San Diego is home to fantastic maritime and cultural museums, the Cabrillo National Monument, and of course, the world-famous San Diego Zoo. We didn’t see any of it! We were too busy swimming, sitting in the hot tub, and figuring out how to get the sauna to an optimum temperature.
We arrived early on Sunday, Nov 4, to discover that all the $10 slips at the police dock were full; there was a big power boat rally in town; and there is a 24-hour waiting period to get a permit to anchor out.
We called one marina-resort that would cost us $150/night and required a 3 night stay. Many calls later, we had few options. One marina was $67.50/night; the other was the Marriott Marina, at $90/night, which included the use of the lavish pools and hot tub. “Well,” said Capn Silverspoon, “If we’re gonna splurge, we might as well have a hot tub!” Koiya flew in that night, and we went for an evening swim. And the next morning we went for another swim. Doesn’t leave a lot of time for sight-seeing!
The following day we moved to the San Diego Yacht Club, which also featured a pool, hot tub and sauna. I was worried Todd would never want to leave, but luckily the internet connection died in the middle of the week!
It wasn’t all fun and games, though. We had to carefully schedule our day to get to Downwind Marine in time for their free BBQ lunch; one day we got there too late and only got donuts! We also had all sorts of errands to run: I had to get Koiya to Border’s Books to use up a gift card, and Todd went to Tijuana to get his Mexican HAM radio license. And we hit Trader Joe’s a couple times, too.
Plus, we got a new crew member: Todd’s cousin Eric! I’m hoping he will inspire Capn Love Handles to run around topless more often.
One of the best things was hooking up with Andy, Sandy, and 6-year old Emma of Imagine, who are from Seattle. They are nice people, and didn’t know better than to invite us to their boat for margaritas. The first time they had us over, we had to leave after just a couple of drinks, because our friend Anthony came and took us out to a fantastic Mexican dinner (thanks again, Anthony!).
The second time they had us over, though I really tried, I couldn’t keep Todd, Eric, and the other cruisers from rushing the tequila. Luckily Koiya came to the rescue, saying “It’s 10:30 and I’m really hungry. Can we go back to the boat and have dinner?”
The following day, Andy assumed we were all hung-over, and jokingly asked Todd, “Hey, wanna come over for a margarita?” Without missing a beat, Capn Lush replied, “Sure!!!” I saw a cloud of distress pass over Andy’s face, as he realized that before him stood a man whose thirst for that Mexican nectar could not be quenched. I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Imagine would be heading to Cedros Village alone, and not to Ensenada with us.
I have news for Imagine though: Baja ain’t big enough! If he’s smart, Andy won’t relax until he’s crossed the Pacific Ocean. Only then will what remains of his tequila be safe!
See all our San Diego pics here:
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Hey, took me all this time to surf over and check out the ship’s log. Tell Capn Squarehead to keep it together despite all the abuse. Credit goes to anyone willing to leave the Bay. Why not drink? Are you all losing weight anyway? Kinda like on Survivor.
I would love to see those dolphins phosphorescing. Tell Koiya I said “Hi!” This beats work anyday! I wonder if I should track down my friend Eduardo for when you near La Paz and Cabo (which I think are actually hours apart really)?
glad you met up with Imagine – say hello to them for us! great foto of Emma a. Koya
Eva referred us to your site. We are Emery Cove Yacht Harbor slip owners, too. We are leaving for Mexico with this year’s HaHa Rally. We were curious about the comment that Todd was going to Tiajuana to get his Mexican ham license. Is this the best way to accomplish this? We had heard that there was some place in the Bay Area to do it. Do you have any information on this? Although we will be in San Diego, the idea of going to Tijuana is a bit daunting (with all the bad rumors about the crime situation now).
Thanks for the good info regarding preparation for the trip south. We are busy preparing for our September departure for Southern California.
Gail and Mark Strong
S/V Mangareva
Depending on how you look at it, going to Tijuana to get his Mexican HAM license was either a great adventure and cultural experience, or a huge hassle. Getting to Tijuana from San Diego is easy; finding the office that issues the licenses is not. It probably didn’t help that his Mexican cab driver didn’t know Tijuana and didn’t really speak Spanish, but who are we (as Americans) to criticize others’ language skills?
You can get your Mexican license in Tijuana, or Mexico City, and theoretically in other Mexican cities too. But, as seems often to be the case, rules may be different from office to office. For more info on Mexican HAM licenses, click here.
One might argue that it is easier and cheaper to *not* get the Mexican license, and just say “XE2” before your regular call sign. I’m not telling you to do that. I’m just saying, one could tell you to do that.