Marina Del Rey was impressive. We had a wonderful stay at the Del Rey Yacht Club tied up next to our friends on sv Isabella. The kids voted the pool one of the best on the west coast! And the people there were some of the nicest we've met at any club. Kudos to the Del Rey Yacht Club!

On Saturday, the family strapped on their big kid panties and walked from Marina Del Rey to Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Venice Beach was a site to behold and must be experienced to be believed. We all enjoyed the sites as we dodged skate boarders, roller bladers, bikers, and weirdos. We pumped some quick iron at the outdoor beach gym and cheered for the kids doing adult level tricks at the skate park.

Santa Monica was nice too. We were able to visit with some friends who live there and experience the world famous Santa Monica Pier. As a side note, the kids think the word "pier" is one of the funniest words in the world. They keep referring to the "pier" as a man who is peeing. So, when we say we are going to the pier, they ask what his name is. They want to know why we are going to see this guy....as they are laughing so hard. Some people's kids....

Anyway, the world famous Santa Monica Pier was a bit of a letdown. We thought it would be bigger and more exciting. But it wasn't. We still had a great visit with some good friends that made the long walk worthwhile. Thanks Lynn and Mike!

After departing Del Rey, we motored again for another 35 miles down to Long Beach. Enroute, we saw a blue whale! It was BIG! It didn't put on much of a show, but it did come to the surface a few times. There were a lot of boats jockying for viewing position so we didn't get too close.

The LA / Long Beach area is huge! We finally made it to our berth at the Long Beach Yacht Club in Alamitos Bay around 1700. This is a nice area, but the temperatures this week have been near 100. Inland locations have been reporting temps of over 110 degrees! Apparently, after a really cool summer, LA is experiencing a really hot September. Who knew?

Anyway, gotta go for now. Lots more to blog about, but for now, the kids are dragging us to the pool...again.

San Diego and the Baja Ha Ha are getting closer every day. We can barely contain our excitement! The log reads over 1600 nautical miles with many more to go.