September 30 - Dana Point, California

Our short trip from Long Beach to Dana Point was lovely. When we arrived, we found that the slip we were given was directly across from the entrance to the harbor. This has the advantage of having the best view in the harbor. The disadvantage is that there is quite a lot of swell which worries Earl. Needless to say, Serenity has been tied down most securely – seven lines, to be specific.

We have enjoyed our stay here. The weather is just about perfect, and there is always something to look at. People certainly enjoy this harbor. There are many people fishing, most of them from kayaks. The fish are not much to write home about, but people are having fun with them. In addition to the boat traffic, there are tons of kayaks, dingies and paddle boards on the move. These last are like surf boards on which one stands and paddles around. It is obviously the latest California fad. It is apparently very good exercise, expecially for the ‘core’ and people are hard at it even before the sun it up. Some take their dogs with them. One man had a little yorkie which ran back and forth, up and down the board, between his legs as he paddled.

At night we have been enjoying dinner by candle light on the back deck. We are pretty smug, since I think we probably have both the best view and best food in the harbor. Nordhavn has been very good about working with Earl on the few items that he wanted done. The only disappointment is that without taking the boat out of the water they are unable to put in an over the side divert for the galley sink. That would be a nice thing to have, so that we would not worry about food waste going into the grey water tank, but it will have to wait for another time.

We are tied next to a 47 foot Nordhavn. She is only 3 feet longer and 1 foot wider, but she seems about 50% bigger than we are. Hard to imagine, but Serenity looks petite next to her. Now Earl is worried that we need a bigger boat to safely sail south. The Nordhavn salesman agreed. When pigs fly.

In addition to getting a few boat items taken care of, Earl visited a fishing supply place. Ouch! Who knew you could spend so much money on jigs and line, but Earl assures me this will take care of him and, after all, we really need it if we are to take people fishing in the Sea of Cortez.

Tomorrow we are off to Anchorage and will leave Serenity here by herself until October 22. I am sure that Earl will be sleepless until he sees her next.