Summer Cruising

Once July 2022 rolled around, we were fully moved back onboard and out of the condo. Settled in, it was time to take off! We even invited some of Jay’s coding students along to give them a few days of vacation and a new experience. To make a long story short: not much sailing happened, so we mostly gave them a new place to hang out for a few days.

Jay and I left San Diego alone while everyone else was sleeping off their July 4th celebrations. The winds were evidently still snoozing as well, so we mostly motored through the placid waters of Southern California, heading to Oceanside, where our guests would meet us the next day. We may have mentioned before that motoring is not our favorite thing and many of the pictures show our attempts to protect our ears.

We pushed it enough to arrive in Oceanside before sunset. This is important because Oceanside is never quite ready for us. True to form, there was a small trailer sailor in our assigned slip when we arrived. We took a look in the options and eventually backed into a slip that was probably 10 feet shorter than our boat. We made sure the bow was noticeable and the fairway plenty wide for any boats that would be going by, but it was too late to get ahold of anyone to help us make a better decision. This is always hard because the last thing you want to do is take a slip from someone coming in even later than you! Everything got straightened out in the morning, and we didn’t even get a picture of ourselves hanging out of the small slip. We did realize that the other large boat at the guest docks was one we had actually toured at a boat show. It was the condition and price of that boat at the show that helped us start looking at boats when we did and we owned Sea Story within just a few months!

After we got Sea Story situated in an appropriated slip, we still had plenty of time to explore Oceanside before our guests would be arriving in the evening. Oceanside is a fairly small and quiet harbor, making it easy to walk around. Once we got back, we still had time on our hands, so we got some exercise with our hula hoops and Jay found a project to work on: our plasteak toe rails split over the winter. First line of defense is to epoxy them back together while waiting for replacements.

By the time our guests arrived and got settled in and their little brother discovered that he could escape from their bed through the hatch, it was time to get some rest so that we could leave fairly early the next day. The weather was pretty much the same, so we didn’t really get to introduce them to sailing, but they seemed happy hanging out on the foredeck on their own. Since we were motoring, we go into Dana Point plenty early to have time to explore by kayak and paddle board.

The next day, while waiting for our guests to be picked up, Jay decided it was great conditions for going up the mast. He hadn’t had much practice in awhile and it is nice to know that your gear is in shape. It was the first time we had someone else around to take some pictures.

Soon after his climb, our guests went home, leaving Jay to work on another project. Jay spent an inordinate amount of time trying to make a bowsprit work on Sea Story. It just isn’t practical, mostly because of the angles. But all of his attempts did give us some amazing pictures.

For dinner, we made the most of our yacht club privileges and walked over. We were grateful for the glass windbreak that allowed us to enjoy the view without getting blown away, but we were wondering why we weren’t out sailing already with such a great breeze! We left early the next morning, en route to our first time anchoring in Mission Bay. Since we were heading all the way down the coast, we set out early. Perhaps a little too early, as we got a lobster pot line wrapped around our propeller. Fearless Jay suited up and took a dive while I stood by a helm that wasn’t going to do much good in the glassy sea.

Once he cut the line and float loose, we started the engine up again and …it sputtered. Turns out, not all the funny noises we were hearing before were owing to the line. We shut everything down and tried again to the same result. Figuring this was a fuel issue, Jay went below to switch to our other tank and then bleed the line. Success! This sounds easy but between two dives and getting to the switch and debating whether or not he should address the fuel filters underway, this probably ate through about two hours of our morning. But we were finally off to Mission Bay!

Mission Bay really only has one anchorage. We figured we would have it to ourselves midweek, but since the San Diego Bay anchorages are only available on weekends, it turns out this anchorage is rather popular with folks trying to live at anchor. Not an easy task with all of the regulations around. We were able to find a perfectly fine spot for ourselves near the entrance to the cove and watch others come in with the same look of surprise. Everyone found accommodation a reasonable distance from each other and it was a quiet few days at anchor. One reason we chose Mission Bay instead of going to Catalina or someplace else to anchor was due to a dentist appointment. This was our first chance to actually commute by kayak. We set off plenty early, knowing what park we wanted to beach the kayak at, but not how we were going to secure it once we got there. Turns out, there was a picnic table nearby that worked well. It was also on this trip that Jay, in all of his naive innocence, came up with doggy style kayaking. It allows him to get out of his seat and use his arms without the stress of actual paddling.

Jay had also arranged to take a yoga class, so the next day we went ashore. I actually did paddle this time because the plan was to leave as soon as we returned from his yoga class. As such, we dried and stowed the peddles ahead of time. But to care for Jay’s back and shoulder, only I had a paddle. Jay is quite the front seat driver and not very good at sitting back to relax, but we made in and out just fine. I spent most of the time taking pictures of the cove and Sea Story from every angle possible. This is more what we thought anchoring in San Diego Bay would be like, with other boaters at a good distance and everyone respecting the peace and quiet. And so beautiful while being so close to the city! It does seem a long way out and around Point Loma, so it does take some time and effort, but definitely worth it and I can’t believe it took us this long to give it a try.