March 14 2012 - Waiting for Summer

Kind of left it hanging toward the end of last summer. Had a blast of course and nothing substantial to report. No major trips, just some bay cruises and lots of beer (in the slip or at anchor of course). Had a lot of fun doing the Mission Bay Parade of Lights during Christmas.

Had Lindsey and Makayla and their family aboard. It was coooold but very pretty with all the boats decorated. 

Dad came out for a winter fishing expedition too! We went to the La Jolla Kelp Beds and wet our hooks, but the day was mainly about spending some time on the water together. Meaning we didn't catch a damn thing ;-)

Saw a huge dolphin pod that came right toward us. Amazing seeing that many dolphins all at once.

Playtime

Haven't updated for awhile, mainly because I have been enjoying Lido Deck in her slip most of the time. Took a couple rides in Mission Bay when Brandon Yarnell and Mike Handy came to visit (separate visits) but nothing unusual to report. All systems functioned perfectly and got in and out of the slip each time without incident.

 (Brandon)

 (me and Mike)

Been doing a lot of upgrades like replacing the flybridge compass with one that doesn't spin like a top and new flybridge gauges that are easier to see (pics later). New anchor light is next on the list. Replacing with a nice LED unit for lower power draw at anchor. Replaced the horn since my last entry with a much nicer model and it sounds like a big boat instead of a sick VW.



The birds finally discovered Lido Deck and have been using her as a poop stand so I got her cleaned up (thanks Adam) and strung up some blank, shiny CD-Rs around the rigging to discourage them. Neighbor says it works great, we'll see.

Weather has been great this year. Having lots of fun. Not much fishing but planning a trip to the La Jolla kelp beds soon. More later.

Coronado Islands - 06-15-2011

Took dad out to the Coronado Islands for some Yellowtail fishing. We pulled into the Mission Bay bait barge around 7:30am for a scoop and headed out into the chop. The ride out was a little bumpy and visibility was about 5 miles but we managed in part due to my dads excellent sense of direction and me finally figuring out how to zoom out far enough on my Lowrance GPS.



We started at South Island and spotted a small school of something on the fish-finder so we dropped hooks and dad landed a nice sand bass within 5 minutes. As it turned out, that was the only catch of the day despite trolling, chumming and searching with the fish finder.



Weather was cloudy and cold, and the sun never showed its face. Water was calm enough close to the island but roughed up quickly as you moved away. Also, there was a line of barges and commercial fishing vessels off the southern tip of the island. Not sure what they were up to but they sure scared the fish away...or caught them all. Almost looked like a blockade of some kind.

Had a great time and boat handled really well. We left at 2:30pm and made excellent time back to Mission Bay in just one hour. We saw hundreds of Dolphins about 10 miles South of Point Loma headed North in a long line. Looked like they were migrating or something. I have never seen so many Dolphins all at once. They were all around the boat and as far as the eye could see.

All in all a really fun trip. Just could have used a few more bites.

Offshore Trials

After another fun weekend and live music at the Tiki Bar it was time to get some work done. Took Lido Deck offshore to run in the new motor a bit and see how she handled the Pacific 'chop and roll'.

She took the choppy swells like a real lady, strutting her stuff and pulling 30mph (gps) off 3400 rpms. With plenty of room to spare on the throttle.
Took a few minutes and some experimenting to get the right outdrive trim for maximum speed/control and a few pokes at the trim tabs keep her level but when she was dialed in she zipped through the washing machine like the veteran she is.

We got back to Mission Bay and took a cruise round Fiesta Island just for kicks. The jetskiers love it when a big boat (wake) makes a pass.
I had Adam along with me to help out since getting back into the slip can be a challenge. Tight lane between docks and the breeze/tide shoves you around enough to make hitting the mark a contest of skill.

We stopped at the Dana Landing fuel dock to top off the tank so we can head out to the Coronado Islands on Wednesday knowing we have plenty of fuel for the trip. Dad and I are gong to try for some Yellowtail. Need to make some room in the freezer!

Memorial Monday

Monday came through for us with 75 degree weather so we headed down to the boat for a few cocktails. The band started playing at the Tiki Bar so we headed over there for some hot dogs and music.



Fortunately kids are welcome so Makayla got to hang out and have hot dogs with us. Pets are welcome too so she spent most of her time playing with the real dogs.



With the exception of Saturday (cold!) it was a great weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Spent Friday at the boat getting her ready for the big weekend. The sun and fun combined to make Saturday morning a bit of a challenge. Fighting a holiday sized hang-over I made my way down to Lido Deck to meet an old friend, Coleman Cecil. We started with a tour of the boat then headed over to the Tiki Bar to check out the live band.



I was dying for a Bloody Mary but turns out it was beer and wine only. So we settled into a couple Coronas and listened to the Stevie Ray Vaughn styled band. The sun peeked out a few times but clouds won the day and reminded us it wasn't really summer just yet. The air turned chilly just as the band was wrapping it up around 6:00pm.



We headed back to Lido Deck for some relaxation at the slip and Crosby, Stills & Nash on the stereo. All-in-all a great day. Live band again tomorrow but a cold and cloudy forecast. Might pop down early in the day before it gets too chilly.

May 14-15 2011 - OMBAC Weekend

Saturday started out cloudy but the sun peeked out a few times. Got down to Lido Deck early (about 10am) to find the electrician still working on rewiring the fresh water pump. Decided to get out of his way and head for the Tiki bar (Mission Bay Deli). There was a good sized group of people hanging out having some beers so I joined them. Four or five beers later the boat was done so I cast off for Marina Cove (technically Bonita Cove but it's always been Mariner's Cove to the locals).

Got the anchor set and relaxed with a cooler full of beer watching the bands perform at the OMBAC (Old Mission Beach Athletic Club) Coming Out party. Since 1953, it celebrates the release of one of their members from a Korean POW camp. READ THE STORY. It has become the official 'start of summer' party for thousands of locals. I need a small dinghy. I wanted to go ashore for awhile. Oh well, next year.

Spent the night anchored out and relaxed the morning away tinkering with the boat and taking it easy. Finally pulled anchor around noon and headed to the Barefoot Bar at Paradise Point Resort to tie up for lunch.

They have a nice dock but now it costs $10 to tie up. What a rip. They also took nachos off the menu which ticked me off. They had great nachos. They must have new ownership or something because the whole menu has changed and the prices have about tripled. Probably going to start tying up at the Catamaran Resort instead.

Took a few laps around the bay after lunch, then put her to bed in her nice comfy slip. Going to try and get the new stereo installed tomorrow. Of course the hole for the old one is too small so I need to do a little cutting.