November 14, 2013    Ensenada, Mexico

Mexico!  We finally made it to Ensenada, only 65 miles south of San Diego but a world away in terms of culture.  We arrived late afternoon on Thursday at the bright and colourful Cruiseport Marina, which also runs the cruise ship port next to the marina. 


Mexican navy presence in Ensenada.  Sometimes they stop cruisers to check papers

Our first glimpse of Ensenada and their huge Mexican flag near the marina

There was a big live aboard community at Cruiseport and many of them came to help us dock and to welcome us.  On both sides of Falcon VII were Kelly Peterson 44’s, the slightly smaller version of our own boat.  Small world!  Most of the cruisers around Falcon were furiously working away on projects with the hopes of getting off the docks within the month and heading south.

Cruiseport Marina Office

The view along the marina walkway leading to the main road

Anyway, we went to the office immediately to check in, knowing that there was a lengthy process to be undertaken with the Port Captain.  Staff told us to wait until Monday so we were illegal aliens all weekend long but permitted to go anywhere we wanted in town none-the-less!  A bit different than Canada or the US for sure.  It took most of Monday to go through the hoops of clearing into Mexico but it was really a very easy process, made all the better because Enriquez stayed with our marina group of 12 throughout the whole thing.  The one story cinder block building housing the Port Captain’s office also contained customs and immigration and a small bank.  After visiting each section we had to head back to the bank in the building to pay for something then on to the next window, then back to the bank, etc. In all it cost us about $56 US per person to complete the paperwork, get our Mexican Visa’s and import our boat as a Temporary Import Permit which allows us to keep Falcon VII in Mexico for up to ten years.  We were finished by 1:30 and happy to be legal!

These fellows were rigging up a pulley system to open a drawbridge so a boat could be launched.  Labour intensive!!!

A piece of public art standing about 15 feet high - you can see the chain link fence beyond

The temperatures were much the same as San Diego -  mild to warm during the days and cool in the evenings.  Night came instantly around 5:00 p.m. like a blind being lowered.  It takes some getting used to after our other cruising in Alaska where we had 18 hours of daylight instead of 12 but we will adjust!

Reflection of the civic centre

The civic centre and lovely gardens

Hibiscus hedge a the civic centre

water feature at the civic centre gardens

Over the next few days we walked all around Ensenada, and knew where we were because ‘Gringo Gulch’ had red painted sidewalks so the touristas knew where shop keepers speak English.  We found our way out of Gringo Gulch, sort of like Government Street in Victoria, right away and tested ourselves in dealing with the language barriers while we shopped for groceries, dealt with banks, purchased a Mexican Iphone and searched for permits to visit the islands of the national parks. 

This was a half finished building near the marina - had been that way for sometime



Mid November and they were setting up the Christmas trees for sale already!

Though we had trouble communicating with our little Spanish, the Mexicans we encountered were always friendly and patient with us.  On more than occasion they even took us to other offices or shops where someone spoke English to help us out or wrote an address down for us if we couldn’t understand their Spanish.  Jim was more courageous than me in attempting Spanish but we will both get more and more practice in the coming months

We were very happy to be spending time with other Victorians, namely David and Margaret from Heart and Soul and Franca, Sam and Tessa from Coconut.  Franca, Sam and Tessa purchased their boat in San Diego in July and had been in Ensenada for well over a month.  David and Margaret were having their bottom painted in the local boatyard. We bought pesos with us, which worked out to something like $1.12 US for $100 pesos.  The six of us got together for dinner the first night where the two whole roast chickens and salads meal for 7 cost only $21 US dollars.  We also discovered how delicious fish tacos were at the sidewalk stands for only $1 US each, paid in pesos, of course.  Other restaurants in Gringo Gulch were more expensive, expensive being the equivalent of $10 US for a main course but the margueritas weren’t cheap!  Groceries were definitely a better deal, with well stocked shelves and everything we could want in the line of meat and fresh produce.  Four of us went to a movie in the 6 movie theatre, which cost $3 US each.  The movie, Gravity, was in English with Spanish subtitles, and we really enjoyed it because we love science fiction.

Ensenada’s cruise ship port was active 2 – 3 times per week and, on those days, we had to pass by dozens of small families trying to sell trinkets, jewellery or small packages of chicklets to the cruise ship passengers. Older women sat on the sidewalk with cracked plastic cups held out begging for a peso.  It broke our hearts to see this so we tried to keep coins in our pockets and gave what we could as we walked by.

Cruise ship terminal beside the marina - no sunsets when the ship was in town

Ensenada was a town of contrasts, from the poor families trying to sell miniature metal bicycles made out of pop cans to the cruise ship passengers to the upscale Auto Tassa Coffee House and Starbucks downtown.  On the hills above town we could see large well built homes but in town the houses were mostly very old, made of cinder blocks and in poor condition with more modern hotels and motels right next door.

Hard to believe but this was an active storefront and housing above

Enterprising young woman with her fresh fruit cart - making a living

The local square, which had something going on each weekend.  Huge heads, Mexican forefathers, look on

During our last couple of days in town the Baja 1000 rally was in town.  Baja 1000 is a motorcycle and off road car rally where the participants drive 1000 miles down the Baja and back to Ensenada.  Hundreds of gringos invaded the main roads, took up all available hotels, set up merchandise tents, gave basketballs and hats away during the parade and brought in thousands of dollars to the locally economy. 

Hundreds of off road cars were ready to roll

For my bud, Johnny...I know you love your motorcycles too!

Off road bug - small but tough!

Thousands of families admired the cars...and had pictures taken - the future driver!

This annual event had been taking place for 46 years and was enjoyed by all.  Entire streets were closed down to accommodate not only the vehicles but also the huge tractor trailers, pit crews, media and stage.  We were there for the parade on Thursday morning but left before their 11:00 pm start.  That was ok as we had been in Ensenada a week and were anxious to get back to cruising.

Thousands of spectators viewed the cars over many blocks before the parade began

We made it to Mexico but Ensenada, being a border town, was not the ‘real’ Mexico.  That’s to come….

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Leaving San Diego... As I write this we are about 20 nautical miles inside Mexico on our way to Ensenada to check in with Customs and get our entry documents completed.  The last ten days have been a blur pretty much.  San Diego represents another milestone – we completed two thirds of our harbour hopping down the coast.

Since Newport Beach life has been non-stop.  And here we thought Californians were laid back! We left Newport Beach last Sunday under cloudy skies and not a breath of wind.  We took advantage, though, and made fresh water while we motored to the City of Oceanside. Though it was a tremendous amount of work to install, the water maker is working flawlessly and we are so glad that we installed it.  We need no worry about taking on bad water now that we’re in Mexico. At one point Jim looked out and noticed dolphins jumping right out of the water, something we rarely see.  We turned the helm and went to check them out.  They were having such fun.

Flying fish!

Oceanside… When we arrived we were on our way to the municipal docks, run by Oceanside Police, when we were called on the VHF radio by Dave on Pelagia who had spotted us arriving.  Before we knew it we were being redirected to the Oceanside Yacht Club where, with their help, we were invited to tie up for free.  We hated to turn down free so we headed over and tied beside Pelagia for the evening.  As we had not been off the boat for a whole day we wanted to stretch our legs so we took off for a walk around the waterfront.  Oceanside is a pretty little city with only one 17 story high rise. I visited it once when I was 19 and on my first (and last) trip to California on vacation.  That time my friend, Judy, and I stayed with a couple that Mom, Moe and I had met in New Zealand a year before.  I recall that they were very hospitable, giving Judy and me their guest cottage for a couple of nights.  Unfortunately I don’t recall much else except that Vera caught a big, poisonous snake in their huge back yard and called her husband, a doctor, to come home and deal with it.  Anyway, we spotted a restricted area to the north of Oceanside called Camp Pendleton, a military base. Much of the housing we saw near the marina was military, but nice, upgraded military.  The dock captain at the yacht club, Dave, introduced himself and filled us in a bit about Oceanside and pointed out where we would find restaurants on our stroll.  Dave was a local Californian who had spent most of his life in Oceanside and he had been a liveaboard for 17 years too.  He was a wealth of information and told us of the charity work that their yacht club sponsored including hosting the young single military personnel to enjoy Thanksgiving at the yacht club as guests.  They also raise money for Christmas presents for the less fortunate.  We thought that was pretty great so we gave Dave our beautiful, hardly used, Canadian folding crab trap to use as a raffle item.  We knew we could not take it into Mexico and were trying to figure out just what to do with it.  Problem solved!

A young seagull takes a bow (and left us a little #*^&* present) - on our dinghy

This bird had no fear of us and it took us sometime to convince him to leave our dinghy alone.  Came two days in a row!

The waterfront walk meandered around many foreshore areas and marinas before we arrived at the touristy restaurants.   En route we passed by a beautiful war memorial paying tribute to fallen local military that was very touching.  There were about 10 restaurants within a five minute walk, many of them posting their menus outside to entice you in.  We choose the rooftop Lighthouse Restaurant overlooking a marina and ordered while the happy hour specials were still offered.  The half hour walk back to Falcon was lovely during the cool evening.  We passed by some commercial fishermen loading lobsters into a truck as we talked about returning to Oceanside in the future but from land.

In the morning the three Canadian boats – Pelagia, Falcon VII and Monrovia all headed out for Mission Bay.  The wind was predicted to blow up to 20 knots and we were all looking forward to a fast sail but, as typically happens, the predictions did not come true.  We struggled forward slowly, sometimes with the sails flogging but we didn’t give up and the winds filled in again and allowed us to enjoy our day with sails, not motor. Once again Falcon VII proved what a swift boat she was and David from Pelagia complimented us on how fast she sailed away from both other boats. As we approached the Mission Bay harbour entrance, the gentle breeze was behind us and we were able to sail right along the length of the long breakwater and into Bonita Bay, winding our way through smaller sailboats moored in the calm and protected bay.  

Anchored in Mission Bay just north of San Diego - the main drag was only a block away but hard to tell

The harbour police patrolled the area regularly and came by in their rigid hulled inflatable to welcome us to stay up to 72 hours.  They pointed out that there was no dinghy dock, though, which meant that we would have to pull the dinghy up onto the beach if we wanted to go to shore.  We opted to leave it in the davit and stay onboard.

Mission Bay’s beach reminded me of anchoring in front of Willows Beach in Victoria.  Extensive parkland, picnic tables and canopies surrounded the waters of Mission Bay and beyond that we could actually see a roller coaster not a quarter of a mile away.  At night it was more visible than anything else in the area.  There were very tall palm trees, lots of lush grass and sand everywhere.  Pelicans dove for food while egrets strode along the shoreline.  Mission Beach was very calm so we decided to stay for a second day and catch up on some much needed cleaning.

Palm trees, a homeless person on the beach and roller coaster in the background

By Wednesday morning, October 30th Falcon was ready to move on to San Diego.  We had bright blue skies that matched the colour of the flat calm water.  In the distance we could make out Point Loma, a large jutting cliff that protected the entrance to San Diego Harbor. 

Massive Point Loma at the entrance to San Diego Harbour

One of the many military installations near Point Loma

During our short two hour cruise we constantly listened to US naval personnel on the VHF radio while we watched military helicopters and jets rush by overhead.  In addition, the US aircraft carrier, Ronald Regan, was out on manoeuvers to the west.  We felt the strong military presence even as we entered the harbour where we had to first tie up at the Harbour Police Dock to check in with the border services personnel.  We had done that all the way down the coast, as required by our US cruising permit.  Before we left San Diego had to take the cruising permit to the downtown office and turn it in.  In exchange they gave us a clearance certificate that says we have ‘checked out’ of the States and necessary to enter Mexican waters.

Falcon, most inside boat on the left, is dwarfed by our neighbour - they had a crew of 23 on board!

We stayed at the municipal police docks for two days before moving to La Playa Anchorage a very short distance away.  There are only two or three areas where you are permitted to anchor in the harbour and you must apply on line to get a spot within them, if one is available.  We could only stay in La Playa Anchorage from 9:00 am Friday til 9:00 am Monday.  The harbour was as huge as Newport Beach but with much more varied foreshore areas, surrounded by waterfront hotels, the San Diego Airport, a US Navy base, numerous yacht clubs, a dozen marinas and marine related businesses. 

Dawn over one of the many San Diego Bay marinas

Early morning sun reflecting off the bay side homes

The municipal docks we stayed at were at the far end of Shelter Island, a half hour walk from the bus or retail businesses.  There were about a dozen marinas throughout San Diego as well as lots of waterfront resorts and spas.  All of them were designed with people who had cars.  We purchased four day bus passes for $17, which gave us unlimited use of the buses, trolleys/ light rapid transit running throughout San Diego and surrounding areas. We were really impressed with the trolley / light rapid transit.  It was very clean, fast and you could understand what they were saying over the loud speakers, unlike the buses.  The bus pass was much less expensive than renting a car and pretty convenient, too. The transit system was outstanding and we didn’t mind using public transportation at all.   Each day we tackled a list of errands and items to be purchased before leaving the US and plotted out our strategy for the day. 

We sure got our exercise and learned our way around both the downtown core and outlying industrial, saw everything from expensive outdoor high fashion malls to the university and numerous medical centre all clustered together.  In addition, we were lucky enough to arrive on the same evening that a live Moody Blues concert was happening an outdoor stage at Half Moon Resort and Spa.  We could hear the music vaguely from the municipal docks so we launched the dinghy at sunset and headed out for an evening dinghy ride to check out the concert close up.  We were not the only ones.  There we dozens of dinghies and smaller power boats wedged in along the walkway enjoying the 70’s music right along with us.  When doing laundry the next day I learned that San Diego hosted two to three outdoor concerts each week between May and the end of October.  Lucky us!  There was another concert the following evening that we listened to from a distance.

I admit I didn't take this but it gives you an idea of San Diego's size

Downwind Marine was a local chandlery that really welcomes cruisers.  We were there during ‘Cruisers Week’ when they hosted seminars in the evening and a customer appreciation bbq on Saturday.  We connected with a few other cruisers and enjoyed some great food and were able to purchase a new bbq at a discount as well!

We had hopes to going to the San Diego Zoo or the Safari Park run by the San Diego Zoo but transportation made it next to impossible  The Safari Park was 35 miles away and you had to book  shuttle well in advance or find your own way there.  We opted to save the cost of admission to the Zoo and put that money towards engine oil and spare parts needed.

On Monday morning at 9:00 precisely the harbour police were patrolling the anchorage ensuring all weekenders were on their way.  We were just weighing anchor when they went by and within minutes we had moved to Marina Cortez where we had reciprocal moorage, which was free, for two night.  The third night was only $25, a bargain!!! I can’t tell you what we did each day but we were often on the go for 10 – 12 hours.   Sorry there aren't more pictures but I didn't take the camera with me on the errands.  Busing, while inexpensive, was time-consuming, especially if you needed boat parts that were 2 hours away by bus.  We did take Tuesday ‘off’, though and enjoyed a swim in the lovely unused pool at Marina Cortez.  The marina was right next to one of the large and elegant Sheraton Hotels.  One day we got all dressed up (and I mean I really wore a dress and Jim a good shirt and shorts) and we sauntered in like we owned the place.  We enjoyed a nice light salad lunch overlooking the marina then made use of the free WIFI in the lobby.  Many people sat in comfy seating in the beautifully furnished lobby while they used their computers so we fit right in!  Later that day we bused in to downtown San Diego and had a great walk around at the end of the business day. 

Not mine either but it shows the mooring balls at one of the anchorages with San Diego in the background

We found our way to the beautiful old Santa Fe train station with its Spanish mission-like building, gorgeous tile work inside and loads of long wooden benches for travellers to rest their weary bones. If those benches could talk!   Though we felt the architecture in town was not as beautiful as San Fransisco’s we did appreciate the variety of buildings and cleanliness of the city core.  We even wandered into The Grand Hotel as well, which made the Empress look outdated.  Oh how the other half live!  Lush furnishings and Persian rugs were scattered in the ornate lobby with its tall gold leafed plaster cornices and giant chandeliers.  With the time change, by 6:00 p.m. the sun was setting and it felt like the city rolled up its sidewalks so we bused back to Harbour Island, enjoying the lite up skyline as we went.

On Thursday we were up by 5:30 and left the docks shortly after 6:00 a.m. under a clear sky just as the sun was coming up.  Mauve and pink tinged the homes along the waterfront in South San Diego.

Leaving just as dawn lightened the morning sky

We really enjoyed harbour hopping and are now excited about beginning the next part of our adventure – getting to know Mexico.  Our Spanish is extremely limited but we’re hopeful that we will gain confidence and will bravely attempt to speak the language in time.   Within minutes of crossing the imaginary line called the border we were greeted by a school of dolphins that swam and played in our bow wave.  What a nice welcoming! 

Our Mexican welcoming committee

We will be staying in Ensenada for a week at Cruiseport Marina and will take that time to adjust to our new surroundings, connect with friends, get a few boat projects taken care of and practice what little Spanish we know.  More later….

October 26, 2013  Newport Beach, California

We left Catalina Island last Tuesday morning under beautiful clear blue skies and just a wisp of wind. Once around the western end of the island we set our course, popped the spinnaker and had a beautiful sail all afternoon to Newport Beach Harbor.  En route we passed three more oil rigs just off the mainland coast.  From a distance I thought they were freighters at anchor but binoculars confirmed what they truly were and indeed stationery.

Oil rig off of Newport Beach

Just before dusk we entered the protected harbour at Newport Beach and we were both speechless.  We had sailed away from the beautiful, scenic and secluded anchorage at Cat Bay and arrived in the busy, opulent harbour of the rich and famous.  The harbour was huge!  It went on and on for miles with massive houses and condos lining every available bit of waterfront, most of them with docks right out front.  Tall palm trees lined the shore and most properties had exceptionally landscaped gardens and richly decorated outdoor spaces.

Rose garden along the boardwalk

Typical 'home' on Balboa Island

The view from Falcon at anchor - Lido Island homes with yachts and boats everywhere

As the pink glow of the setting sun dipped below the palms we anchored near Lido Island in the only area where anchoring was permitted.

Over the last couple of months we had compiled a list of items we needed to research and possibly purchase before leaving the US including a new hand held VHF radio, spare engine parts, a stern anchor and school supplies (more on that later).  We thought Newport Beach might have cheaper prices for parts and equipment than San Diego.  In the morning we set about finding our way around the harbour.  Newport Beach Harbour Authority put out an excellent 14 page PDF, which was a terrific reference for where to dock and dine, how long we could anchor (five nights), where the various yacht clubs were located as well as laundry, dinghy docks and shore side washrooms.  The 19 dinghy docks were easily identified by blue and white cones and they were scattered around the many harbour areas, islands and channels. 

Walkway and dinghy dock on Balboa Island

These poor people didn't have docks for their boats, only moorings.  Such a shame!

We dinghied to shore on Balboa Island where I did the stacks of laundry while Jim walked across Balboa Island, across a bridge and along Cliffside houses for an hour to locate a shopping centre in search of a particular store.  When he finally arrived he found out the ‘store’ was only a box number!   On his way back he did check out the bus system, which came in handy over the next few days as we became better acquainted with the area.

Mom loves roses so I like to take photos of them for her

Newport Beach’s population was about 75,000 and we think about 25,000 of them lived on or had views of the water!  That is no exaggeration! Though there were a couple of small stretches of single story older cottages and homes, for the most part the houses were huge and ornate.  Yes, many were grand, but not particularly pretty.  Money does not always equal taste!  Many were vacation rentals with rents going anywhere from $700 to $2,000 per night and others for only $6,000 a month in high season, now sitting empty.  Judging by the lack of lights on in the evening, we think a third were empty vacation rentals.  Not all of those houses were what we would think of as million dollar houses but in Newport Beach they were selling for up to $4.5 million.  We didn’t even see any 2 bedroom condos or houses listed for sale under $1.5 to $2 million.  Once we got a block away from the waterfront we found a great older part of Newport Beach on Balboa Peninsula, which bordered the wide expanse of white sandy beaches.  Many of the store buildings were from the 40’s and 50’s with ornate exterior brick and tile work.  Well established eateries boasted ‘the best clam chowder’ and ‘the best chili’, etc. and they were all busy!

Sunset where the rich and famous live their lives

We did see a fellow about our age with one leg amputated in his ‘Ferrari’ scooter.  Who knew Ferrari made scooters as well as luxury cars!  We astopped by a 1930’s art deco movie theatre, complete with the box office booth outside, and it was still in operation as a movie theatre! Surf shops and bikini stores were scattered along the roadway between nail and hair salons and several independent restaurants.  The local magazine had dozens of ads by plastic surgeons!  There was no economic downturn in Newport Beach, judging by the number of people eating out and the expensive yachts everywhere. 



This was NOT the cottage for rent - this one was surrounded by multi million dollar houses on the boardwalk

In another high rent area we spotted an exclusive ‘food prepared for only dogs’ shop that did home deliveries and a high end dining room store.  Their window fronts were beyond belief with sequence covered table clothes on display next to another round table that looked like it had been draped with a chiffon full length dress.  It was decked out with a set with gold rimmed porcelain dishes, gold cutlery and gold rimmed wine glasses.  And, of course, they were affiliated with stores in London, New York and Los Vegas.  What were we coming to!  We also wandered along the beachfront on Balboa Peninsula which we liked very much, meandering up and down short narrow streets lined with the original funky beach bungalows, many of them on their last legs.  Near the surf shops and cafes we spotted a small rundown one bedroom, one bathroom cottage that had a ‘for rent’ sign outside…renting for $1785 a month!  None but the wealthy could live in Newport Beach.  Almost all of the painters, maintenance workers, gardeners and housecleaners we saw were Mexican.  They had to commute by bus from the crowded suburbs such as Costa Mesa which were almost half an  hour away by bus.

We decided that having a stern anchor would be prudent so Jim took another long walk to Minney’s Marine Chandlery.  We had read about Minney’s on line and knew that it was a second hand boaters exchange with better prices than buying new.  While I had a haircut Jim took off on another excursion.  He had great success with finding a new anchor, chain and line for half of what they wanted at West Marine but that’s not where the story ends. When he was arriving he saw a young family standing outside near the Minney’s sign, looking around.  There was an old pirate statue and the little kids were posing for pictures.  The dad seemed a bit uncertain but they went inside anyway.  He asked to speak to the owner and someone went to fetch Mr. Minney, who was in his 70’s and had run the store for decades.  It turned out that the young fellow’s grandfather had passed way recently.  He was cleaning out his granddad’s house and had found an old $30 Minney’s gift certificate from 1978. They had not expected the discoloured old certificate to still be honoured but wanted to come anyway to connect with Mr. Minney.  The young dad introduced himself and showed the gift certificate to Mr. Minney, asking if he remembered his granddad – and he did!  They were friends way back when and  he knew his grandfather’s boat as well.  They had quite a chat and Mr. Minney offered to give them a cheque for $30 or they could walk around the store and use the certificate if they wished.  As they were not boaters they decided a cheque would work best.  Mr. Minney graciously offered to sign the certificate as ‘paid’ and give it back to them as a memento of the granddad.  The family thought that was great and were planning on having it framed.  What a nice moment in time.

One of our goals on our adventure is to give back, in some small way, to those less fortunate than us.  Before leaving Victoria Jim and I decided that taking a few school supplies to the Baja would help achieve that goal.  With that in mind we researched options to buy supplies online then bused to Costa Mesa and visited the huge $.99 store. 



Our small contribution

This chain is similar to the dollar stores in Canada but it carried lots of groceries, dairy and fresh produce as well as stationery and sundry items.  We decided to purchase large quantities of school scribblers, pencils, pencil sharpeners, scissors, construction paper, crayons and glue along with lots of bubble bottles and Frisbees to round out the supplies.  We know that this is only a small drop in the bucket of what the poorer Mexican families need but we hope it helps a bit.  In addition, we plan on visiting schools and perhaps giving short talks and slide shows about British Columbia and Alaska.  When we come back to Victoria and Vancouver just after Christmas time we will happily accept cash donations so we can buy more supplies for more kids.  Also, with Jim’s varied skills and my administrative background we hope to somehow help out in small villages.  We have our industrial strength sewing machine and many tools along with us.  Who knows what kind of mischief we might get into!

Back to Newport Beach.  Everywhere you look there were small boats called Duffy’s, mostly around 20 feet long.  They were electric boats and used exclusively to cruise the harbour.  Some had tiny galleys tucked in along with fine woodwork and leather interiors.  Many of the homes had a Duffy docked out front, along with their larger yacht. 

A fleet of Duffy's

This Duffy was tied behind the yacht, of course

A typical Duffy skippered cruise going by  the anchorage

Being electric boats, clever owners named them Watts New, Almost Ohm, Currently Ours, etc.  There were all sorts of boats in the harbour area.  In the high rent Cannery Village area we walked by three 100’ dinner cruise ships decked out for fine dining. 

On both Saturday evening and Sunday noon these dinner cruises went by Falcon

They were all two or three storeys tall and designed to cruise dead slow in the protected waters of the harbour.  On Saturday night we were surrounded by these types of ships lit up like small cities, numerous Duffy boats, and private party yachts.  During the day on Saturday the harbour was very active with paddleboards, kayaks, rowing skulls and runabouts enjoying the weekend, even though it was overcast.

We had been to shore many times making use of the dinghy docks.  Each time we taken garbage and recycling each time.  Strange – with all this wealth they didn’t have any recycling bins for boaters. What a shame. 

By On Saturday we were thinking about leaving but we wanted one more Newport Beach experience before weighing up anchor.  There were eight ‘dine and dock’ restaurants in the harbour and we wanted to take Falcon to one of them and then walk up for lunch, something extremely unusual.  En route up the channel we passed something else extremely unusual.  For a few hundred dollars you could rent a jetpack. 

Saturday brunch at Woody's with Falcon moored in front of the restaurant

We motored by two individuals in wetsuits and jetpacks who were learning to ‘fly’.  One was attached to a 2 person skidoo by a long hose and the other attached to an unmanned unit.  They were noisy but certainly a draw to all who cruised by.

Levitation!  His hose is attached to a skidoo with two guys running it.

This one had a little floating unmanned skidoo behind him, following like a dog.
Some got quite a few feet up in the air.

Brunch at Woody’s was very nice, especially because we were seated at an outdoor table with our beautiful sailboat docked in front of us.  We left Woody’s with the sun trying to shine through the foggy sky and headed back for our anchorage, only to encounter dinghy races in the anchoring area.  We carefully anchored then perched ourselves on the side deck.  In San Fransisco we watched the America’s Cup and in Newport Beach we watched the Newport Cup!  Some of the kids were already quite serious about racing, pointing out their fellow racers’ infractions.  The committee boat and start line were next to us so we had front row seats again for this exciting sporting event.

The race is on!

The lead boats heading by Falcon

By late afternoon the races were over and we set about finding storage spaces for all the supplies we had stockpiled. 

The earlier clouds created great sunset shots

A duffy in the foreground during a sunset cruise

We were ready to leave Newport Beach, knowing that Mexico would be quite a contrast to its wealth and abundance.