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.  

October 18, 2013  Catalina Island, California

We’ve spent the last few days in the Channel Islands off of the Los Angeles area coastline.  We decided we would rather make our way down the Channel Islands than along the busy ports and cities such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, etc. 

We left Cojo Anchorage on Tuesday morning after a somewhat rolly night at anchor.  The crossing to the most northern island in the chain, San Miguel, was very peaceful and warm.   Pelicans and seagulls were everywhere and a dozen seals jumped right out of the water like dolphins as they passed our bow, possibly avoiding a whale I had seen closer to the shore. 

Seals moving fast across Falcon VII's bow

 
There was only one other sailboat at anchor when we arrived in the remote and beautiful anchorage at Cuyler Harbor.  Hills and cliffs, sand dunes and sandy beaches greeted us, along with a heard of quiet sea lions lined up sun tanning along the rocky shoreline below the rugged hill. 

San Miguel Island - very sand dune like and remote

Unfortunately, because of the US Government shutdown we were not able to get a park permit to go to shore so we enjoyed the quiet afternoon and evening in tropical conditions, trying to keep ourselves and the boat cool.

Sunrise over San Miguel Island

 The next morning we awoke at dawn and motored out beyond Prince Island bound for Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island.  Each of the Channel Islands has its own charm and write-ups in our cruising guide showed dozens of anchorages, some well protected and some exposed.  Though we left with the intention of making it to Scorpion Anchorage, the famous Santa Ana winds, which whip down the mainland canyons to the east as the day heats up, started blowing 25 knot winds on our bow within a couple of hours.  Jim spotted Forney Cove at the west end of the Island, a place where we could anchor and wait for the wind to change direction or die down.  The winds around the island were hot!  We anchored below a dry rolling hillside and wide expanse of sandy beach in a breezy but protected anchorage for the afternoon then left near 4:00 p.m. with a change of plans. 

The hills of Santa Cruz Island

Sunset as we head out for a night passage to Avalon

We decided to make a night passage to Avalon City on Catalina Island, aware that the full moon would help to brighten our way.  Catalina Island was the largest of the Channel Islands at about 30 miles across and one of the most southern in the group.  The evening sunset was spectacular as was the array of stars that shone brightly above us.  We flew the spinnaker gently for a few hours before motoring the rest of the way in flat calm conditions more like BC’s Gulf Islands than the exposed Channel Islands. Throughout the night the sparkling lights of big cities on the California mainland reminded us that civilization was not that far away.  I watched the full moon slowly sink below West End Point as the pink sky showed promise of another clear day over the mainland.

We arrived at Avalon City just after sunrise to be greeted by their harbour patrol who assigned us a mooring ball in the tight, compact harbour where no fewer than 250 buoys took up all available room.  After tying to the mooring we went to shore immediately and had a huge delicious breakfast in Joe’s Diner looking out at the public pier where you could explore the undersea world in a ‘submarine’, rent snorkels or small powerboats or eat takeout food.   We even spotted a couple of buffalo statues in ‘town’, a tribute to the herds of buffalo that roamed the central part of the island for many years. Avalon is famous for the beautiful 1929 casino built at Casino Point.  Though no longer operated as a casino, tours were available for $30 a person (so we passed on it) and you could watch first run movies in the evening for $15 a person (we passed on it too).

World famous Catalina Casino at Avalon

Jim enjoying an ice cream cone and the view part way up the long set of stairs

Spotting Falcon amongst all the yachts

We wandered around Avalon’s sleepy, deserted waterfront square then strolled along a few streets, surprised at how many vacation rental cottages were everywhere. Boutique shops and tourist stores, fine dining restaurants and ice cream outlets lined the main square with a few more visible in the initial two blocks or so heading away from the water.  It’s hard to imagine how busy it must be in the heat of the summer!  Small wood-sided cottages and adobe type plaster houses were tightly packed with porches only a few inches from the sidewalks and no grass anywhere.

Avalon from the top of the hill

Old coach used as a tour bus winding around the coastline

 The more expensive hillside homes were far larger and ornate, with outstanding views of the harbour.  Outdoor spaces often featured lounging areas, dining tables and even outdoor kitchens.  Clearly the inhabitants spent a fair amount of time enjoying the outdoor spaces when it was too hot to be inside.   The locals used mostly golf carts to get around and the back alleys were so narrow that only golf carts could go down them.   Some were customized and others full of ‘stuff’ just like cars.  There were a few regular cars but golf carts outnumbered those 10 to 1.

Back alleys only wide enough for a golf card

Clean, tidy streets with no lawns anywhere

After a mid-morning snooze we headed for shore again to lounge on the sandy beach and use the public showers housed in an old cliff-side tiled building.  We paid $3 a shower but for an extra $2 we could have had towels, soap and shampoo provided!  Not sure who owned the facilities but a wizened man in tee shirt and shorts ran the shower building, collecting money and cleaning up afterwards.  Next, we found delicious ice cream cones to enjoy while we started a more extensive walk up hundreds of steps and around a hilltop road where views of Avalon were outstanding. 

For our friends at Turkey Head Sailing Association

One terraced, stretched hilltop home was only half finished and had clearly been that way for years – probably a result of the 2008 stock market crash.  We walked along Crescent Avenue (we used to live on Crescent Road) then spotted Olive Street (Mom’s name) before hiking up towards a canyon where more of the immigrant locals lived in cramped apartments and multi-family houses with numerous additions. 

For my mom, Olive

Typical older housing for the workers

Bird of Paradise flowers abound in the warm climate

Most of the housing had plumbing pipes attached outside and washers/dryers on porches or decks.  No need to worry about frozen pipes in these climates!  Many of the newer homes featured colourful tiles embedded in the plaster and gardens full of bird of paradise flowers, bougainvillea, plumaria, and cacti.

By dusk we found our way back down to the waterfront where a fall festival was in full swing. The festival information spoke of children bringing community together and many of the small covered kiosks were run by kids, parents and teachers.  There was face painting, a live band playing, bales of hay laid out as  festival seating, displays of a proposed garden to be built at the elementary school but maintained by the students, organic baked goods and many ethnic food stalls set up with lots families milling around.  It was wonderful to be there and see the support for the local community and the happy children dancing to the music and picking out their pumpkins. 

The band entertaining the crowd

This adorable little girl was looking for her pumpkin on the pumpkin patch beach

Well attended local festival with families everywhere enjoying the warm evening

I saw one grandmother pushing an enormous pumpkin in the baby stroller while mom carried the infant in her arms!  All too soon it was time to head back to Falcon for dinner and to catch up with friends and family via the internet.

With some sadness, we left Avalon in the morning because we didn’t want to spend another $39 for a mooring buoy and friends were anchored at Cat Bay three hours away.  We left under perfectly calm conditions and were anchored again at Cat Harbour before lunch time.  Cat Harbour was on one side of Catalina, at the narrowest part of the island, kind of shaped like a lopsided bowtie.  After anchoring, Jim quickly headed to shore for a little exploration and came back to fetch me, excited to show me around.  On the other side of a 10 minute walk to the other side of the island sat the areas referred to as Two Harbours.  At the top of the ramp, just up a small hill to the left was a covered picnic area and…a buffalo, who had wandered down from the hills for a drink from the large galvanized trough.  Another first for me!  Buffalos were imported in the 50’s and there was quite a herd in the mountains but most were eventually taken away to large ranches in Wyoming and Montana with just a few left on Catalina Island. We hiked along a narrow path, wandering by loads of cacti and very dry grasses before continuing along the red dusty road, which was in the bottom of the valley between many rolling hills.  Towards the ‘other side’ was a small community with tiny older 40’s cottages and staff housing for those working at the little resort, which had been there since the 1940’s.

Tall ship at anchor near Falcon VII

View of Two Harbour's 'main road'

Nicest looking palm we had seen

Cacti in flower - these cacti were like weeds  - they were everywhere

Two Harbours was the site of a cruisers weekend rendezvous featuring speakers, booths, a potluck and experts available to chat about a variety of subjects.  We took in a few of the talks and socialized with our friends Margaret and David from Heart and Soul.  Last time we saw them was their departure day from Sidney at the end of August!  It was great to catch up on their travels and just hang out.

Two Harbours was also the ferry terminal for the Catalina Express, bringing dozens of partiers and campers and over for the weekend.  Camping was…an interesting concept for some.  They arrived with coolers and rolling suitcases, paying to have a shuttle take their supplies to the campground.  Two Harbours resort also offered rentals for those who were not equipped – everything from bundles of firewood and gallon containers of water could be purchased, as could a ‘smore’ package which included firewood and enough ingredients to make 11 smores!  Tents were even available for a fee.  The ferry was over $70 per adult and the minimum per person to camp was $21 per night.  Cabins were $50 per night plus $21 per person.  Clearly camping on Catalina was not a cheap endeavour!!!

In addition to the camping opportunities the area had three older painted outdoor stage areas with picnic tables set up in front of each, beach areas and a restaurant/saloon building.  There was a one room school house and a yacht club (no near the water).  The saloon was primarily an outdoor bar with plenty of outdoor seating and picnic umbrellas everywhere.  On the weekend the bar was open long before lunch and by 11:00 Sunday morning more than half the seats were occupied with many having a drink already or a beer and breakfast.

The saloon served great food but expensive drinks!

In addition to the talks and potluck the resort had a live band playing both Friday and Saturday night.  The four of us sat at a table front and centre, listening to awesome 70’s music performed by the very talented three piece rock band who called themselves the Drunken Skunks.  The band was hired to play from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm and we danced both Friday and Saturday evenings away, reliving our youth, until the late hour of 9:00 or so!  Each evening we walked back to Cat Bay’s dinghy dock under a full moon displaying shadows as bright as the midday sun’s.  No flashlights required!

Sunday was overcast and cloudy.  Many of the cruisers were leaving, including our friends from Victoria – David and Margaret.  Though we were sorry to see them go we knew we would connect in San Diego or Ensenada.  We did go to Two Harbours during the day but the place was almost deserted.  After a picnic lunch we spent the rest of the day just enjoying the anchorage. 

On Monday morning we were happy to see clear skies because we wanted to go for a hike to see the views from the top of one of the mountains around Cat Bay.  We took off towards 11:30 a.m. and headed for the dinghy dock and from there we backtracked along the shoreline to a sort of goat path that started up the mountain.  It was a steep climb that forced us to rest from time to time but the views were getting better and better. 

The anchorage was a long way away!

This helicopter dropped of a family and their luggage - the rich don't take the ferry!

About half way up there was clear evidence of a shift in the ground with large gaps and crevices visible and entire areas along the edge where the ground have given away.  We realized that a wrong step could be fatal and very carefully made our way up and up and up the steep slope.  After another hour we eventually made it to the summit still huffing and puffing but we were rewarded with spectacular vistas in all directions. 

We made it!

Check out that view!

Not quite an aerial view but this shows Cat Harbour and Two Harbours from the top

When we caught our breath and chuckled because there was a red dirt road running along the top ridge of the hills to the summit, which we could have easily taken instead!  As it appeared far safer than the route we had just gone up, we decided to walk along the ridge then descend closer to Two Harbours. 

Falcon VII is down there somewhere...

The road at the top of the ridge, a much easier walk back for sure!

Wound barbed wire sign put there as a joke

There was a wire fence near the cliff face which had become a ‘wall’ where people could write their names or whatever they wanted in left over barbed wire.  We took a photo of the ‘beach access’ sign because it was so creative.  After a good 45 minutes we found a path leading down towards the community and eventually came out at the bottom hungry but unscathed. 

Woodpecker hard at work along the winding roadway

Same tall ship cruising off of Two Harbors

There it is - the 'hill' we climbed to the top

Being Monday, the resort was all but closed up so we headed back to Falcon to have an early dinner and recover from our expedition.  All in all we really enjoyed Cat Bay and Catalina Island and will remember it fondly.