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No place to go, really. We can sail around to SD Bay and anchor out, but the best place to spend the night happens to be a 5-minute putt-putt from my slip. Mainly we just sail out of the channel and head southwest, maybe on a heading of 230. We keep sailing straight ahead (we've done horizon jobs) but then we turn around and sail straight back. It's wonderful, but it can get a little bit old.
I can't knock San Diego because of the phenomenal weather but if I had a choice as to where to spend my sailing time, anywhere on the East Coast gets my vote. The PNW is right up there as well.
Down here there is a prevailing wind problem. It blows from the west to the northwest, and it is bloody cold, even in the summer. Last time I went to Catalina from Mission Bay it took an honest 18 hours, part motoring and part sailing when the wind shifted and came in from the west. It was fun. We had a terrific time, but...It's not a trip I would make on a regular basis. Catalina is cool, but it isn't a tropical paradise. The water has good visibility for diving, but you need a wetsuit. There are a lot of environmental restrictions ( a good thing ) but they take away from the cruising experience.
If you leave SD and head south you have all of Mexico. Some like it, some don't. I love it, but I hate the bash to windward coming back. I have tentative plans to head south for a serious cruising adventure, maybe all the way to Puerto Vallarta, but the trip home puts a heavyweight damper on things. I think the Mexico trip may hinge on whether my son and daughter find time in their lives to go with me. If that happens I might keep heading south
. I lost a boat in Honduras once and for whatever reason I've always wanted to go back to that reef and find the remains of Sun Flower. Closure? Maybe so, but if my family is with me there will be some bonding that might not happen otherwise. After Honduras I'd head right back to Key West and the Green Parrot down on the corner of Southard and Whitehead. I used to own the seat in the back left corner
...Wonder if it's still warm?
I just completed a novel based on my years of sailing in the Caribbean and the shipwreck that ended it all. The book turned out to be sort of...Well, for lack of a better term, sexually charged
, but I'm happy with the results. The Green Parrot plays a huge part in the book. I haven't shopped the manuscript around much - that's not my long suit - but who knows? If it ever gets published I will make arrangements to have a book signing in the Green Parrot. All of you are automatically invited. I can still dream
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