HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADMIRAL

A quick trip to Santa Barbara to celebrate the Admiral's B-Day allowed us to take a ride out of Summerland. It was super fun.

Two amigos on the trail.

GOOD MORNING

Today's sunrise reminded me of ones we had in Mexico seven years ago on the Haha. Great ride amigos!

THE BRONCO BUNCH

Crewman Chris and his family; Ashley, Jude and Kennedy joined the capt for a great afternoon on the water. The conditions were perfect. It was the best way to beat the heat. In fact, we were actually a little chilly at times. The dolphins and whales eluded us but we did spy some lazy sea lions. Super day.

Look closely, there's a shy Kennedy in this pic somewhere.

PERHAPS THE BEST TRIP EVER

You would think after 122 trips to Catalina that you'd have it down to a science but several elements have to fall in place, i.e., the weather, water temperature, tides, provisioning, boat and dinghy preparation, etc. Well, the stars aligned for the Admiral and I as we made our way to the island. First stop, Willow Cove for the night. After a restful night we weighed anchor and ventured west toward Two Harbors and settled in at Big Geiger. Four nights in our favorite cove couldn't have been better; the weather, sunshine, snorkeling and cuisine were out-of-this-world. Our final night was spent in Avalon for an easy departure home in the morning. We dined on fresh local lobster and pasta, nice way to end it.

Sailing, or boating in general, can have its edgey and tense moments that add a little adventure to the moment and we had several on this trip. The first occurred at Big Geiger when we were preparing to leave. The wind came up in the morning blowing 18-20 knots. We were anchored bow-stern and would have to retrieve the stern anchor first and hopefully, not drag or swing into the shoreline on our bow hook. We waited until it settled down a bit, raised both anchors, breathed a sigh of relief and were off to Avalon. Our next "moment" was the dense fog we encountered two hours out of Dana Point. A smooth and uneventful crossing changed quickly. Visibility was down to 50 feet or less even when we entered the harbor. Another sigh of relief. Thank God for radar. 

All in all, Catalina Island trip 123 was a classic.

Willow Cove

Saddleback Mt. sunrise

The speck in the center is Serenity Now at Big Geiger

Big Geiger

Our location at BG

The iconic Avalon Bell Tower

Yep, we were livin' it

Two hours in this pea soup

Good morning

FEELIN' GROOVY

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy

Sunday was that kind of day, warm and clear, calm sea, light wind and a time to kick back and feel good. The Admiral and capt did just that. Ahoy mates!

SERENITY NOW OFF COURSE

That never happens, ha ha. The Admiral and I were spending some time in Mammoth Lakes and decided to venture to Yosemite for the day. The Tioga Pass drive is super-scenic and the road itself is an engineering marvel. Our good friends from the Tahoe area were driving down and we were going to meet them, have breakfast and visit the park. 

Once there, we ran into Ranger Rob (Hooterman's good friend). Rob has been sailing aboard Serenity Now and it was good to see a familiar crewman. We eventually tracked down Hooterman and had a pleasant reunion. As Sailor Jerry said, "It's a small, small world!"

Crewman Rob in full work mode.

The "off course" Serenity Now sailors, L to R: the capt, The Admiral, Hooterman, Midshipman Mark and Anacapa Ann.

DIVE BOAT "CONCEPTION"

In the middle of the night a tragic fire took the lives of thirty-four souls aboard the MV Conception anchored off Santa Cruz Island. May the victims rest in eternal peace.

“The majority of the people were the passengers on the ship and the sleeping compartment was on the bottom deck of the ship, so they would’ve been sound asleep when this fire started. So you can imagine that of all scenarios — to be in a remote location, have a fire that occurs, have limited, if any, firefighting capabilities that could address that and then to have all of a sudden a fire that spread very, very rapidly. You couldn’t ask for a worse situation.” 

Sheriff Bill Brown, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office