A MIXED BAG

For a few days the wind howled at our slip in Channel Islands Marina at Oxnard, and we were pleased we’d played it safe as even the local fishing fleet – hardy seafarers all – had headed in to find shelter. We made the best of our slip time cleaning the boat, doing some maintenance and stocking up, as the marina was within a short walk of a chandlery and several markets where we could reprovision and get a few spares.

We’d expected to be in Santa Barbara until our late diversion to Oxnard, and we needed to collect mail and an anchor swivel we’d had forwarded there. That gave us an excuse to have a day trip back to Santa Barbara, so we took the e-bikes on the train and made a day of it once we’d collected our packages.

The Squid Boats

A few days in Oxnard had us yearning for more time at the islands. We’d some time before needing to be back on the mainland for a first aid course we’d booked, so early on 27th October we were up and cheerfully heading back to Santa Cruz Island. With a light westerly wind on the nose, we motored with sadly only one distant sighting of dolphins, dropping the hook back in Prisoner’s Harbor just after noon; it was a relief to be back as the picture of Shan shows! We settled into our routine of enjoying sunsets and stars, snorkeling, paddleboarding, relaxing and spear fishing. On a dinghy expedition Andy speared a nice Sheepshead which Shan later prepared into our favored ceviche, on the way back dolphins swam through the anchorage and right by the dinghy – it never gets old seeing them so close. Squid boats anchored off the bay on a couple of nights, the fleet a string of bright beacons across the horizon with their glaring green-yellow downlights lit to attract the squid. They were noisy, thankfully at a distance and only for a couple of nights.

November arrived and it was time to make the mainland for our course. We pointed eastward under sail and settled back into the same slip at Oxnard we’d left five days earlier. We packed up the boat and on November 4th rode our bikes to catch the train down to Vista. The next five days were spent at our Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course learning a great deal about first aid care when at a distance from emergency assistance. It was eye opening, and we’d recommend this excellent course to anyone removed from normal medical care. We both passed and feel much more comfortable about what to do for each other should we be faced with an emergency medical situation.

Returning to Oxnard, we prepped the boat and on November 12th departed for Marina del Rey and our rendezvous with our friend Leanne. We had a nice sail for a couple of hours before the wind dropped and motored into a very busy harbor, tying to the public dock at Burton Chase Park among a large gathering of seagulls (and their guano). We were met by Leanne, down from Oakland volunteering at a shelter in LA and able to join us for a few days. We had a fun time laughing and catching up with Leanne and exploring nearby Venice Beach. Even at this time of year the characters at Venice Beach abound with the surfers, weightlifters, buskers, roller skaters, skateboarders and miscellaneous kitsch peddlers doing their thing among a veritable United Nations of tourists.

Leanne headed home and we provisioned in preparation for a month out at Santa Catalina Island, where we’ll be based until we head to San Diego to leave Tino Pai while we head up to Carson City and Tahoe for Christmas. A month of provisions meant a big shopping trip and two very heavily loaded bikes! We stowed it all, cleaned up and prepped the boat, and on 17th November departed for Catalina, seen off by a local dolphin as we exited the breakwater. We had a pleasant 10 knot wind from the west and enjoyed a comfortable beam reach in no swell, on a nice southward bearing into Two Harbors. Santa Catalina is a famous stop for cruisers heading south and it has been on our radar as our last major US cruising area before we depart for Mexico. We were looking forward to exploring the island.