Three months in San Diego

At dawn, we pulled into San Diego Bay and were greeted by a rain shower and the bobbing lights of the waterway. Tired from the overnight passage we checked in at the police dock where two stern officers informed us that we would have to pay an importation tax on the boat. A little annoyed, and over-tired, we decided to stay at the transient dock a few days to get ourselves organized. It had been a long six month wait for my visa, and it was a good feeling to finally be here.

First thing to do was pick up Mark's truck which we had left at the US border. We jumped into an Uber Taxi and I caught a glimpse of the city on the drive out, excited that soon we would have a car to explore it in. But when we got there, Marks truck was gone...stolen! Just what we needed on our first day in the US! Now we had to deal with the police and the insurance company. Mark was immediately on his phone, but being Thanksgiving weekend, there was only an automated message, and the police station was closed!

Not a happy camper

We hired a car (the first of many we hired over those 3 months) and drove back to the boat, disappointed. We just couldn't ignore the fact that if the insurance company didn't pay out on the truck, we wouldn't have the money to go cruising. It was scary to think that we had just possibly lost $20,000- and the time it would take us to earn that again. There was nothing to do but try and stay positive and stick to our plan. Within a week we had a slip at Sun Harbor Marina, between Harbor Island and Shelter Island. It was double the price of our marina in Mexico.

Mark started working full time immediately, which was an adjustment for both him and I. Spending up to 10 hours a day away from each-other was something new. So we started living for the weekends, when we would be able to explore San Diego together. We got to spend some special time with Mark's friends, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. We enjoyed eating out. We went to a hockey game. I even got to see one of my favorite bands from Australia play.

Being nature lovers we visited the beaches and coastline. It was winter, so many days it was foggy as the marine layer clung to the bay, by noon the sun would have burned it off. Seals played around the boat and birds chirped at our masts. Most days we felt incredibly lucky.

Ocean Beach

Pacific Beach

Sunset Cliffs

Potato Chip Rock

   

La Jolla Beach

By now, the insurance company had launched an investigation into the theft, trying to come up with a reason not to honor the claim. The case was dragging on and we seemed to always be playing 'cat and mouse' with the agent. A few days before Christmas, Mark suggested we visit Las Vegas (his spontaneity is one of the things I love!). We packed and left that day, checking into one of the hotels right on the main strip. We walked around and enjoyed the Christmas decorations. It was my first time in Vegas and even though I expected to see some gambling, I still couldn't quite believe the casinos, how huge they were and how full they were all through the day and night. People gambling 24/7. And truthfully, they didn't seem to be having the greatest time. I preferred the tacky, worn out Old Vegas. The brown vinyl seats and ancient slot machines. The wedding chapels. The 'colorful' crowd.

        

Seeing as though we were so close, we decided to drive a little extra and visit the Western rim of the Grand Canyon.

We also made a day trip to Venice Beach. I loved the diverse and eclectic mix of people there. There were so many people doing different things- skateboarding, dance skating, drum circle, beach cruisers filing past, artists selling their paintings, artisans selling their craft, performers, a freak show, medical marijuana shops, live music. The boardwalk is beach, palm trees and shops... and people everywhere. Its impossible not to notice all the homeless carts and makeshift homes.

 On another occasion, my friend Rae Anne invited me to go with her to Palm Desert. It was nice to leave the coast and see the snow capped mountains.

Rae Anne- couldn't imagine a better person to introduce me to 'In and Out's' 'double double'

Beautiful Oasis- Palm Springs

Next morning we stopped in at a classic American diner for some pancakes and a shake

 We had plans to see other places whilst in the US, but with the uncertainty of the situation we didn't. After all, we were also in PREP mode to go cruising. Our hopes were set on it. The boat was basically ready. We started buying things, ordering things, parts, spares. Of course, we were also aware of the very real possibility that we would have to postpone the entire trip.  We discovered our chain plates were slightly corroded. So we took them all out and got new ones made.

Mark mounting the whisker pole

The boat gets so messy in such little time!

 One morning, as Mark was about to leave for work, we got THE call from the insurance company. The claim had been accepted! We were (once again) pinching ourselves at our good fortune. THANKYOU. More motivated than ever, we set our departure date and sailed out of San Diego two weeks later, with plans to haul out for a bottom paint in Ensenada.