Vancouver to San
Diego
The
good ship Agua Verde is snugly tied stern to the wharf in Radio Bay. To
the west of us the huge volcano of Mauna Kea at just under 14,000 feet
serves as a magnificent backdrop to the picturesque old town of Hilo.
Looking fresh and colourful, nestled up to the deep blue of the bay, its
40s and 50s style buildings have been tastefully restored just back from
the black lava foreshore. Add in a generous sprinkling of Banyan, Monkey
Pod, and Palm trees, feel the warmth of the North East trade wind washing
gently by, and you have a recipe for what the  South
Seas was like before Conrad Hilton started building holiday resorts.
We left Vancouver October 2nd, just in time to avoid the onset of late
Fall weather and made San Francisco in under a week. We still had our
share of wind however, having been overtaken by a Northerly gale off the
California coast. Being blown along under blue skies in the right direction
with little or no sail up is quite a rush, and left us all with a greater
appreciation for the folk who designed and built our vessel. Agua Verde
took a breather waiting for the hurricane season to pass in Mexico, and
then headed out again under the Golden Gate Bridge with a fresh crew.
This time the Mexican tall ship Cuatemoc was entering port under full sail as we squeezed by outward bound. We
felt very privileged to have been there to witness the sight. Truly splendid!
 Cruising
the southern Californian coast was a real treat. Firstly we had mostly
sunny skies and warm breezes which always goes down well with those of
us who live north of the 49th parallel. We also saw an abundance
of wildlife, the highlight being a close encounter with a pod
of about a hundred killer
whales (Orcas) off Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Stops were made
at Moro Bay and Santa Barbara, both lovely places to visit, before heading
on into Marina del Rey in Los Angeles. A rainstorm beset us while here
and we made use of the time by catching up with chores on the boat. Nearby
Venice Beach ranks high in the entertainment stakes, and we also spent
one of our rainy days at the Ghetty
Museum. As teenagers would say…Awesome! 
Continuing
on southwards we detoured to Catalina Island which was a very pleasant
surprise and quite dispelled my negative mental image of the place. It's
largely unspoiled in spite of its proximity to the metropolis of LA, and
can boast of beautiful desert
island scenery and crystal clear waters. Newport
Beach was another delightful staging stop down the coast. The
harbour is quite a sight what with the proliferation of fancy yachts and
even fancier waterside homes. By this stage we must have felt we were
living in fantasyland, and decided to round off the whole experience with
a trip to Disneyland.
Even recalling it now makes me shake my head a little.
And so
on to San
Diego, last stop before heading down the outer Baja coast of Mexico.
This is where one has to get serious again and work through another round
of seemingly
endless To Do lists. Well somehow it all got done and the second
week of November saw us casting off the lines yet again, hurriedly trying
to recall some simple phrases in Spanish. Next stop Ensenada.
Colin, sv. Agua Verde, Hilo.
Part 1 of 3 US West Coast
Part 2 of 3 Mexico
Part 3 of 3 Hawaii |
