Oct. 2004 Catalina

This is our first look at Catalina Island. This is the small anchorage. Lots of mooring balls and plenty of space.

We were quite nervous about tying here as we'd never done a front and back mooring like this before. Thankfully, it was not a problem since there were so few boats here.

We saw this old style three master on the way to Avalon, the main anchorage on Santa Catalina. Quite beautiful.

As you can see, Avalon was NOT so nice and quiet!! tying here was NOT so much fun, either. It is like a KOA on the water. However, it is a lot easier picking your parking spot, with an RV, than it is to pick up a mooring here. We had to do a couple of passes as there can't be more than 3 feet between the boats...that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!!The photo is deceiving! We are not the big boat in the back!

And this is not as busy as it can get here. We'd have to give this a pass if it were in the summer. I think it is frowned upon if you bounce off all the other boats before tying up! That is the casino in the background.

The captain on our stroll around the waterfront.

It is quite a beautiful place, as you can see.

There are no cars allowed on the island, so people use these golf cart-like vehicles to get around, or mopeds.

This fellow or lady...only a seagull can tell the difference...was like a statue. It was not afraid and just stood there as people walked around it.

Quite a bustling little place.

This is the view from the casino side.

They were having a swim race. It was amazing how many participants they had.

We're out there somewhere!

This shows you the dedication of the publisher of this website. Neither sleet nor hail, waves nor whales, and not even dark can keep me from my mission!!

Oct. 2004 Santa Barbara and Oxnard

This is Fortuitous berthed in Santa Barbara. We really enjoyed this city. Lots of hanging baskets, nice shops and pubs.

Here's a shot of the captain to show you he's still alive and well!
Leaving Santa Barbara. It was a lovely beach area, with a line of palm trees.
This is Kim and Linda's boat, Endeavour. They are our primary cruising buddies so far. this is one of the few times we've been able to sail, so far. We are on our way to Oxnard.

We are now at the dock in Oxnard. Here, we met up with other cruisers, installed our water maker, and had a visit from Ralph's sister Kris, and her husband Butch. We were here a week or two...and busy most of the time.

Yet another meeting up with cruisers we've known for a while and a few new additions. And yes, this is almost the best part of cruising so far!

October 2004 Morro Bay

This little guy (he looks big, but look at the comparison between 1/2" line and him) stowed away on our trip between Monterey and Morro Bay. Unfortunately, the window was a bit misty, so he's not that clear in this shot. We looked him up and he appears to be a Pygmy owl.

You'll have to look very closely to see him here. He just sat on our dinghy gas can for several hours and disappeared once we got close to Morro Bay.

We found him aboard quite a long way off the coastline. We're not sure what he would have been doing out there, as there were no islands close by. I'm guessing he was wondering the samething! He must have been blown out and was probably very happy to see us and have a place to rest for awhile!

 

This is the rock, at the entrance to Morro Bay. Ralph really wanted to climb this, but found it wasn't allowed. I guess they didn't want to find some old guy splatted at the base, and have to remove him and do the clean-up!

 

Ralph went over to the sandbar, near the rock, one day. He found these beautiful flowers there.

This is a potluck gathering in Morro Bay. No matter where you go, there always seems to be someone you know or have seen before. It's fun to catch up with others and hear the stories of their trials and tribulations. Little did we know we were all about to experience 50 knt winds overnight. Some anchors dragged, but we wer lucky. We didn't have to re-anchor.

From Morro Bay, we took a bus trip to The Hearst Castle. The wealth of these people was just beyond belief! This is their outside pool and view. There was an inside pool too!
They call it a castle, and so it is. This is the main entrance.

Oct. 2004 San Francisco to Monterey

Me, at the helm, leaving San Francisco (see Golden Gate in the background). Although I look happy, I'm still in a lot of pain with the wrong move or a sneeze. I am happy to be moving on...or even just moving at all!

Good-bye San Francisco!!

Another lovely sunset!

Here we are moored in Monterey. It was a lovely spot and we were getting warmer all the time! We love this type of tie...nothing to hit at either end...easy in and easy out!

What a beautiful boat, eh??

This is the dock beside our boat in Monterey. Sea lions were everywhere outside the marina, but we did also see a few inside. There were walls on some docks, to keep them off. This guy/gal came up to have a look at our boat.

This is just outside the marina inMonterey. We had beautiful weather most of the time. We rented a car, with 2 other couples, and did a run to Costco. Then with Kim and Linda(in this photo with me) we headed down the coast for the 17 mile scenic drive to Carmel. Just a beautiful coastline.

Another view of the harbour. A seal or sea lion for every rock and a rock for every seal or sea lion! Lots and lots of them...also sea otters in Monterey. It was very noisy at night when they seem to choose to do most of their barking.

Kim and Linda with us on the scenic drive down the coast. For me, just great to be able to participate in any activity off the boat!! Great day, great friends, great drive!!

See what I mean!! How beautiful is that!!