May 9, 2008

Getting Ready for the Final Stretch


This was our welcoming committee when we crossed into US waters. We didn't get boarded, but they radioed a lot of questions about our last port of call, our departure time and out intended destination. Turns out there's been a lot more drug smuggling by boat now that the feds are stepping up surveillance at the border crossings ashore.




Bryan Miller and Jeff Cabot are my new Tradewinds' crew members arriving here in San Diego tomorrow. We'll get them checked out on all of Sea Story's systems and our offshore procedures, and then we'll set sail for Catalina in the early evening. That should get us into Avalon late on Sunday morning, so Bryan and Jeff can spend some time ashore checking out that great little port. I'll likely stay of the boat and rest up for the overnight leg up to Santa Barbara from there.

Weather looks good up to Catalina, but a bit windier beyond there. Luckily, we've got good sea condition reporting here in the U.S., so we can modify the plan if we need to. Nothing like a couple of snug harbors along the way to increase your confidence level on this kind of trip...

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