San Diego, our perfect relay station.

For the last couple of days, we have been leapfrogging down the West Coast until the cacti assured us that we were nearing the Mexican border. The US cruising license we got in Ketchikan, Alaska allows us to ply the US waters until February 2024. The US B2 Visa we got in Brussels last year grants us a 6 months stay and is easily renewable. But the boat insurance people – in all their financial wisdom – decided to be party poopers. They only cover O2 for a meagre 90 days while in US territorial waters. This is a very limited period of time when you travel by boat all the way to Haines, Alaska and back. So, our time is about to run out. Hence the hurry.

Monterey with its Aquarium, its Cannery Row, and its posh Porsches (it was their annual gathering), manicured Carmel-by -the-Sea with its Spanish Mission, art galleries, fancy boutiques and bistros and Santa Catalina Island with its Baja California vibe were the only stops we granted ourselves as we hopped, skipped and jumped the 470 NM from San Francisco to San Diego. 

There were pleasurable moments on the ocean, and there were moments less so. My Captain had pinpointed the weather window through which we could safely round Point Concepción without having to tie ourselves to the mast. Point Concepción is nicknamed Cape Horn of the Pacific for a reason. It’s the point where the south and north current clash. When also the wind enters the scene, this massive collision of water gives birth to dangerously epic conditions. So, to get our timing right for “the point” we braved steep and confused waves on a nauseating, chaotic ocean, we motor-sailed for boring mile after mile – rather than wait for favorable winds-, and we topped it with some night sailing which my body wasn’t too thrilled about this time around. Rounding the point duly delivered the sought-after anti-climax. All was quiet on the water collision front, and we calmly motored past.

We have now arrived in balmy San Diego which feels like a home coming of sorts. The very first time we visited San Diego was during a border run from Baja California in order to extend our Mexican visas. The second time was to get our Covid booster shot from Walgreens and to collect boat parts. We’ve actually received our 2023 Covid jab from Walgreens again now. The third time was a last-minute-last-resort flight to activate the 90 days visa waiver program we were still on at the time. Only in the nick of time had we found out that it was the only way to be allowed to sail O2 from Mexico to Hawaii. Thank God for our B2 visa now, which has greatly simplified our wandering ways. During all 3 of these visits, we had left O2 docked in Baja. And now here we are once again. But this time, so is O2. 

If O2 were a horse, San Diego is the last relay station before the Mexican border. Here she can relax a bit while her new shoes are being fitted. She has been groomed to a shine and amply fed. We take good care of her, because there is still a whole lot of ocean to be bridged next season. 

At first, we were docked in the guest harbor of Kona Kai on Shelter Island, San Diego to get O2’s engines serviced by Admiralty Marine who did a top job. Every morning at 8 AM sharp, we could hear the Navy band play its Morning Bugle Call “To the Colors”. It is a daily ceremony when “The Colors” aka the flag, are raised. We saw people stopping in their tracks to put their hand on their heart as they listened. The Bugle call repeats at sunset when the flag is lowered for the night.

Now, we are on the hard in the Safe Harbor Boatyard of Shelter Island. This time we wake up to happy Spanglish chatter and a mixture of Mexican folksongs and American rock & roll. This is occasionally interrupted with war newsflashes in English over the radio. We even heard the mentioning of Belgian F16’s a minute ago. These are dire times we are living in, but on Shelter Island, we are all one happy, hardworking family. Of all the boatyards we have used for a haul-out, this is absolute our favorite one: well organized, skilled, good-humored service and a vibe that makes you hum while grooming the horse. 

We are pampering ourselves as well. Halfway this sailing season, our backs started to act up. Rather than blaming it on our advancing age, we blamed it on our sagging 4-year-old mattress instead. So, in July we sent a paper pattern to the Handcraft Mattress Company. Our custom made 7,5-inch-thick mildew-proof, bacteria- resistant bamboo/ latex breathable Queen mattress was delivered last week. We have been sleeping on a cloud ever since. 

Tomorrow, Friday October 13th, O2 is scheduled to splash again. San Diego is only a hop, skip and jump away from Ensenada Mexico, O2’s final resting place before tackling the Passage to Polynesia in 2024. But before carrying on, we need to hit San Diego town proper for a splash ourselves.