01/23/2008, San Diego, Ca.
After staying on the public dock on Shelter Island, we plan to move up to Mission Bay for the next few days. Shelter Island really was a fantastic place, and I enjoyed staying there for the weekend.
We are in major "clean up" mode and have been working hard to prepare the boat for our Saturday arrival. We've also been working on a few mechanic projects which went quite well yesterday. While pulling into Isla San Bonitas (on the outside of the Baja) the engine's impellor failed. Four small pieces of rubber were sucked into the engine's cooling system and Chris FINALLY got them out yesterday. This was a huge relief even though it took the majority of the day to get them out. While Chris dug through the engine I polished and waxed the cockpit, companionway, and foreward topsides. It was quite a job, but Cisnecito looks great with shiny lines and glistening edges. Julie spent her birthday resewing our line bags and they look great. Cisnecito is really coming along and looking fantastic.
Last night I went to an impromptu Club Med reunion party which was a total blast. It was so fun to see some of the people I worked with and became quite close to. Of course everyone looked like a million bucks and are doing quite well. The highlight of the night was watching American Idol as a group. The funny thing is that half of the group could easily make it to Hollywood (if not further) as they are all extremely animated and talented individuals. I forgot how fun is to be around such unique and fun characters. Although we talked about doing a few crazy signs before dinner, we all decided we'd better not.
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01/20/2008, Pacific Beach, San Diego
Today I headed down to Miller's Field Sports Bar and rooted for the Chargers. The New England Patriots have had their share of success and it is time for a new team to make their appearance. The bar was jammed with die-hard fans and it was a total blast. I met a few friends from college and had a great time. Unfortunately the Chargers didn't pull it off, but it sure was fun to be part of the action.
The last few days have been packed with fun social gatherings, which were much needed. It has been upwards of 7 months since I've been out on the town and kicked around the boots. Obviously San Diego is a fantastic place with plenty to do. Tonight I'm going to see a local reggae band play at a venue close by, which I'm really looking forward to. It has definitely been a celebratory few days, and I'm looking forward to keeping it going through next weekend, which is when we'll make our official arrival in Newport.
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01/18/2008, San Diego, California
Although it is still difficult to fathom, I successfully sailed a boat from Panama to San Diego, which is upwards of 4000 nautical miles. To me, success has two very simple parts in this particular circumstance. Number 1- I didn't sink the boat. And most importantly is number 2- I didn't die along the way. This may sound silly, but making it up back alive is good enough for me. I wasn't out there to set the 24 hour nautical speed record, and I surely didn't do this to get my name in a local yacht club publication. The fact that I made it back in one piece is plenty for me.
We pulled into San Diego Bay around 10 p.m. last night. It was a gorgeous clear night with bright starts and a spectacular city skyline. Entering my first American port was quite incredible, especially when the Navy's multimillion dollar, nuclear-powered, ass-kickin' hovercraft blasted by us at 25 knots. I felt like saluting or giving an All-American fist pump, but decided it'd be better to stay calm and look as if I'd done this a dozen times. But who am I kidding? I've never sailed a boat from a foreign country, let alone even been on San Diego Bay's water. Regardless of my humble interpersonal restraints, I felt proud of what I accomplished and certainly proud to be an American back in the United States. And to know that our Navy has super cool hovercrafts in use makes it even sweeter. God Bless America.
Although quite cold and blustery at times, the sail from Ensenada to San Diego was fairly straight forward. We had a few mechanical issues pop up just before our planned departure, so we didn't cast off until 11 a.m. Fortunately we were able to resolve the issues quickly and didn't have to stay an additional day. I, however, wouldn't have minded staying another night as I found a spectacular spot for great cheap tacos. I think I ate 7 tacos during my 24 hour stay in Ensenada, but probably could have pushed for a few more, possibly over 10. They were that good.
We finished with immigration and customs at the quarantine dock (which is the police dock on Shelter Island) around 11 p.m., had a quick glass of celebratory wine, and retreated to bed. Today, I walked into Point Loma, made dozens of calls to family and friends on my cell phone (call me! I'd love to hear from you), and enjoyed being stateside. Tonight I plan on meeting up with some friends from college and Club Med. But before anything else happens, I'm stopping at In N' Out Burger...no damn "double double" doubt about it!
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