Travels with Kerri On and crew

George,

Thanks for making the Delta area "come alive." I had not thought of the vast waterway as somewhere to spend much time and appreciate it more now due to your commentary.

After discovering sea grass in the water line of the diesel last week and having the engine quickly overheat, I have more appreciation now of how an outboard engine is much more accessible and therefore easier and faster to fix, if one knows what to do :-)

Replacing the impeller on the 25' Ranger Tug turned out to be a two person job with access to that area being under the step into the cabin. One of the compromises on a smallish boat with a large engine and a variety of features/equipment...

Please keep the stories and ideas coming :smile
 
Yesterday after my bow thruster help on the b boat, we decided to stay at the dock another day. Pouring rain off and on and lots of rain. It went away mid afternoon however so we grabbed the dry spot and hauled out. The marina staff kindly let us store the boat a couple of days at $5 day while we ran into the big city. We found the Surf Motel on Lombard st online right in the heart of the Marina district. More food joints than one can count. The cars in the area are really boring compared to when last here in the late 70's. then there were mustangs, Camero's chevelles, custom vans etc. now it's all and I mean ALL BMW, Mercedes, Bentley, Audi and the like. I figured one could still get an apartment here for a $1 mill but unlikely. Lots of people eating at the outside tables, it's a mild mid 60'sF. We may have the only pick up for 5 miles around. Lots of sailing on the bay today, the water is pretty flat and no fog. We'll overnight then head back to Rio Vista for a move further south. Our feelings on the Delta are really positive. The only thing is all the floating weed bugged Carolyn. There is a real problem with the weeds being an invasive species and kind of out of control. The people are friendly, they are way laid back, time moves much slower than in the cities. Those that live here many times are 3rd and 4th generation. The levees that hold back all that water are all important. If there was a breach, much of the area goes under a lot of water. We enjoyed a slow cruise doing close to 70 miles in 9 engine hours just pottering where we wanted. I had a radio call to the 3 mile slough bridge as we were closing in at high tide and it looked like we had clearance ok, but the sign board on the piling was reading off the scale like 15 feet of clearance. No way maybe 9 ft. So I called the tender and he verified 10 plus ft, the sign board is wrong on that side" he says. No worries 8 ft is lots with no radar arch, so under we go. An overall great cruise. Black nights away from towns shows the heavens, calm sunny days meandering past nature, seeing working tugs and scows dredging. Fun time.
 
Hi George,

Sound like you are having a good time. My old Montgomery 15 is knocking around in that area. "Pelican" with a bright blue shear stripe. Sail # 348.

Your descriptions are making me want to do some exploring there too, (not in the city), but in the Delta. Glad you didn't become a sandwich.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Well, we've been in Monterey/Carmel for 3 days and time to move. We will go hwy 1 down further. We have had a great time in Monterey area. Most of one day spent at the aquarium. Do see it if you have the chance. I like it as the settings are mostly open to the sea and surge is normal for the fish. Also no mammals are kept other than birds, penguins etc and most are saved from distressed zoos elsewhere or injured critters in re hab. Very fascinating place. My favourite was a huge grouper I call Larry, he must weigh 400 pounds! He is cool. They have a small mola or sunfish that is a weird looking thing. He's about 3 feet square and he motors around with a very interesting fin action. Top and bottom dorsals move opposite ways to give forward motion. Exactly like the modern Hobie kayaks with pedals! I wonder if someone at Hobie saw the mola move out and the lightbulb went on. Cannery Row is a great stroll. Lots of old time stores and cannery memorabelia. The beach front is a great place to walk the white sand and watch pelicans surf dive for fish. Surfers were out in nice 5 ft breakers. Carmel is a small, tidy area of old homes and new homes made to look old to fit in. Still no stop lights in town and big box begone. Small stores, lots of eateries and house prices are down a bit. A nice 3 bed 3 bath with a view and remodelled from the 1950's can be had from $3.5 million. Not bad. Really a nice area, Pebble Beach is right there for golfers. We will move on down to Morro Bay today. Having fun! Cheers. George and Carolyn
 
Great place George! Lived there for three years '67-'70 going to the Navy PG School in Monterey. Lived in a rental home in Carmel Highlands with a view of the ocean for the first year (BC [before children]) and then bought a home in Marina (the other side of what used to be Fort Ord) up toward San Jose for the last two years. Had my first boat there, a 100 year old crab fishing sailboat (wood of course) that I fiberglassed the outside of in the garage and used in the Monterey Marina for the last 9 months or so. That was AC (after child). Not much to do there. :roll: :love

Finished my Thesis 3 months early but didn't tell anyone, just turned in one chapter at a time to my advisor and messed around with the boat the rest of the time.

Travel Safely!

Charlie
 
Captains Cat":333ph2rh said:
Finished my Thesis 3 months early but didn't tell anyone, just turned in one chapter at a time to my advisor and messed around with the boat the rest of the time.
Click to expand...

Ha - clever! I like it :D

George: Fun to read your updates - thanks for posting them!

Sunbeam :hot
 
George, hopefully you two are out of the rain!

The weather is clearing in the San Diego area, although along the water the temps will probably not quite make it to 70 degrees.

There are interesting places to visit in this area if you and Caroline are interested and the weather here is enjoyable :)
 
We are in Coronado after a wet and windy run down 101 thru the LA basin. We chatted with the rv park manager at The Dunes about the wisdom of going hwy 1 down the coast and she said it is done, but the folks who do it are stressed a lot. Towing up and around the tight corners is no fun. So we went the inland route on 101. We stayed overnite at San Refugio state park When the big rain storm came ashore. Horizontal rain and 30 knots on the highway. We said enough mid afternoon when I spotted rv's down on the beach. Having now towed The 101 from San Luis Obispo I cannot recommend anyone else doing it! We were denied entry to 4 rv places and 1 state park between Malibu and Newport Beach. Also no street parking allowed to vehicles over 20 ft. From Santa Monica on down. First places I have ever been denied to come in as an rv. Several we phoned were adamant No Boats! I asked the last one we tried how come....."she said they used to allow boats but the guys would go boating then flush the engine in the rv stall". The state park dude said we weren't 'self contained" if we didn't plug in to power and water". What? I said we could but didn't need to. Then he said well they won't really like your truck being that old. It's an 07! Bye Bye LA! The feeling we got was if you weren't coming to go see Mickey and leave, just leave now. We overnited at Marina Del Rey launch ramp thinking we'd launch, but in the morning it was pouring rain still and foggy and cold, so giddy up. We ran on down to Corobado, and it is a different world! We may stay! Gorgeous marina and facilities at the Glorietta Marina. Nicest restrooms and showers we have seen anywhere. Met some locals. All friendly. Great shops and eateries. Quiet and restful. We booked a few days at the marina and just extended it a week. Maybe more. It's dry and warm. Very different than LA. I have seen more smiles here than anywhere. We will do some harbour cruising after chores. We have about 2200 miles on since leaving Nanaimo so there was a lot of extra side trips. We are enjoying the trip immensely after a few wet windy days. Will keep you posted. George and Carolyn
 
ghone":21ked2jk said:
Then he said well they won't really like your truck being that old. It's an 07! Bye Bye LA!
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An '07 is "that old"?! Sheesh. With a typical car loan an '07 might not even be paid off yet - hard to think of it as "old." Good plan to get on down the road. The last time I "camped" in that area was on a trip with 3 friends in a Toyota pickup with a camper on it back in the '80s. I still remember the place we camped in Newport Beach: it was literally a parking spot (black asphalt, parking spots outlined in yellow, just like at the store) and that was $25 per night. Pretty rich back then!

ghone":21ked2jk said:
We ran on down to Corobado, and it is a different world! We may stay!
Click to expand...

Sounds nice! Thanks for posting of your adventures, and glad you got past that "Pineapple Express" type storm(s).

Sunbeam
 
ghone":37oi452g said:
Then he said well they won't really like your truck being that old. It's an 07! Bye Bye LA!
Click to expand...

An '07 is "that old"?! Sheesh. Good plan to get on down the road. The last time I "camped" in that area was on a trip with 3 friends in a Toyota pickup with a camper on it back in the '80s. I still remember the place we camped in Newport Beach: it was literally a parking spot (black asphalt, parking spots outlined in yellow, just like at the store) and that was $25 per night. Pretty rich back then!

ghone":37oi452g said:
We ran on down to Corobado, and it is a different world! We may stay!
Click to expand...

Sounds nice! Thanks for posting of your adventures, and glad you got past that "Pineapple Express" type storm(s).

Sunbeam
 
Coronado is so nice. We are feeling very much at home. Just booked another week in the marina so we can explore the area $22 a night includes power. Really nice. Our neighbor has a 65 ft custom steel trawler he bought in the Netherlands 7 years ago and cruised 5 years in the med and then crossed under his own power to the Antigua Then shipped to Nanaimo so he could cruise to Coronado. He is envious of our simple little boat. He has so much to keep running and 80 tons to look after.
 
Sure appreciate the sharing of your travels. The cost of staying in the Marina there in Coronado is just amazing to me. It's actually less expensive then Yellowstone by the week. Has me thinking it might be a place we could stay for a while during our cold winters here.

Jay
 
Piggy backing on what George and Carolyn are experiencing...

After 6 weeks, I cannot say enough about how wonderful it is living on the water here in San Diego. The weather is delightful, the waterfowl, the interesting little shops all around here on Shelter Island (and probably elsewhere) and the other liveaboards all contribute to a wonderful lifestyle here. We have 44 liveaboards in this marina and each has a different story. In addition to working people and families with school age children, our marina has retired singles and couples who are living aboard. I find the folks here are perhaps more chatty than I did those at Anacortes this summer, but there were no real liveaboards at Cap Sante, which is a big difference.

Gus and I will return to the NW this spring for 6 months or perhaps more, and appreciate the open space up there much more after the limited waters of San Diego Bay, yet find this a wonderful change of weather with options to see and visit interesting places.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary flotillas here are involved in a wide variety of activities and most welcoming. I have found folks from the PNW here on the docks, in the marine shops, and out and about.

Since my son and his young family live here I had looked at renting a small apt. or in a mobile home park for a few months the past two winters, but found the prices very high and leases were required. The marina situation for winter seems to be ideal for us who do not want to be here in the summer, when slips are much harder to find. AZ folks, whom are called "Zonies" by the locals, apparently come here to escape the summer heat, joining the thousands of area boaters who are out playing on the water then.

Unlike much more knowledgeable and adventurous George and Carolyn, the dog and I did not pull the boat, nor drive the coast route on our way south. Cascadia was delivered by a fellow from Everett who regularly moves Range Tugs and used his pickup. I admire all those who move their own boats, but don't feel up to it.

After repairing, emptying out the house, cleaning and packing, the trip south on I-5 was straightforward, with lots of wide open vistas, and yet the small places we stopped were fine. Hopefully on the way north our route will go through Yosemite if the falls are running or perhaps the Redwoods.

Given the fact that I had lived in the LA area and had no desire to return, we stayed in a Motel 6 on the Grapevine before getting to the huge sprawling LA Basin, and beginning @ 9:30 am motored through what seemed like an unending maze of off-ramps for several hours, arriving here midday, and settling in before dark.

If any C-Brats come this way and are interested in a Tug ride around the Bay, I plan to be here till late March, or possibly later, so drop an email and you can see what life is like here :D
 
We have been at the marina in Glorietta Bay all of December and plan to be here till after Christmas we are enjoying the area immensely . There is much to see and do, but mostly just to be. There is a small town feel to Coronado that is refreshing and remarkable as to how they managed it. The big city is across the bridge but seems a long way away. The folks here are friendly and the climate is nice. We had our first rain overnight and today. The marina is really well situated just a short stroll to the village. We find we are sampling the cafes along Orange ave and all the shops are interesting. Being aboard in the marina beats the accommodation ashore. While the Del Coronado is beautiful it would be prohibitive to be there long. Starbucks in the lobby is 100% more than up the street 3 blocks. And on it goes. Prices in the Village are very reasonable. We will head east a ways after Xmas. More later. George and Carolyn
 
George,

Good to hear you are enjoying the warn south coast. Sounds like you are in a good place. Enjoy.

Will keep watching for your posts.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
George,

Where are you parking your truck and trailer while your boat is in the marina? I know there is a boat ramp nearby, but I thought the parking was limited.

We're in San Diego staying on our sailboat in the Kona Kai marina. We leave on Monday. We're babysitting our grandson this weekend. You might want to catch the holiday boat parade which is this Sunday evening.

Tony
 
Hi there. Parking is pretty easy. The city has a 72 hour parking ordanance. We just parked on the state highway across from the marina. Lots of cars park there and it's close and legal. Chris (rana verde) was very kind to us and we met up one day and he took our trailer home to his property. So we then just park in the marina parking. Makes it a lot easier to go explore without a trailer. Thank you Chris! C brats are extraordinary freinds. We are exploring the area thouroughly.
 
So glad you guys are in SD Bay for awhile -- such a delightful area this time of year. And, yes, Chris was also a great friend and help for us when cruising in 'his' area. Best wishes to you --
 
It's not all fun and games out cruising! Carolyn started last week to have a rumbly tummy and headache and plumbing issues. She was a trooper for a couple days doing mommy home remedies she's used on kids then when we were shopping Saturday said "let's go to the hospital". I had been leaning on her to go for a couple days. After a bunch of blood was taken and samples from here and there, the doc announces she's on the back end of the very nasty Norwalk virus that's going around. It''s a 48-72 hour heavy duty bug. He prescribed some pills that he said was really more for me than her as she was near through. $128 for 20 pills. Yowza. Peaceful nite was had, then about noon Sunday I am having issues. Right away on the drugs!! About 36 hours later I am almost normal. (Whatever that is, remember nearly normal Norman from Ocean Falls). Tired and achy and no energy is the course of the thing with plumbing issues. Carolyn is having a relapse today as she got too aggressive with food too soon. Slow and easy on the solids. Your hydration gets knocked bad with this one. I gotta say I was impressed with the hospital ER. Non rushed, quiet, very thorough and they took our info on our BC medical and extensive travel insurance. We got $10 million in coverage for this year The only plan thru BCAA. Could get a whole new body. They let us walk out the door no money changing hands. I am sure it was a pricey visit and our deductible is to be paid on billing but one hears stories about hospitals and this one was really nice to have to go to. Very caring people. So another day of rest and fluids Carolyn should be back up. My temperatures and pressures are in the green so I'm good. The doctor said Coronado is rampant with flu right now as it is almost a cruise ship atmosphere town. A short strip of shops with a lot of folks doing short visits, restaurants, restrooms etc. this flu is identical to the one cruise ships are infamous for, only this new version is tougher. We go cruising and traveling to see the sights and enjoy new areas, and with that comes change and exposure. It ain't all fun but it is worth it. George and Carolyn. :smiled
 
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