Long Beach also has a large oil industry; oil is found both underground and offshore. Entering this large shipping port I was again pleased to have our AIS to let us know where the big ships were heading and if they were on a collision path. Some oil rigs are disguised as tropical islands. Actually quite cool looking. Can you imaging doing that in Alberta? I guess there you could make them look like grain elevators!
Once inside we tied up at the guest dock of the Long Beach Yacht Club for 2 days. The temps were in the 90's so we made good use of the pool. We waked the area surrounding the yacht club and were amazed by some of the homes. I am finding that the accommodations are free but we are spending too much time eating out at these facilities. Not great for the waist lines. I sure hope when we are in Mexico the act ivies reverse the consequences of eating and drinking down the west coast of the USA!
We then carried on to Newport Beach. We were on the VHF radio trying to radio into the Balboa Yacht Club when the airwaves were interrupted by the US Navy.
We could not believe what we heard. The US Navy was calling a specific tanker, asking it to respond on the radio and to alter course and speed. This went on for aprox. 10 minutes. The tanker was not acknowledging. Finally the Navy said it was counting down then shooting beyond the bow. Still silence. The Navy Helicopter had been over the tanker the whole time so there was no way it didn't know something was happening. We listen to the count down then............ heard,"OK, OK stop shooting I will comply. The tanker still continued then was warned it would be shot at again. The tanker Captain then lowered his speed. When the Navy asked if they had been boarded they said No and that they were on a tight schedule and had NO TIME for this. It turns out the tanker was registered out of the Middle East. They were told to have all papers ready, lockers unlocked, etc. I figure he was there for several hours!

Balboa Yacht Club gave us 2 nights free reciprocal. on a mooring ball. We lowered the dinghy and rode all around. Again another 2 days high 90's. Once we arrived we phoned Gord West, the ICOM Rdaio guru. It turns out we had an Atlantic program hence did not have the proper preprogrammed channels. He fixed everything up and gave Ken and I a two hour lesson on our SSB radio. We finally now understand how it works. The best money spent as once in Mexico everything is done on Ham or SSB radio. The people here were again extremely nice. We met up with the Canadian family again aboard Moondancer X.
We put the dingy in the water and explored this fabulous tourist spot.

Our next destination Dana Point. We were looking forward to coming here as friends we met 8 years ago and have stayed in touch through Internet have their boat moored here and live and work here. Mark drove Ken around and allowed him to pick up needed things from the hardware store. Later we went for dinner at the Dana Point Yacht club where we have two night reciprocals. Mark and Jan so graciously gave us a gift of wine and tea towels. A very thoughtful couple.
We met another couple Mark and Lynn Nelson on the dock. They had a car and took us into town to do laundry, groceries and other little errands. Mark is a retired firefighter, Lynn retired college professor. It is people like this you meet along the way that is making this such a pleasant time.
We will be leaving tomorrow morning for Oceanside for 2 days then on to San Diego for probably 5 days. Since Santa Barbara ,our destinations have all been short jumps as we cannot enter Mexican waters until Nov 01 for our insurance policy to be valid.
Once in San Diego Wendy and Wayne Mmickelson will be crewing south into Mexico with us. You may have remembered they circumnavigated Vancouver Islan with us.
Southern California along the coast is truly a fascinating area. People seem so alive enjoying nature and the weather. So active.

We arrived at Santa Barbara and toured town for a whopping 25 cents. It is a very unique city with Spanish Colonial architecture. In addition to being a popular tourist and resort destination, the city has a robust economy which includes a large service sector, education, technology, health care, finance, agriculture, manufacturing, and local government. In 2004, the service sector accounted for fully 35% of local employment. Education in particular is well-represented, with five institutions of higher learning on the south coast . The University of California, being their main campass. The football field was across from the marina and it is larger than any CFL football stadium. They take their college football seriously.We loved it. We spent 2 days here then carried on to Oxnard , California.

We stayed at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club for 3 days. This to date had been the best facility we had stayed at. Swimming pool, hot tub, restaurant and pub. All for the whopping price of free!. It was such a treat to spend time in the hot tub soaking.

South of the Santa Barbara Channel where Oxnard is located is some of the most crowded cruising grounds on earth. The marine environment on the mainland is now largely artificial. Oxnard is a very pretty and the outside ocean weather does not effect the water inside the harbour. The people at the yacht club could not have been more hospitable.

Onwards we went to Marina del Rey. Approximately one hour into our journey we received a radio call.

"The pleasure boat west of the P&G power plant please respond on channel 16"

This is RGenesis.

"This is the US Navy Dispatch. "Go to channel 09. What is your intentions?"

"We are traveling south to Marina del Rey"

"What is your course and speed?"

We answered only to be told we had to come to a stop and standby.

They were launching a ten foot remote control guided missile with a live warhead. These are used to target moving vessels up to a distance of 25 miles off shore. We could hear the launch. The reason for stopping us was that if the rocket is a dud it falls to the ocean in the first 5 miles and still has a live warhead. To the best of our knowledge it didn't hit the target or us. A helicopter then picks it up and returns it to the launch site. Its attended target is a 24' power boat also remote control. This information was gained from the navy patrol officer whom stopped us. Never a dull moment.

Marina del Rey is a seaside unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. Its Fisherman village offers a view of Marina del Rey's feature as one of the largest man made harbour in the US. It contains 19 marinas with a capacity for 5300 boats. We stayed at the California Yacht Club again free as a reciprocal. The next stop for 2 days Redondo Beach.

The beaches here are white and dotted with lifeguards and persons playing beach volleyball. The boardwalk follows the beaches with restaurants, homes, and businesses. It is a wonderful walk to watch people out exercising in the sun. We are staying at the King Harbor Yacht Club. Again at a great price. Free.

The water has seemed to have changed colors again. It is clearer and blue tourquois in color. I am not sure what the temperatures of the water are but much warmer than Canada.

Our clothing now consists of shorts and t-shirts no more long pants and turtlenecks.

Long Beach is our next destination and again we will be staying at a reciprocal yacht club.

Well we are in Southern California. The weather is great and we have caught up with all the other boats that had left Canada at the same time.

The last week was spent back tracking by car to San Francisco to meet up with Alanna for one day. We rented a car and made our first stop Hearsts' Castle.

We were pleasantly surprised. We spent 4 hours touring the castle. By 1947, Mr. Hearst had created an estate boasting 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools, and walkways. Mr Hearst had collected art and furniture from around Europe after the war, creating a museum.

We drove Hwy 1. (Coastal route) so as to see the sights we had boated by. It reminded us of Golden with its very windy road.

Once in San Francisco we went to the Cnd Consulate to vote. Unfortunately my ballot did not arrive. Ken however got to vote. I figure I made an atempt to vote so I should still have the right to complain about our government! Which I am sure I will do. I am glad to see how the election outcome ended. (Mom I know you would disagree).

Alanna arrived Fri, we took her out for dinner and spent Sat. walking San Francisco. The Canadian Snowbirds were in town and gave an excellent performance. I am not sure if it is a great way to spend taxpayers dollars but what the heck! (I told you I would still complain in the last paragraph). Alanna then stayed with her med student friends to attend the med conference.

On the drive back we stopped in San Miguel at the Mission San Miguel Arcangel. We were fortunate to get in on a tour with Father Ray and his family. He had actually started his priesthood in the 60's at this mission. One of the four remaining missions still under the care of the Franciscan Brothers, it is very much alive today, and still serves the people and community of San Miguel, the purpose for which it was founded over 200 years ago. The mission's appearance today is much the same as when it was founded in 1797. Pictures will be in the photo album when I download them for the USA trip when we arrive in San Diego.

When we arrived back at the boat, evidence of high winds were everywhere. Dune sand coated everything.

The next morning we departed for Santa Barbara. This would be our last night travel until Mexico. I can now say that my "fear" areas are now completed having rounded Point Conception. Eleanor Roosevelt said that everyone should do something that scares them everyday to get the adrenaline pumping. I guess this is what I did. The trip was as smooth as one would want it around this much badly publised point. Once around we were into oil derricks and the strong smell of oil. The methane gas bubbles from the ocean here and oil oozes from the bottom of the ocean, creating a film on the water. I didn't see much in the way of wild life. They assure us that this is all natural not an oil leaks from the wells.

Ken will be doing an oil change on the boat today, then we will head into town to check out the sights of Santa Barbara. Until next week ......

We departed San Francisco under fog. We arrived at Half Moon Bay and anchored for the evening. There were several familiar boats that have been traveling south with us in the bay. We had all spent several days in San Francisco and had great stays there. The next morning had most boats departing early to make the 8 hr trip to Santa Cruz. As we approached we could see the boardwalk with Farris wheel and Roller Coaster. Similar to Coney Islands boardwalk. We walked the town. The people were out surfing on the beaches, a real California picture. The following morning we crossed the Monterey Bay to Monterey. We anchored outside the breakwater and spent a gorgeous day under the rays. We were going to leave at 0500 hr in the morning to make the next destination but the wind died and the swells were rocking us sideways. We decided we weren’t getting any sleep anyways we might as well leave, so at 2200 hrs we departed for a 14 hr trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better night. The sea swells were less than 2’ at 14 – 16 secs. No wind to speak about. We arrived at Morro Bay at 1230hr. We made good time and were happy with the way the boat handled.
Morro Bay is a shallow lagoon separated from Estero Bay by a narrow, 4 mile long strip of sand beach. This has created a very unique estuary that attracts many species of birds, fish, mammals, and crustaceans. We have been watching brown pelicans doing spiral dives like bombs beside our boat. Sea Otters floating by cracking open clam shells with a rock, and of course the normal collection of sea lions and seals. Well the weather God got us here safely with wonderful weather………………. But here we sit. We arrived on Wed. and it looks like we will not be leaving until possibly Sun night after we return from visiting Alanna in San Francisco.
As luck or karma would have it this weekend was the Morro Bay Harbour Festival. Friday night was a social hosted by the yacht club we are staying. For only $10..00/pp for the 2 days we were entertained by a variety of bands. We chose to spend the evenings attending several nightclubs that had bands. Saturday night we watched and elderly couple being escorted to the bar to have a seat. The seating was not appropriate for this couple, 89 and 88 years old. We called the waitress over and asked her to ask them to join us. It was a very interesting evening. This couple had been in the 2nd World War. He had been shot down 3 times over France and finally taught pilots for the British Air Force. She worked as a nurse and met him while he was in the hospital. They have been married for 63 years and have 5 children, many grand and great grandchildren. They have been coming to the Morro Bay festival for 25 years. As it turned out he had been sent to work in Montreal and 2 of the children were born there.
Sunday after we had dinner we decided do go for a walk and burn it off. We were drawn to a restaurant with an outdoor band. The music was fabulous. We were in a crowd of 25. In that crowd were the lead guitarist, base guitarist and drummer from the band Journey. They joined in with the band and treated us to a 2 hr concert. It was awesome. The owners of the restaurant found out we were from Canada traveling by boat and welcomed us to Morro Bay. Bonnie gave me a sweat shirt from her establishment which I will wear gratefully. Again bad weather has allowed us to meet many different people. By the way bad weather generally means 80 – 100 degrees causing winds. Not bad as in rain.
We will be heading back by car to San Francisco to meet up with Alanna and vote at the Canadian Consulate, for the weekend. Hopefully on our return we will have the weather to head south.