As the sun rises in the east Brownie and I complete our pre-departure checks, weigh anchor and head for Isthmus Cove, a 63 nm or 9 ½ hours run. A 60 nm run on the heading of 110 deg, so not a lot of work for us to do but sit back, sip a caffeine load and enjoy our motor sail. Maybe the breeze will kick in early in the afternoon.

Arriving at Isthmus we follow the protocol for entering the harbor. Contact the Harbor Master on VHF who will meet you at the entrance, pull alongside and complete the entry check-in paperwork and advise the mooring position. All mooring buoys on Catalina harbors have adopted the bow and stern line ties with a pickup stick attached to the mooring buoy. As we approach the buoy downwind, Brownie picks up the wand with the mooring line attached and cleats off, Sharon takes hold of the link line and walks to the stern lifting the stern line and cleats off.... we are secure. Shut down systems and it is then...that time again! The Captain's rum time!

Dingy ashore, checkout the mini-market supplies, restaurant, bar and take the short 200 yard walk across the Isthmus to check out Catalina Harbor on the western coast of Catalina Island, hence the term often used to describe Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor as Two Harbors.

Two Harbors is one of my favorite overnight stopover locations with a rich history....

An easy 2 hour mornings sail along the coast to Avalon and repeated our arrival procedure and were once more assigned a mooring in Descanso Bay, close to where we were on our previous northbound stopover. This is the stopover that Sharon and Lynne were hanging out for.... another shopping adventure! Brownie and I, naturally were equally interested in sampling the local brewing spots. A dingy ride from Descanso Bay brought us downtown to the bustling yet picturesque tourist mecca of Avalon and with a cruise ship anchored offshore we were not disappointed.... lots of visitors like us...wandering the streets and taking up our bar stools! Not to be out done we find a small bar in a backstreet that satisfied our thirst. Brownie, always one to show a surprise interest, spotted an old barbershop, complete with over 50 years of history, shaving, trimming many of USA's profile residents, Presidents, Hollywood stars even a few visiting Kiwi's and Aussies! With photos taken to share with his NZ barber...he was a happy camper.

Historically Santa Catalina Island has been inhabited for at least 8000 years by the native Americans...the Pimungans. In 1542 the Pimungans greeted the Spanish galleon that bore the explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo to their shores. Thus began the start of the Spanish discovery of the Island. In 1602, the second Spanish explorer, Sebastian Viscaino, sighted the Island. Viscaino renamed it Santa Catalina in honor of Saint Catherine.

In the years following Catalina was used by Otter hunters, Smugglers, Ranching, Mining and Military operations.

In more recent years, Catalina Island was once owned by William Wrigley, Jr. of Wrigley chewing gum fame. He developed Avalon as a resort island destination and brought the Chicago Cubs baseball team (which he owned) to the Island for spring training in the 1930-1950's.

Santa Catalina Island has served as the location for the filming of over 500 motion pictures, documentaries, television programs and commercials over the past 90 years. Of those 500, approximately 300 were motion picture productions. In fact, one of the movies filmed in the 1920's brought 14 buffalo to the Island and left them on the Island. Now a herd of about 150 buffalo roam the island's interior.

Throughout this history, the Island has been transformed into the coast of North Africa, from Tahiti to the American frontier and back again. It has been mistaken for the lost continent of Atlantis and the home of that famous mechanical shark, Jaws. In short, Santa Catalina Island holds a unique place in the history of motion picture production as Hollywood's exotic back lot. During the 16 years of silent film production, many notable directors and actors frequented the Island and produced many classic films, such as Treasure Island (1918), Male & Female (1919), Ten Commandments (1923), Ben Hur (1925), Old Ironsides (1926) and The Black Pirate (1926). D.W. Griffith was one of the first directors to film on the Island. His feature Man's Genesis was filmed on the Island in 1912. Many of the large studios followed Griffith's lead and began utilizing the Island as the backdrop of their films. Universal, Lasky Film Corporation, Paramount, Fox, Metro-Goldwyn, and United Artists were among the many production companies.

In the 1970's Wrigley deeded 88% of the Island to the Catalina Island Conservancy so it remains undeveloped and wild very much like Hollywood's "back lot" in early filming days.

Catalina Island's rich history can be seen in many of the buildings historic landmarks that dot the City's landscape. A few of the most recognizable on Avalon's skyline are:
Catalina Casino Building - The round, Art Deco structure rises the equivalent of 12 stories, and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. During the day its white facade gleams in the sunshine, and at night it lights the harbor with a romantic glow. Built in 1929, the Casino - which is actually not a gambling hall but "place of entertainment" - played host to dozens of Big Bands through the 1930s and 1940s. Guests came by steamship to Charleston and later jitterbug on the huge parquet floor. They danced the night away to the music of Glen Miller, Harry James, Kay Kyser, and many others over the years. Today the Casino building is a museum and movie theater and uniquely as we experienced in having a movie night, complete with an organist entertainer before the movie starts.

Zane Grey Pueblo Hotel - In 1926, author Zane Grey built a home the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent most of his later life in Avalon writing and fishing. His home is now a hotel that still includes some of Grey's original furnishings. [Kiwi's will resonate with the name Zane Grey with Bay of Islands and deep sea fishing.]

The Tuna Club -Founded in 1898, the Tuna Club is the oldest fishing club in the United States.

Green Pleasure Pier - Under the ownership of the Banning brothers who formed the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1894, Avalon flourished as both a tourist resort and fisherman's paradise. By 1906, the beach was crowded with boat stands, launches, rowboats, people, racks of drying fish, and sea lions waiting for a handout! In order to relieve the congestion, a pier was built running parallel to the beach, but a storm destroyed it in 1908, and replaced in 1914.

I have attempted to capture the uniqueness and magic of this place...for us cruisers a must visit but OK...back to our story. To round out our stopover we hired a self-drive 4-person golf cart and toured Avalon...a fun adventure with lots of photo ops. Our tourist and shopping day over, a short dingy ride brought us back on board to prepare for our final day, a 10-hour sail to San Diego.

Brownie and I cast off in the early morning darkness and headed south. Clearing the island, we set a course of 119 deg, raised sails and sat back with coffee reflecting on our 3-week adventure down the coast and watch the sun rise over the Pacific. Winds of 6-10 knots astern enabled us to hoist our 'A-symmetrical' spinnaker for the very first time...now that's what sailing is all about! To see the dark blue sail, fill out in the morning breeze, was special. Our girls once more excelled in the salon with breakfast and mimosa's and whilst the winds shifted continuously, we were able to maintain a steady 6.5 knots. Alas! after a couple of hours the winds died off, our master sail manager Brownie, pulls the skirt down on the spinnaker and on with engines to motor sail to SD.

Arriving at Point Loma mid-afternoon we take a wide berth to avoid the kelp beds, drop our main, furl the Genoa and head into the entrance channel... after an amazing 2 months cruising the west coast.

All the familiar port entry features slid past as we motored towards our home berth in Marina Cortez...no submarines in port, a tourist duck boat passing our port side, the Star of India and the Midway aircraft carrier in the distance against the city landscape, the Navy taking their trained dolphins for their afternoon 'swim'...small sail boats traversing the bay on the light winds...back home...for now.

Fenders set, lines ready, we slip slowly into dock K28 and with Brownie and Sharon working their magic we tie off, shut down the engines...and prepare for the traditional 'Captain's rum time.'

Let's go up town and have a relaxing steak dinner we say in unison...time to reflect, time to tell all the stories, time again to enjoy the company of Brownie and Lynne who head back to Kiwi land soon.

Adios...till the next time we four embark on another WheytoGo 'adventure in paradise.'