July 6 - 9, 2012: Thanks to the generosity of Larry & Sue of M/V Beverly S we have been guests at the California Yacht Club. It's a lovely yacht club with all the amenities you ever need or want. Our 46 mile transit from Newport Beach across the busy harbor of Long Beach was uneventful and void of much boat traffic; but the radio chatter was something else.

Ever since getting back to states and especially around the San Diego area, channel 16 on the VHF is alive with vessel hailing, radio checks, Coast Guard and Navy radio traffic. Never fails that some poor schmuck is getting chewed out by the Coast Guard for asking for a radio check. Seems to me calling for a radio check is like hailing someone ... besides you need to know if your radio transmits on channel 16. It was amusing one time listening to one Navy warship call for a radio check ... and got his reply from another naval vessel all the while the Coast Guard remained silent. Apparently now you can call on channels 26 & 27 for an automated response on your radio check.

The group of us bashing up the Baja were hailing on channel 22 (the Mexican hailing channel for cruisers) while in Magdalena Bay and getting scolded by the Coast Guard for chatting on their frequency even though we were hundreds of mile south of them. Go figure!

When first cruising around Mexico we asked the question ... "why?" a lot since we couldn't figure out the logic behind how the culture/government/society worked compared to the USA. Well now that I am back home, I have to question the over abundance of rules and regulations here. I guess it's the price we pay for technology and safety.

We can't seem to pass by Marina del Rey without having to buy a Westerbeke engine part. Sure enough after Bob changed the oil he discovered an oil leak which required a new part. The problem is now solved but it's amazing how fortuitous we have been discovering these issues before they created a monster of a problem. Hopefully we can pass thru Santa Barbara without Bob landing in the hospital like two years ago.

Tomorrow we continue our trek north. It is so alluring to settle into a southern California port on a permanent basis with easy living and great weather. Oh my!