Right now we are anchored behind Shelter Island in
San Diego. We took our time coming down from San Pedro. It's a trip we've made many times before.
We had stopped at Cabrillo Way Marina in San Pedro for a week to catch up with grandkids. We skipped Long Beach ( where we oftentimes anchored behind Island White off the Belmont Pier) and had a nice sail to
Newport Beach. It was about 4 hours from Angeles Gate to the entrance at
Newport. Beam reach 10-12 knots apparent. We anchored at the south end of Lido Island in a mud bottom (free for up to 5 days per month) and used the public
dinghy docks on
Balboa Island to take the dog ashore and go to restaurants. Stayed 2 nights.
From there we sailed to Dana Point. About 3 hours in 10 knots apparent just ahead of the beam. We anchored in the west
anchorages just in front of the Ocean Institute in a good sand bottom. (Free for 3 days.) Used the free dinghy dock by the pier next to the tall ship Pilgrim (a replica of the ship Richard Henry Dana sailed on and wrote about in Two Years Before The Mast). An amazing number of people enjoying the harbor on SUPs, kayaks, small boats of every type. Stayed one night.
Then we moved on to Oceanside, about 5 hours sail in 12-14 knots nearly on the beam. Good size swell out of the SW but not too close together. We surfed into Oceanside entrance. We matched our speed to the swells and made it safely in. Oceanside entrance can have breakers across the bar if there is a southerly swell. We stayed one night at the guest docks in front of the Jolly Roger restaurant. $1.25 per ft. Left the next morning as the swell was down somewhat.
Our next stop was Mission Bay, about 6 hours in 12-15 knots on the starboard quarter. Anchored in Mariners Basin (free but limited to 3 consecutive days and they do enforce the limit ). No dinghy dock but we went ashore by SUP and by dinghy onto the beach. Pretty
vacation homes line the basin and there are a coffeehouse and coin
laundry an easy walk from the beach.
Mission Bay to
San Diego was our next hop (4 hours to Shelter Island in 10 knots or less behind the beam until point Loma then 20-25 on a beat). Be careful to go way outside from Mission Bay all the way around Point Loma. Kelp grows thick in 50-100 ft. 2-3 miles
offshore. Stay
offshore rounding Point Loma at least as far south as the #3 buoy. Don't try to cut the corner. You have to reserve
anchorages in San Diego on the web site of the Port of San Diego ( easy and free but very limited so check the web site for the rules).
http://reservations.portofsandiego.org/boating/
That's it for us for now. When we
head back up the coast we will stop at most of the same places though it will be a beat and maybe a
motor sail back. A longer day but still just a day between
ports.
S/V B'Shert