Catalina Part 3: Avalon

Truth be told, we were not looking forward to Avalon. True, it is the main town on Catalina Island, but we also heard that it is overcrowded, expensive, and without any good anchorages; all the viable spots have been filled with mooring balls. So with that in mind, we planned to stop by to see […]

Catalina Part 2: Little Harbor

“Ahoy Monsoon! You might want to have a look at this!”, the captain of our neighboring boat; Pearl called out to us in a measured way one afternoon. We were still anchored in Catalina Harbor, procrastinating on sailing off to our next destination since we had been enjoying this comfortable anchorage so much. Travis popped […]

Catalina part 1: Two Harbors

Having left Santa Cruz Island, we made a pit stop in Redondo Beach to resupply, as we knew that groceries would be expensive at our next destination; Catalina Island. There we met the friendliest and most helpful harbor masters we have ever encountered, who chatted with us and offered travel tips every time we saw […]

May/June 2018 roundup

As of June 30th, we have been cruising for a month and a half. Every day has been memorable, and time is gradually slowing down for us, as we strive to live each day more deliberately. There have been the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows, but as we like to say, even […]

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands is a group of 8 islands 20 miles south of Santa Barbara, known as the Galapagos of California. It is home to a huge variety of plants and animals that have evolved in isolation and thus can only be found here, and are especially vulnerable to competition from invasive species. The National […]

Santa Barbara

Sometimes it takes the simplest things in life to make you happy. Our departure from Refugio came courtesy of an aggravatingly rolly night at anchor, waking up from storm nightmares at 1am to be greeted on the radio by a foreboding 3 day long small craft advisory/ gale warning from NOAA, followed by a confusingly […]

Refugio

Our sail from Sacate to Refugio was a short one; only 11 nautical miles. This time for a change, we sailed the entire way, even though the wind was so light we barely made 3 knots the entire way. It was easier to have the patience to sail so slowly when it wouldn’t be an […]

Point Conception

At last, it was the moment for us to cross the dreaded Point Conception. We had heard all kinds of horror stories about this area; it was nicknamed the Cape Horn of the Pacific, not something to take lightly as Cape Horn is considered the most dangerous area in the world to sail. We had […]

Morro Bay

Morro Bay came highly recommended to us; visitors praised the abundance of wildlife here and its relatively small town feel in a state where everything is gentrified. Entrance into the harbor is scenic, with the iconic Morro rock at its entrance, a 581ft volcanic mound which in the past has been used as a stone […]

Monterey

Monterey was the first stop on our voyage, already the furthest south we had ever sailed. For a significant part of my life, I’d been looking forward to seeing turquoise water, and believed that finding one is a rare exception. But lo and behold, on our very first stop, here it is. Monterey is a […]