A Catalina Run then Fun in the Sun

We left Chula Vista Marina late in the afternoon to make our way to the north end of San Diego Bay where we needed to fuel up.  San Diego Bay was a stark contrast to when we came in, there were a small number of boats on the bay and the weather was gorgeous.  With plenty of time to spare before the fuel dock closed we enjoyed a beautiful and leisurely sail up the bay  with the sun and warm breeze. 

We had to wait for the fuel dock as the fisherman who passed us at full speed managed to snag the open spot but it wasn't long before we too were watching the dollar signs disappear as we filled Steadfast up with diesel enough to get us part way up the coast.  As this takes a bit of time, the boys took their time perusing the snack shop and grabbing goodies for the over night trip....I watched as junk food the likes our household never sees were hauled aboard, soda, chips and candy galore. We payed up (ouch!) and headed out towards the open ocean leaving the dock at 6pm just about on our mental schedule.

Once past the #3 bouy we headed up the coast on a straight shot for Avalan and I went below to make up some quick grub for the troops.  The weather was on our side with 10 knots of breeze and 2ft of swell, we kept the main up and motor sailed our way up.  The young ones hit their bunks about 8pm and the teens hung out with us till midnight before they too went to sleep, opting to sleep on deck huddled in a bundle under the companionway.  This left Keith and I to double team our way through the night.  Generally we do an hour or two of sleep alternating but Keith was having a hard time sleeping so we spent much of the time together, Keith was also nervous about crossing the shipping lanes at night.  At one point we saw to huge ships but it seems as if they were stationary. 

Just before dawn we arrived outside the harbor and I phoned in to see if they had any moorings available.  The moorings here are on a first come first serve but are privately owned so at any time the owner can call up the harbor and tell them they are on their way and we have to move.  Since this is July 4th week and one of the busiest of the year, I was fully expecting to get turned away or if we were lucky to get a mooring one cove over in Descanso Bay.  The harbor immediately told me no problem and they would be out to meet us and get us setup with a mooring.  Crack of dawn saw us secured off and ready to catch up on much much needed sleep.

After a few hours of rest Keith, the little boys and I went ashore and let the teens sleep in their bunks a bit more. We scoped out the zip lines which we had heard about, found the putt putt golf place and found a couple places where we could watch the US World Cup game.  We headed back to the boat to drag the older boys out of bed in time to watch the game.  The first two places we dropped into were packed without seating.  Then I saw a small Mexican food joint and they had a couple screens - and as we were trying to figure out how to see them the bartender offered to turn on the other large screen to the game.  So with good food, beer and live screen I was finally pretty content.  It was a great game, with AMAZING saves by Tim Howard but alas the US run ended with defeat.  Still, as I keep telling the boys....I don't watch to see who wins I watch to enjoy some great football.  So glad I didn't miss this on our trip!

After sitting on our butts for so long - overtime and all - we opted to hike up to the Nature Center and get a little exercise.  Probably should have grabbed some water ahead of time for the few mile hike in the sun and heat but it wasn't too bad and only Loren took to whining fully for the duration.  We were able to walk through the exhibits of the island foxes, the bison and the bald eagle story.  All of which Keith and I knew about since we have been here many times but it was nice to share again with the kids.

We headed back down the hill to the boat for some chill-ax time. The boys all jumped off into the turquoise blue clear water (with the fish) to cool off from the hike and we all settled into quiet activities.  Reading, playing games or napping.