 3 weeks before getting married!) and to move Gary’s mom into a new place. It will be good to see other family & friends there too!

Yesterday we celebrated our 8 th wedding anniversary and this Sunday will be the 4 th anniversary of living aboard SV Wand’rin Star. It’s extraordinary to think that half of our married life has been on the boat. Sometimes it feels like it’s been a looooooooonnnnnnng time, other times…just a few short years. It really is amazing where life takes one or where one can take life. Gary & I met each other through a personal ad over 10 years ago and if anyone had told me when I walked into the Baker’s Square Restaurant in Birmingham, MI on that fateful day that we’d be enjoying this wonderful life together, I’d have thought they were reading a fairy tale. We feel truly blessed and very lucky each day we share this life together and look forward to many more years following ‘the road less traveled.”

Please enjoy this day and make your own fairy tale come true!

Dorothy, Gary, and Murray the Cat


Quotes of the Month

“You’re not a grownup, you’re just a big kid!” ~ Liz (MV Sunny II)

”They change their clime, but not their mind, who rush across the sea.” ~ Horace

© Copyright 2007
Last updated on September 2, 2008