Its been a while since I had good internet to post last, but I'm back at my friend Matt's place in Redondo Beach, so I can post again. I left his place a week ago, went out to Catalina Island and did some diving and spearfishing (see spearfishing video below) and then came back in to San Pedro, where I met up with a friend who works on a tall ship there. Tall ships are a funny place, because (as I was instructed) it is hard to tell a homeless person from a tall ship sailor. Over the last few hundred years, many things have changed, but some have not. They are, however, NOT pirates. I learned that a long time ago, and despite some of their ships being used in films as pirate ships, they are not designed for that purpose. Anyway, two years ago I met up with a lot of tall ships up in Port Angeles, and a few of those same sailors were here in this place! I got to go out sailing with them, which was very exciting at first, but I soon realized that I didn't know how to do anything on board. I was a lump of useless clay. I couldn't steer the boat; the captain had the wheel. I couldn't raise the sails; I didn't know which lines to pull. I couldn't adjust the trim of the sails for the same reasons, and so I took a few videos. I did end up going aloft to help furl a sail, and I think I did a decent job for my first time. (its at the bottom)
The sailors are really nice people, and they took me in as one of their own readily. It feels so good to form community, and it was being formed while in that company.
Then I chased the boat out as they went to Catalina and I headed around the corner of San Pedro to get back to Redondo Beach. I'll spend the next two nights here then leave wednesday to go out to Catalina myself and then on to San Clemente Island and then to San Diego. I expect to make it to San Diego on friday or saturday (or sunday if I dawdle)
From then on, I will prepare for crossing the border, and head down south.
My plans for Baja are this: I will run through the first night out of San Diego to get to Point San Quintin, then rest a night there, then run through another night to get to Cedros Island (right at the big hook in baja), then a short trip to Turtle Bay, then another overnighter to Magdalena bay, then another overnighter to Cabo San Lucas. So all told I think it will be about two weeks of travel. If I leave San Diego on the 21st, that gives me