Friends along the way

Channel Islands harbor was a quiet, almost spooky place - hardly anyone around and a lot of vacant slips. We did see a wonderfully lit up paddle wheeler majestically going down the channel at night, with a few people on board. Debbie and Harold brought food and a wonderful visit, with minimal talk of our real estate woes in Az. In that sunshine, it is good to forget the economy.
We tried for hours to get around Pt., Dume and then could see all the Malibu houses, and wondered if they are having lower home value estimates. As if.
Marina Del Rey Harbor Entrance on a Saturday afternoon is not to be believed for sheer cussedness of the local boaters. We re to go 5mph, not pretend we are bumper cars and having pregnant women on board having babies. A boat of beautiful, semi naked black people stormed by trying to run over kayakers. Ah, Hollywood, or something.

Neal found us 40' slip that Robert gently put us in in front of the Ritz Carlton. At 4:30AM I called the night manager and politely asked him to turn off his obnoxious music, that people were trying to sleep in front of his hotel. I used politer language. It was off the following night, think ticky tacky sounds driving you nuts. Look real closely at the big black boat...you can see a small figure on the bow - if this boat ever leaves the harbor, nobody could find the fuel dock.
The man who had I'O built in New Zealand, is now building these huge, elegant monsters.
Iand and family came to visit, and then Ian got on a plane to Amsterdam. Neal has known Ian since he was nine, and the tenth was his 47th birthday.
Charleen came bringing food: us two ptotentates of the church got some illegal parking. Sigh. Parking is impossible in Marina DR.


We left early, into the offshore marine layer,

into rotten seas and wind, which
calmed enough for us to get into Long Beach, Alamitos Bay. I put together the double bunk down below and the dogs and I curled up to ride out the waves.
We fall into our bunk, so tired, we wonder who's idea this was. We are off to Dana Point today, we hope, with our schedule all messed up. But that is cruising.