Day One: First Night and Day of the Santa Cruz Island Voyage

We left the dock at 11:45 PM Thursday night. No way were we going to leave on a Friday (sailors superstition). We had a full moon and the sea was glassy. Two man watches, two hours on and two hours off. Our crossing to Catalina was uneventful and we arrived at the Isthmus fuel dock in plenty of time for breakfast on shore. After topping off the fuel, we were off to Santa Barbara Island.

El Jeffe and the Broker on night watch.

Early afternoon on Friday we reached this tiny speck in the ocean, Santa Barbara Island. 

Before we left the next day, we had a great hike around the island.

The Builder was swimming back to Serenity Now, when all of a sudden...

he was greeted by a lot of locals.

The Santa Barbara Island kelp flies are, without a doubt, the worst. Funny, no mention of them in the cruising guide. 

Santa Cruz Island Is Awesome

El Jeffe, Builder Terry, and the Tahoe Broker joined the capt for a 10 day trip  to Santa Cruz Island via Santa Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands. Santa Cruz is a real gem; wild, diverse, colorful, and unforgettable. 

Here we are at Fourney's with Santa Rosa Island in the background.
 

El Jeffe after a hard day.

Brothers Terry and Michael on Terry's tender the "Rocket".
The tender has a 20 hp motor that moved us along at 15-20 mph.

Life on board.

The Tahoe Broker leaving Serenity Now from Fry's Cove. It reached 95 degrees here one day.

Anchored at Pelican Cove. We did a very scenic hike from Pelican to Prisoner's and back.

Nice work on this pic Michael.

Under sail from Coches to Fourney's. We were cookin'.

Our first stop was Santa Barbara Island.
This small island is only 1 mile wide by 1.5 miles long.

Sunset from the west end of Santa Cruz Island.

Builder Terry at the helm.

El Jeffe following suit.

The Builder found some nice surf at Chinese Harbor on the north side.

The lobster season opening was a good one.

Sunrise over Anacapa Island from Smuggler's.

Preparation For A Journey To The Channel Islands

The capt has wanted to make this passage for quite a long time. The itinerary includes visiting the islands and waters of Catalina, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. A very able crew (they're all in their 30's)  has been assembled from home ports of Santa Barbara, Lake Tahoe, Redondo Beach and Thousand Oaks. From start to finish, this voyage will log close to 300 nautical miles over a ten day period.

We'll be carrying extra diesel fuel.

Topping off at the fuel dock in Dana Point. We'll also take on fuel at the Isthmus in Catalina.

A new macerator was installed. Ask Norten (hint...the Honeymooners) if you don't know what that is.

Oil and oil filter were replaced.

Batteries were checked and topped off.

Serenity NOW is ready. Now all we need are fair winds and calm seas. Wish us luck. I'll keep ya posted.

Five Days On An Island...Priceless

Cuz Jean, the Secretary of the Navy and the Admiral at their pre-departure planning session. Thank you Cuz for making this happen.

The capt at his departure session.

The Admiral with Parson's Landing behind her.

The "Gut Bomb" was replaced this trip with the "Fernando Chihuahua".

Emerald Bay did not disappoint. 

First Solo To The Island

Willow Cove

Tomorrow, around 8 a.m. , the capt will be leaving DP Marina for his first solo trip to Catalina. The Admiral will join him in Avalon in the early evening having made the crossing on the Express. If Willow Cove has cell reception and space for another boat, we'll anchor there for the night. Otherwise we'll stay in the big city for the evening before heading west toward the isthmus.

"Bring Your Jacket And Some Sunshine"

Holy cow! When you tell San Juan Jeff to do something, he doesn't mess around.  We both agreed this was one, if not the best, day this summer. Thanks for the sunshine. Skies were sunny and clear, the 10-14 knot wind was warm and the sea was full of life.  

As the dolphins played next to the boat, the capt got a picture of one in mid air.  The pic was too blurry to post so here's one of a little guy passing our starboard side.

San Juan Jeff at the helm flashing his white pearlies for the paparazzi.

Look closely and you'll see a whale at just below the horizon. We watched this guy for a bit before we headed back to the marina.

Catalina Shakedown Sail

As temperatures soared inland, the Capt and the Admiral headed off shore for a little SERENITY NOW.   Skies were overcast the entire day keeping it around 70 degrees. Water temp was a chilly 60-62 degrees. Don't fall overboard.

This sail served as a shakedown sail for our next Catalina adventure coming up very soon. We are counting the days. Thank you Cuz.

     

The most exciting time of out excursion today was when we entered the harbor  and the Admiral had to skillfully maneuver through the kayaks, stand up paddlers, paddle boarders, jet skis, personal water crafts, dinghies, power, sail and commercial  boats. No kidding, it was a zoo out there today. And tomorrow may be crazier. Have a great Labor Day!