From Oxnard we headed back offshore to Catalina Island. We opted to anchor on the NW side of the Island in "Cat Harbour".. This eventually turned out to be a good decision.

The next morning we were told that a film crew would be "landing" to shoot an episode of "The Biggest Loser" and wanted us to relocate Eager Dreamer..... the good news is they would pay for us to moor on one of the floats (they normally cost $44/day)... We moved and had front row seats watching the filming.... must have been 75 or more cameramen/handlers, a mega-yacht and helicopter.... Who says we have a financial crisis???

The contestants had to kayak from the yacht to the beach and then hike up a hill overlooking the harbour.....

A short walk from Cat Harbour is the main Two Harbours resort with restaurants and a small store. By chance we were there the weekend of the Latitudes and Attitudes cruiser party.... Bob Bitchen was a no-show but Eric Stone (and band) played and Captain Woody tended bar. The event was interesting... but not very well attended. Seminars, which were disappointing, very few vendors, and a BarBQ (free beer/wine to anyone stopping by)..... Not what we expected.



I'm sure you heard about the fires and Santa Ana winds causing havoc from Los Angeles to Camp Pendleton. We got the opportunity to see the Santa Ana event as it pounded the Island. Boats anchored/moored on the east side (Two Harbours) took the brunt of the winds. We had high winds (30 kts+), dust and smoke but were protected from the wind waves. After delaying our departure for a couple of days.... we headed for Oceanside on the mainland, 35 miles north of San Diego. We had good sailing with the diminished Santa Ana winds. Here we began to encounter a lot of military activity...Navy and Marines. They keep a close eye on you and let you know very quickly if you get too close!!










Oceanside was a great stop and very cruiser friendly.... and chance to sample the local cuisine.































After a short stay it was time to head on to San Diego..... more warships, fog and dolphins!!


It got very crowded on our bow.... interesting to watch them rotate to let everyone surf the bow wave!!














Entering San Diego was pretty spectacular.... we had a slip reserved in National City (Pier 32) which meant we had a 2 hour motor through San Diego Bay. We will depart San Diego on the 26th along with 180 other sailboats participating in the 2008 Baja Ha Ha. Between now and then we will re-provision, do maintenance (always things to do on a boat!). There are several Baja boats here and several events planned.... I'm sure we will have some good pictures to share!!
















More next week....