Two tickets to Paradise



Holiday trips have all been made. Got to meet our new grandson Owen. Ria and Cayden’s birthday pizza party. Nice Thanksgiving in Alabama. Christmas with family in Susanville including Matt and family from Oregon. Very enjoyable visits. All the same, I am always glad when the holidays are over. Now we need to focus on our list of projects with the goal of having everything done by April. However, Mom Nature didn’t get the memo. Weather has been cold, gray, and wet. OK, so I expected winter to be winter but what I wasn’t expecting was that the cold and wet would stop most interior projects as well. We have been warm and comfy inside but condensation is a constant battle. Not much to do but wait for better weather…and wait…

Ladies gather on the dock in Newport Beach.

Karen signed up for the Women’s Sailing Convention at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Newport Beach. This provided a nice break from cold and gray. The convention was Feb 5^th. She had a great time and signed up for some training and seminars. She got to practice docking someone’s Hunter 34. The boat survived without a scratch! Nice weather in the mid 70’s was refreshing.

While she was at the convention I did some marina scouting to try and find an affordable place for us to land in the spring and summer. I didn’t have a lot of luck. The most common advice for an affordable place to stay in SoCal: “Ensenada” Not what we wanted to hear.

A sunny February day in Avalon on Catalina Island.

However, Ensenada was in the cards for us. The Carnival cruise ship Paradise was leaving for a four day round trip to Ensenada on the following Monday and it wasn’t full. Fares were dirt cheap…such as $150. We couldn’t resist and spent the next four days enjoying the sun and getting pampered. The ship stopped in Catalina and then Ensenada. It was a nice winter break and then back to Stockton and cold gray. Turns out that the weather was sunny and nice while we were gone. Of course…..
The calendar has rolled to March and we still can’t string a few dry and sunny days in a row but it is gradually improving. The projects await: Teak refinishing, radar install, refrigeration install, hull insulation, nav station…the list goes on. We got a great deal on a new electric windlass to that is on the list as well. We have had our new cushions made for the inside. They are in a hunter green fabric to match the outside trim. The old upholstery and foam was shot. The new cushions are 6” foam and have also allowed converting to a much larger double berth. They look a lot nicer too!
Warm weather is coming and so is the Oakland Strictly Sail boat show and the annual Lat’s and Att’s Cruiser’s Bash in April. We never miss it!