We are just cruising back from Two Harbors in Catalina after a lovely four day trip to the island. We started out in Emerald Bay, Jeff’s favorite place, and spent our first night surrounded by the beautiful turquoise water. We woke up the next morning to see our Shoreline dock neighbors, Hardy, Regina, Ray, and Rhett on Webster, anchoring just off Indian Rock. We paddled over and then the LouLou had a great time swimming and kayaking with her friends on the secret mermaid beach. Josie woke up and brought some lattes over to Webster and they seemed to be much appreciated.
After Emerald Bay, we headed over to the Isthmus and tied up to mooring M5. We were excited to meet a fellow family. Mike and Kelly Keller, headed to Mexico this fall on their boat, Sarama. LouLou and Josie both loved having some other kids (June and Charlie) to play with , and first they really enjoyed bouncing on our Lilypad (thanks Uncle Jayson!) and then playing at the beach. It was really great to meet another family doing what we are doing, and being able to talk to them about things not everyone knows about concerning boat life! We can’t wait to see them all again down in San Diego.
We also met some other Mexico bound boats over the weekend, including our mooring neighbors, Rod and Shelley, and then their friends Laura and Gordon. Can’t wait to get to Mexico and see everyone again!
The next day, we joined Shoreline Yacht Club for a hike over to Cat Harbor. I always love this hike and it is always great to watch the girls bounding (and sometimes crawling) across the hot, dusty trail. The reward of the trail is the end with the sweeping views of the Pacific and Cat Head. Whenever I am out there I imagine pirate ships sneaking into covers under moonlight. After a customary stop at the road swing near the Isthmus Yacht Club, we stopped for lunch at the Two Harbors Café and then headed back to the boat to clean up and get ready for the yacht club BBQ. That was such a fun night – so many wonderful people telling us about their past adventures down in Mexico. And such good food too! The girls had a great time and so did we. We all definitely slept well that night.
The next morning we got up and it was Jeff’s birthday. We had pancakes with whipped cream and got the boat ready for Jeff’s sister, Christina to arrive with her fiancé Filippo and her adorable little baby, Saylor. They were arriving on the 1:30 ferry. We all met on the beach and Mike and Kelly came to join. What a great day! Jeff and I got a snorkel in and the kids all played (again!) on the giant green lilypad. Super fun! Later we all returned to the boat and had got ready for Jeff’s birthday dinner. Filippo made some delicious pasta and we had sugar cookies for dessert. Then we just hung out on the boat, enjoying the sunset and trying to fish. Jeff and Josie were finding stars using an app on the phone. LouLou and Saylor played with the toy instruments. It was a really cozy night, watching all the boats bobbing in the water and the lights shimmering across the waves.
We woke up early Monday and after a quick trip over to Sarama, Christina and Filippo left for the shore on the water taxi and we are now headed back to Long Beach. It was a really great weekend. We’ve done so many trips to Catalina, but this one felt extra special getting to meet more families getting ready for Mexico and also having Christina visit – and the yacht club activities. And Jeff’s birthday! Such a fun time.
