Catalina Circumnavigation
view this in video format:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVZ2cPf-fsY
Sailing to Catalina Island–a pocket-sized journey when compared to the Hawaiian Islands, 2,600 nautical miles or approximately 26 days away on a similarly, pocket-sized vessel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVZ2cPf-fsY
Sailing to Catalina Island–a pocket-sized journey when compared to the Hawaiian Islands, 2,600 nautical miles or approximately 26 days away on a similarly, pocket-sized vessel.
In our case, this vessel is Drifter, my beautiful Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 from 1985. The Flicka is a capable micro-cruiser designed by Bruce Bingham in the 50s with a similar hull to 19th-century working boats intended to improve the lives of Block Island Sound fishers with their speed and supreme seaworthiness.
Oh, and who am I? I’m a 13-year-old single- and double-handed sailor who dreams of circumnavigating the Earth but instead takes a week off of their spring break to circumnavigate Catalina Island, the popular cruising destination of amateur and expert sailors alike who bask in the picturesque landscape used to film dozens of South Seas movies.
Sunday, March 26th. My grandmother, Elaine, and I cast off the lines of our Marina del Rey slip with a double-reefed mainsail, ready to battle the 20-knot winds predicted from this Santa Ana Storm. If you’re unfamiliar with Santa Ana’s, they’re strong, incredibly dry winds originating inland but greatly affecting the California Channel Islands which Catalina is a member of.
With some expert sailors warning us that the wind and waves could quickly and easily build to an unmanageable amount in the San Pedro Channel, we decide we can turn around to enjoy a calm broad reach home if I feel the wind picking up.
We are moving along at a steady 5 and a half knots but reaching 7 and a half when surfing down one of the massive 5 or 6-foot swells from the beam that would heel the boat to nearly 45 degrees. We’re on the edge of turning around at points, but we always decide that, whatever happens, it will be a great learning experience. After about 5 hours of bashing into these waves, it wasn’t easy for Elaine.
Heeling has always been my biggest downfall since the day in my ASA101 process where I sailed overpowered in a Catalina 22 and, in a gust, got to a near-knockdown where water was entering the cockpit. I’ve slowly tested myself with sailing in higher winds and waves and now, I am proud to say, I think I managed the same angle of heel that terrified me that day years ago but with a smile on my face.
We got the sails down and headed in for Ithsmus Cove, the first stop of our circumnavigation and the main harbor of the aptly named Two Harbors, Catalina’s smaller town. There are no slips on Catalina and instead, boaters moor. Mooring can get complex in Santa Ana where the Two Harbors Harbor Department requires you to moor backward to have the boat’s bow facing oncoming wind and waves. I can only assume that this cautious storm preparation technique originated after the 2014 freak storm that sunk and totaled almost a dozen boats and killed 2, injuring many more on Catalina.
Monday, March 27th. Sunrises and sunsets are really a spectacle in Catalina with the bright, warm colors complimenting the palm trees and bumpy, green landscape. Every sunrise on a sailing trip makes me realize how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place and it reminds me to embrace and truly live each day because it won’t last forever.
Another challenge I must face on this trip to prepare me for future single-handed adventures is sleeping on the boat alone. On this trip, Elaine gets the luxury of a hotel every night and I stay on the boat, meeting her every morning for breakfast. This first night aboard was difficult as I initially felt lonely and didn’t think I could do everything alone. I video-called my mom for about an hour as I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen when I was totally alone. Obviously, I’ve done a lot of single-handed sailing, but this is different. This was living alone, not sailing alone.
Speaking of the dinghy, we recently got an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric, 3-horsepower outboard. It’s been a big step up for us as we started off using an Intex inflatable kayak as our dinghy which would get us thoroughly soaked. Then we thought we were “livin’ the life” when we got an 8’ West Marine dinghy and used its oars to row to shore. Plot twist: we lost one of our oars and had to row it like a kayak or a gondola, both of which make for a hilarious and seriously wet ride to shore.
As you can see, going to shore has always been one of the worst parts of our trip and now it’s one of the best. I highly recommend this outboard because, even though it is expensive, it’s the only way a small boat like ours could manage a dinghy engine. This is because of its ability to be stored in any orientation as well as in the cabin, how it needs little maintenance, and that there is no need to store another type of fuel i.e. gasoline onboard.
Catalina has a pretty wild history–lemme give you a quick recap. The island was inhabited by the Tongva also known as the Gabriliano who went to and from the island for trade. They name the island Pimu or Pimugna and the people on the island called themselves the Pimuvit or Pimugnans. They warmly welcomed Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his Spanish Galleon who claimed the island under the King of Spain. They stole the island from the indigenous people who’d lived there for 8000 years, a clear example of settler colonialism. On Saint Catherine’s Feast Day in 1602, the island was rediscovered by Sebastian Viscano who renamed the island Santa Catalina in honor of the saint.
Blah, blah, blah, a few hundred years of otter farming and military testing with failed attempts at making a resort by George Shatto and the Banning Brothers lead to William Wrigley also attempting to run a resort, and generally succeeding. He modernized Avalon and his family still runs the Catalina Island Company and they donated the other 95% of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy. Catalina Island Company is the monopoly corporation that is slowly repurchasing the entire island, already running the entirety of Two Harbors.
I see the patio of the Harbor Reef and the West End Galley. The schedule and multiple names for the same restaurant make it quite confusing so let me explain. West End Galley serves breakfast on Friday through Sunday and lunch every day but only in the Summer. The Harbor Reef Restaurant serves dinner every day of the week but only Friday through Sunday in the winter with a VERY limited menu. Before we left this trip, we called them to ask if the restaurant was open and they said yes, despite their website saying no. It was open and they quickly changed the site which leads me to believe the site is nearly completely inaccurate.
We take a quick hike on the Trans-Catalina Trail heading North on a raised road that supplies all of the West End yacht clubs and camps. Incidentally, due to the incredible amount of rain in the weeks before the trip, a section of the trail collapsed due to flooding which nearly cuts off everything North of Two Harbors.
At around 11:30, we motor back over to Drifter for a motor to Cat Harbor. I hesitate to call this sailing, as there is less than 5 knots of wind. The West End is the Best End (and, no, I did not steal that from a t-shirt in the Two Harbors gift shop). There are beautiful mountain landscapes and gorgeous rock formations. An unforeseen circumstance that has made this trip a ton more difficult is that our Raymarine tiller pilot died on the windy sail over. We tried rigging up a multitude of tiller-tying systems, but ultimately we had to hand steer the rest of the trip.
We’re now motoring around the West End of Catalina which you may know from the macOS Catalina wallpaper!
As we started to see the, difficult-to-find Cat Harbor I stupidly tried calling the harbor patrol to get a mooring on our VHF when the signal was clearly blocked by a mountain. I thought our radio wasn’t working and called many times on both the fixed unit and our backup handheld. Immediately when we got passed the rocks, it worked perfectly. Good to know and a rookie mistake.
We moored at Cat Harbor and quickly got Elaine to shore so she could rest before dinner. This meant that I had the time to pull out the long-awaited drone! I got into the dinghy and sped to a beach so I could launch it from land.
The water in Cat Harbor is a magnificent light blueish green that makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island. The watercolor is so distinct you can see the color from a close-up satellite image.
Located on the West End of Catalina, Two Harbors is a unique destination in Southern California boasting a so-called “South Seas ambiance.” I find the town to be quite charming and everyone is very friendly. There’s a restaurant, a general store, restrooms, showers, laundry, and a marine diesel and outboard mechanic when it comes to boaters’ amenities. Cat Harbor, where we are now, is one of two US Coast Guard “Safe Harbors” meaning it fills up pretty fast with a prediction of nasty weather. Cat Harbor is also, in my opinion, one of the prettiest locations in California and you’ll meet more serious cruisers than the group at Ithsmus Cove.
The whole atmosphere at Cat Harbor is more rugged and less maintained but still, it is perfectly acceptable and a delightful place to stay.
The Craftsman-style house on the East ridge of Two Harbors is the Banning House. It was built in 1910 by the Banning brothers as a Summer getaway on their newly-acquired, resort island. They sold the island soon after building it and the building now serves as a hotel. This is where Elaine is staying.
The dirt road we are about to walk on leads from the town of Two Harbors to the Cat Harbor barge and seaplane dock where the town gets everything it needs. They receive one barge every two weeks I believe and all residents, mainly employees, can order items to be delivered on it. In comparison, Avalon gets a barge twice the size each day.
Tuesday, March 28th. Last night was much easier than I expected and I felt very confident being alone. Challenge completed. I took a walk to the Cat Harbor Overlook before breakfast which was wonderful–highly recommend it. But let’s quit playing around because today is our longest island-to-island stretch to Avalon!
We unmoor, raise the sails, and motor-sail in a calm, 6 knots. This hour of calm sailing is our favorite because of the amazing, backside landscapes and the peaceful ocean which makes for good conversation.
As we rounded China Point, the wind started picking up to a brisk 15 knots from directly behind us and we furled in the jib, surfing down the Pacific Ocean’s unaltered swells. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a military destroyer off the coast of San Clemente Island, the only naval training site that conducts live-firing drills. Just to be certain everything was fine, we turned on channel 16 on our VHF, and sure enough, we hear something along the lines of: “Securité, Securité. This is Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles notifying vessels of a live-fire training drill off of San Clemente. Please clear the area.”
Seeing the warship seemingly mid-way between San Celemte and Catalina, I raise our engine RPMs to 2500 to try to get us out fast. I know we weren’t in direct danger, but I’d rather not be a mile away from a missile firing drill. A helicopter spots us so we decide it’s not necessary to make a radio call.
Another thing we learned towing a dinghy in following seas is how close the towline gets to our prop. Since then, we’ve always used a longer tow line to be sure there are no more close calls of losing an engine.
Oh, and who am I? I’m a 13-year-old single- and double-handed sailor who dreams of circumnavigating the Earth but instead takes a week off of their spring break to circumnavigate Catalina Island, the popular cruising destination of amateur and expert sailors alike who bask in the picturesque landscape used to film dozens of South Seas movies.
Sunday, March 26th. My grandmother, Elaine, and I cast off the lines of our Marina del Rey slip with a double-reefed mainsail, ready to battle the 20-knot winds predicted from this Santa Ana Storm. If you’re unfamiliar with Santa Ana’s, they’re strong, incredibly dry winds originating inland but greatly affecting the California Channel Islands which Catalina is a member of.
With some expert sailors warning us that the wind and waves could quickly and easily build to an unmanageable amount in the San Pedro Channel, we decide we can turn around to enjoy a calm broad reach home if I feel the wind picking up.
We are moving along at a steady 5 and a half knots but reaching 7 and a half when surfing down one of the massive 5 or 6-foot swells from the beam that would heel the boat to nearly 45 degrees. We’re on the edge of turning around at points, but we always decide that, whatever happens, it will be a great learning experience. After about 5 hours of bashing into these waves, it wasn’t easy for Elaine.
Heeling has always been my biggest downfall since the day in my ASA101 process where I sailed overpowered in a Catalina 22 and, in a gust, got to a near-knockdown where water was entering the cockpit. I’ve slowly tested myself with sailing in higher winds and waves and now, I am proud to say, I think I managed the same angle of heel that terrified me that day years ago but with a smile on my face.
We got the sails down and headed in for Ithsmus Cove, the first stop of our circumnavigation and the main harbor of the aptly named Two Harbors, Catalina’s smaller town. There are no slips on Catalina and instead, boaters moor. Mooring can get complex in Santa Ana where the Two Harbors Harbor Department requires you to moor backward to have the boat’s bow facing oncoming wind and waves. I can only assume that this cautious storm preparation technique originated after the 2014 freak storm that sunk and totaled almost a dozen boats and killed 2, injuring many more on Catalina.
Monday, March 27th. Sunrises and sunsets are really a spectacle in Catalina with the bright, warm colors complimenting the palm trees and bumpy, green landscape. Every sunrise on a sailing trip makes me realize how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place and it reminds me to embrace and truly live each day because it won’t last forever.
Another challenge I must face on this trip to prepare me for future single-handed adventures is sleeping on the boat alone. On this trip, Elaine gets the luxury of a hotel every night and I stay on the boat, meeting her every morning for breakfast. This first night aboard was difficult as I initially felt lonely and didn’t think I could do everything alone. I video-called my mom for about an hour as I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen when I was totally alone. Obviously, I’ve done a lot of single-handed sailing, but this is different. This was living alone, not sailing alone.
Speaking of the dinghy, we recently got an ePropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric, 3-horsepower outboard. It’s been a big step up for us as we started off using an Intex inflatable kayak as our dinghy which would get us thoroughly soaked. Then we thought we were “livin’ the life” when we got an 8’ West Marine dinghy and used its oars to row to shore. Plot twist: we lost one of our oars and had to row it like a kayak or a gondola, both of which make for a hilarious and seriously wet ride to shore.
As you can see, going to shore has always been one of the worst parts of our trip and now it’s one of the best. I highly recommend this outboard because, even though it is expensive, it’s the only way a small boat like ours could manage a dinghy engine. This is because of its ability to be stored in any orientation as well as in the cabin, how it needs little maintenance, and that there is no need to store another type of fuel i.e. gasoline onboard.
Catalina has a pretty wild history–lemme give you a quick recap. The island was inhabited by the Tongva also known as the Gabriliano who went to and from the island for trade. They name the island Pimu or Pimugna and the people on the island called themselves the Pimuvit or Pimugnans. They warmly welcomed Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and his Spanish Galleon who claimed the island under the King of Spain. They stole the island from the indigenous people who’d lived there for 8000 years, a clear example of settler colonialism. On Saint Catherine’s Feast Day in 1602, the island was rediscovered by Sebastian Viscano who renamed the island Santa Catalina in honor of the saint.
Blah, blah, blah, a few hundred years of otter farming and military testing with failed attempts at making a resort by George Shatto and the Banning Brothers lead to William Wrigley also attempting to run a resort, and generally succeeding. He modernized Avalon and his family still runs the Catalina Island Company and they donated the other 95% of the island to the Catalina Island Conservancy. Catalina Island Company is the monopoly corporation that is slowly repurchasing the entire island, already running the entirety of Two Harbors.
I see the patio of the Harbor Reef and the West End Galley. The schedule and multiple names for the same restaurant make it quite confusing so let me explain. West End Galley serves breakfast on Friday through Sunday and lunch every day but only in the Summer. The Harbor Reef Restaurant serves dinner every day of the week but only Friday through Sunday in the winter with a VERY limited menu. Before we left this trip, we called them to ask if the restaurant was open and they said yes, despite their website saying no. It was open and they quickly changed the site which leads me to believe the site is nearly completely inaccurate.
We take a quick hike on the Trans-Catalina Trail heading North on a raised road that supplies all of the West End yacht clubs and camps. Incidentally, due to the incredible amount of rain in the weeks before the trip, a section of the trail collapsed due to flooding which nearly cuts off everything North of Two Harbors.
At around 11:30, we motor back over to Drifter for a motor to Cat Harbor. I hesitate to call this sailing, as there is less than 5 knots of wind. The West End is the Best End (and, no, I did not steal that from a t-shirt in the Two Harbors gift shop). There are beautiful mountain landscapes and gorgeous rock formations. An unforeseen circumstance that has made this trip a ton more difficult is that our Raymarine tiller pilot died on the windy sail over. We tried rigging up a multitude of tiller-tying systems, but ultimately we had to hand steer the rest of the trip.
We’re now motoring around the West End of Catalina which you may know from the macOS Catalina wallpaper!
As we started to see the, difficult-to-find Cat Harbor I stupidly tried calling the harbor patrol to get a mooring on our VHF when the signal was clearly blocked by a mountain. I thought our radio wasn’t working and called many times on both the fixed unit and our backup handheld. Immediately when we got passed the rocks, it worked perfectly. Good to know and a rookie mistake.
We moored at Cat Harbor and quickly got Elaine to shore so she could rest before dinner. This meant that I had the time to pull out the long-awaited drone! I got into the dinghy and sped to a beach so I could launch it from land.
The water in Cat Harbor is a magnificent light blueish green that makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island. The watercolor is so distinct you can see the color from a close-up satellite image.
Located on the West End of Catalina, Two Harbors is a unique destination in Southern California boasting a so-called “South Seas ambiance.” I find the town to be quite charming and everyone is very friendly. There’s a restaurant, a general store, restrooms, showers, laundry, and a marine diesel and outboard mechanic when it comes to boaters’ amenities. Cat Harbor, where we are now, is one of two US Coast Guard “Safe Harbors” meaning it fills up pretty fast with a prediction of nasty weather. Cat Harbor is also, in my opinion, one of the prettiest locations in California and you’ll meet more serious cruisers than the group at Ithsmus Cove.
The whole atmosphere at Cat Harbor is more rugged and less maintained but still, it is perfectly acceptable and a delightful place to stay.
The Craftsman-style house on the East ridge of Two Harbors is the Banning House. It was built in 1910 by the Banning brothers as a Summer getaway on their newly-acquired, resort island. They sold the island soon after building it and the building now serves as a hotel. This is where Elaine is staying.
The dirt road we are about to walk on leads from the town of Two Harbors to the Cat Harbor barge and seaplane dock where the town gets everything it needs. They receive one barge every two weeks I believe and all residents, mainly employees, can order items to be delivered on it. In comparison, Avalon gets a barge twice the size each day.
Tuesday, March 28th. Last night was much easier than I expected and I felt very confident being alone. Challenge completed. I took a walk to the Cat Harbor Overlook before breakfast which was wonderful–highly recommend it. But let’s quit playing around because today is our longest island-to-island stretch to Avalon!
We unmoor, raise the sails, and motor-sail in a calm, 6 knots. This hour of calm sailing is our favorite because of the amazing, backside landscapes and the peaceful ocean which makes for good conversation.
As we rounded China Point, the wind started picking up to a brisk 15 knots from directly behind us and we furled in the jib, surfing down the Pacific Ocean’s unaltered swells. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a military destroyer off the coast of San Clemente Island, the only naval training site that conducts live-firing drills. Just to be certain everything was fine, we turned on channel 16 on our VHF, and sure enough, we hear something along the lines of: “Securité, Securité. This is Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles notifying vessels of a live-fire training drill off of San Clemente. Please clear the area.”
Seeing the warship seemingly mid-way between San Celemte and Catalina, I raise our engine RPMs to 2500 to try to get us out fast. I know we weren’t in direct danger, but I’d rather not be a mile away from a missile firing drill. A helicopter spots us so we decide it’s not necessary to make a radio call.
Another thing we learned towing a dinghy in following seas is how close the towline gets to our prop. Since then, we’ve always used a longer tow line to be sure there are no more close calls of losing an engine.
The waves and wind hit a climax soon before we got to the East End and we jibed the main to get us farther away from the possibility of accidentally jibing. We then trimmed in the main for a beam reach and immediately the wind died when in the protection of the island. We motored into Avalon and tied up at mooring 15 after speaking with the harbor patrol boat and navigating past the eager passengers about the shore boats sprinting to and from the cruise ship anchored outside the harbor.
Avalon Harbor, despite being crowded, is undeniably spectacular. The palm trees, green pier, red-roofed buildings, and most of all the amazing, flowing green hills surrounding the city.
This is the night of the trip where I get to charge up my electronics and sleep in a hotel room with Elaine. We feel luxurious when we arrive at a wine and cheese reception. Certainly a change from sleeping on a boat the size of a minivan. It rained the next morning but we were determined to make it to Two Harbors so we’d have a day to rest there before the sail home.
The moment when we were about to leave the mooring to head to the fuel dock was where our busy schedule and lack of sleep finally got to me. I realized that a new place every day was just too much. There was so much stimulation and so little time to adjust which made it both difficult to enjoy and hard to manage. This showed me the importance of taking your time to enjoy destinations and not sailing to such a strict schedule with only 1 day built in for weather.
Wednesday, March 29th. It rained until about 11:00 in the morning, but we entertained ourselves by watching a documentary about Sir Robin Knox Johnson who bravely completed the legendary first non-stop, single-handed circumnavigation, and by visiting the Catalina Island Museum. This stretch from Avalon to Ithsmus Cove is known to be a slow one as you are forced to point the bow directly into the common westerly wind which picks up to around 10-15 knots every afternoon.
Avalon Harbor, despite being crowded, is undeniably spectacular. The palm trees, green pier, red-roofed buildings, and most of all the amazing, flowing green hills surrounding the city.
This is the night of the trip where I get to charge up my electronics and sleep in a hotel room with Elaine. We feel luxurious when we arrive at a wine and cheese reception. Certainly a change from sleeping on a boat the size of a minivan. It rained the next morning but we were determined to make it to Two Harbors so we’d have a day to rest there before the sail home.
The moment when we were about to leave the mooring to head to the fuel dock was where our busy schedule and lack of sleep finally got to me. I realized that a new place every day was just too much. There was so much stimulation and so little time to adjust which made it both difficult to enjoy and hard to manage. This showed me the importance of taking your time to enjoy destinations and not sailing to such a strict schedule with only 1 day built in for weather.
Wednesday, March 29th. It rained until about 11:00 in the morning, but we entertained ourselves by watching a documentary about Sir Robin Knox Johnson who bravely completed the legendary first non-stop, single-handed circumnavigation, and by visiting the Catalina Island Museum. This stretch from Avalon to Ithsmus Cove is known to be a slow one as you are forced to point the bow directly into the common westerly wind which picks up to around 10-15 knots every afternoon.
We pinched the boat as close to the wind as possible but we were heading practically in the opposite direction. Tacking back and forth didn’t seem to help either. I soon realized that we’d have to motor-sail to make it before 8:15 as Garmin predicted. This sail should’ve been miserable, but we laughed about our conundrum and ended up with a really fun evening ending at around 6:00, plenty of time to get our fourth veggie burgers which are the best vegetarian option at the Harbor Reef Restaurant.
Thursday, March 30th. Last night was crazy rainy–it felt almost surreal. This made for a very muddy hike to Banning House for breakfast. Apparently, the dirt road, which is the only way to the hotel, is so bad their van slid sideways all the way down the hill and they can’t take any vehicles up or down.
After a little fun playing piano with a 4-year-old, I walk to Elaine’s room and watch the Kon-Tiki movie (not the documentary) which is very exciting and somewhat unrealistic. I do gotta say their plan of surfing over the reef is quite impressive and a very tense moment. We walk down to the dinghy and go sightseeing, heading to USC’s Fishermans Cove and Fourth of July Cove stopping by all of the majestic rocks and caves between.
A quick flight of the drone flight and my fifth and final veggie burger ends our day because it’s time to get some rest for the long sail back home tomorrow.
Friday, March 31st. I wake up and immediately hike to Banning House to eat breakfast with Elaine and discuss the day’s plan. We decide to get to the boat around 9:30 and leave by 10. Deflating the dinghy takes longer than expected and we leave the mooring at 10:30, but not before we get gas. We wouldn’t usually pay for expensive island gas, but we had a scare just before we left that we didn’t refill before our last island trip meaning we could be low. With the pressure of the ferry coming at 10:55, we quickly pull up, quadruple-checking the green handle is for diesel. We only take 2.5 gallons which is only 1.8% of a boat buck. So much for that, but at least we get out in plenty of time.
We motor-sail into the dead calm San Pedro Channel at 5 knots so we could build ourselves more time to sail later. After slowing down to pass well behind the wake of the freighter One Hamburg bound for Long Beach, the wind picks up to a gentle 7 knots. After 4 sickening hours of motoring and a few small whitecaps dotting the 2-foot seas, I turn off the engine and accept the fact we might get in late. Ah, much better.
Thursday, March 30th. Last night was crazy rainy–it felt almost surreal. This made for a very muddy hike to Banning House for breakfast. Apparently, the dirt road, which is the only way to the hotel, is so bad their van slid sideways all the way down the hill and they can’t take any vehicles up or down.
After a little fun playing piano with a 4-year-old, I walk to Elaine’s room and watch the Kon-Tiki movie (not the documentary) which is very exciting and somewhat unrealistic. I do gotta say their plan of surfing over the reef is quite impressive and a very tense moment. We walk down to the dinghy and go sightseeing, heading to USC’s Fishermans Cove and Fourth of July Cove stopping by all of the majestic rocks and caves between.
A quick flight of the drone flight and my fifth and final veggie burger ends our day because it’s time to get some rest for the long sail back home tomorrow.
Friday, March 31st. I wake up and immediately hike to Banning House to eat breakfast with Elaine and discuss the day’s plan. We decide to get to the boat around 9:30 and leave by 10. Deflating the dinghy takes longer than expected and we leave the mooring at 10:30, but not before we get gas. We wouldn’t usually pay for expensive island gas, but we had a scare just before we left that we didn’t refill before our last island trip meaning we could be low. With the pressure of the ferry coming at 10:55, we quickly pull up, quadruple-checking the green handle is for diesel. We only take 2.5 gallons which is only 1.8% of a boat buck. So much for that, but at least we get out in plenty of time.
We motor-sail into the dead calm San Pedro Channel at 5 knots so we could build ourselves more time to sail later. After slowing down to pass well behind the wake of the freighter One Hamburg bound for Long Beach, the wind picks up to a gentle 7 knots. After 4 sickening hours of motoring and a few small whitecaps dotting the 2-foot seas, I turn off the engine and accept the fact we might get in late. Ah, much better.
Fair winds, my friends.
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