Early Summer Sailing

It's early summer and perfect sailing weather here in the Channel Islands. On Sunday, Dave and I took a day sail out to oil platform Gina and back. It was mostly overcast with the wind blowing from the west at 10-14 knots and swells of 2-4 feet. We sailed at 4-5 knots on the way out to Gina and 4-6 knots on the return leg. We saw many dolphins feeding and playing out by the fishing buoys. An Islander Freeport 36 was leaving the harbor as we were returning. We decided to come about and see if we could catch her. We followed the IF36 for about 30 minutes and kept up with her pretty well.

Today I did a similar day sail with Jon and his daughter Maddie. The conditions were similar as on Sunday with perhaps slightly heavier seas. After a quick overview of the boat we left the slip with Maddie at the helm. We saw a couple of sea lions, lots of pelicans, and the usual other sea birds. Being a pilot, Jon admired the pelicans flying in formation close to the water. We ate lunch after we tacked past Gina. Our return leg was fast and we actually hit 8 knots with the help of a following sea. It was a great day for a sail!









Julianne back in her slip after a washdown.









July 4th was a perfect sailing day! The sky was clear with winds blowing 10-14 knots from the W-NW. I went for a day sail with my riding buddy Bill and his wife Nancy. We had a great sail out past Gina on a course set for Frenchy's Cove on the West end of Anacapa Island. This was one of those perfect days where we could have sailed directly into Smugglers without tacking. We sailed at 4-5.5 knots on a close reach into the swells will Bill at the helm. We saw some dolphins feeding in their usual spot by the fishing bouys near Gina. The return trip was even faster at 5.5-6.5 knots.









The July 4th party on D dock was awesome as usual with lots of great food, drink, friends, and music. It was great catching up with everyone on the dock. I left before the fireworks display to return home and care for Max since he's so terrified by the fireworks. We watched Morning Light, the Disney movie about 11 young sailors competing in the TransPac. This was a great way to conclude my holiday week!