Moving On Up The Coast

Now that we got to mainland California, it was time to head up the coast. Not the most favorite thing to do for cruisers. To go this way, we go into the wind & the waves instead of having them at our back. We could tack all the way up the coast, (zig-zagging back & forth) but I think that would take twice as long. And since the weather is unpredictable & because we needed to get back A.S.A.P. -to make money to support ourselves & this habit, we didn’t have the time to go with the wind. -Thus we thank our motor for it’s service.

So you could say going back up was mostly a motoring journey. -Although this was the case going south too. In addition, anchoring for the next few days wasn’t going to be pleasant with the swell. -Which forced us to stay in the comfort of marinas once again. Oh well. Sometimes you can’t rough it as much as you want to. Don’t worry, we got over the disappointment really fast. We accepted our fate pretty quickly. So now let me tell you about the part of our voyage from Malibu to Santa Barbara.

Staying positive on another cold day.

We left Malibu early. It was just as dreary as when we got there. However, this time we got a huge send off from tons & tons of dolphins! It was so awesome! I think we were escorted by a few different types of dolphins for about 2/3 of the way to Santa Barbara! Maybe we are now celebrities among the dolpin world? I’m not above it though. If they ask for photographs or a signature I’ll be more than happy to oblige. Dolphins are the best kinds of fans to have!

Dolphin send-off!

The day before, when we were in Malibu, I sent a reservation request to Ventura Harbor. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t heard back if we had a spot or not yet on our way to Ventura. So, because I’m a squeaky wheel, I called them up & was relieved that they were just swamped that morning & of course we’d have a slip waiting for us.

Immediately after tying up to the dock we got all of our laundry together & I got my shower stuff to get super clean in the spa-like restrooms that they have. Hot water never felt so good!

Once we were clean & had clean clothes we decided that we would actually go out & eat dinner at a restaurant. It’s so nice that SoCal is so dog friendly. I don’t think the northern part of California is quite as open to people bringing their pups everywhere. There are doggie bag stations like every 20 feet. People put out water bowls in front of their shops & restaurants & parks. Plus, most retail places have treats on hand! It’s so crazy! Zephyr was in heaven!

Anyway, we went to a Mexican restaurant & probably made a wrong decision because the music was insanely loud! I mean you could hear it over at our boat across the harbor. Not sure why we thought this was a good idea but I was craving Mexican food & thought maybe it will quiet down by 8? Nope. It was Friday or Saturday I think & the band was going on until 10 pm. They were a talented cover band but the amps could have been turned down 10 notches.

Afterwards we walked around. Such a cute little harbor community. They have lighted swan rides that you can go on day & night. There are a ton of restaurants. Cute shops. Boat part facilities…..

Came back to the boat & watched Good on Paper. What is Good on Paper, you ask?! It’s a great film by the best comedian ever, Iliza Shlesinger! She’s so funny & has many stand up specials on Netflix also. You can check her & her cute dog out on Instagram: @ilizas

The next day we discovered that there was more laundry we could do. So took care of that & also got groceries delivered via Instacart as harbors don’t seem to want any kind of market or grocery store nearby. What actually was nearby, or at least in about a 15-20 minute walking distance, was a marine store! They didn’t have what Matt was looking for but they did have quite a bit of useful stuff for boats. Amazing! A boat store near a marina?! Not only that, but there was a boat consignment store that we could have spent hours exploring. So fun!

That evening we took one last walk around the harbor. I was a little misty-eyed. Well, not really but I probably could have spent one more day there. Hopefully we will be able to visit again.

Sights & scenes in Ventura.

After 2 nights in Ventura we decided to venture on to Santa Barbara. It actually wasn’t too hard to leave one awesome harbor for another though. I mean if weather got to bad to come up before the end of the year I think I could have stayed at either one. Oh, yeah, there’s that thing called work that might get in the way of this being ideal. Plus, I was pretty excited about us now having a permanent slip in our lovely dock in Santa Cruz!

Off to Santa Barbara!

The swell was kind of choppy but small. -Not a big deal but a little bumpy. It looked like it was going to rain & that doesn’t appeal to us because we don’t have a bimini to get in the way of the rain from drenching our heads. (It’s on our list to make one this year.) However, the tiny jumping seals following us made us forget about the weather. They were so cute! Just following us for several miles!

Matt decided to try his hand at fishing again. And about halfway to Santa Barbara he caught one!!! It was a skipjack. So we were stoked to have something that we could eat later.

I think it had been a while for something to break on the boat, but I fixed that by breaking the cockpit table from the binnacle. You’re welcome Babe! I mean, I can’t let Matt get too bored once we get into port.

Matt goes for another day of fishing….

And is successful!

It was yummy! Thank you for your life lil’ skipjack.

Approaching Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara is just so picturesque to see from the water. I actually think it might be the most beautiful town on the coast! -Well, aside from Laguna Beach of course.

Got a berth in a different part of the harbor. -Which meant, unfortunately that we didn’t have the same neighbor as last time. Still pretty nice though.

Once we were there Matt prepped & grilled up the fish he got & we had it as a late afternoon snack. It was good!

Then what did we do for dinner? Sushi!!! Of course we got sushi again! Sushi Go Go is our “Go To” place in the SB Harbor now. I know we had a late serving of fish before dinner. But when in Santa Barbara, when there is inexpensive yummy sushi within walking distance…

Tuckered out from a long day of hard work.

Monday morning was warm & beautiful. Although the cold wind came up around noon. But I’ll take sun any day I can. Unfortunately, I worked on the blog all day that day & didn’t get to quite soak up any rays. Weirdly the WiFi at that part of the marina completely sucked! I could barely get any photos uploaded. So odd as the slip just on the other side of the harbor, that we had previously, was fast! Oh well, I guess it’ll prepare me for future barely plugged in places. 

Matt got to fix the cockpit table, (You are welcome!), in addition to a few other things & then we had a nice walk to State Street during sunset. It was a mellow night & we went to bed to get ready for an early start. We were going to go straight to Morro Bay without stopping in Cojo. The weather window was pretty much dictating that we only had 24 hours to get to our destination. So we prepped for our longest voyage yet.

Good to see you again SB!

Good morning sunny Santa Barbara Haba!

West Marine, which is actually in the harbor, had this cute dress for sale. I saw it on the way down & decided that if it was still there when we went back I would buy it. It was & so I did!

Working day with a walk at the end.

I love the beach!

For now, that’s where I will leave you. The fun/drama will continue next week. Will we make it through our 2 overnight sails ahead of us? Will the weather cooperate? Will we get scurvey? Find out these things & more! -See you next Wednesday!

Thanks for reading!