10 miles out off Catalina wind and mixed swell picked up so we decided to add ballast and slow down. 5 miles from Two Harbors Coast Guard RIB sped along side and announced they were going to board us. The guardsman were friendly and polite but made a mess of the deck with their black soled combat boots. They said they had never seen a sailboat going that fast. My Coast Auxiliary inspection from the previous week did not get me off the hook but I passed without issues.
Once we got to Catalina we found out all moorings were taken for the weekend but we could stay the entire time on the string line for $20 per day. You are tied fore and aft but there is a lot of flexing on the main line but not a bad option when all the moorings are filled. Favorite quote overheard on the string line: "Hey if we are all here, who's watching the trailer park?"
The weather was incredible the entire trip. 80 degrees during the day but almost cool underneath the bimini in the afternoon breeze. Hiked over to Cat harbor one day and saw a school of Leopard sharks in the shallows. Watched a nice fireworks show from the comfort of the cockpit on the 3rd and motored back to MDR the next morning in about two hours in calm conditions.
Things that worked well:
-5 gallon Solar shower was nice and very effective. Only ended up taking one shower on land.
-Westmarine BBQ
-5 gallon Mac water under the sink was more than enough for dishes
-Butane stove
-Large capacity head
-8.5 dinghy and 2.5 Suzuki on swim ladder mount
-Mac 26M/60ETEC
-My wife is great at picking up mooring wand. We saw some comical attempts on other boats including one woman who threw overboard the bow line and handed her husband the stern line as their boat bumped into the neighbor. The neighbor had a good tip for her though -Cleat the bow, have her husband use a little reverse and then she walks back the stern line back.
Room for improvement
-Take more beer! A supplemental 6 pack of Tecate was $9
-My wife likes to use paper bowls and plates but a heavier plastic plate would have been nice for the steaks one night.
-Get a new 5 day igloo cooler to replace old one I used for beverages under rear dinette seat.
-Quick disconnect would be nice. Left engine down for stability but even with rudders up linkages caused clunking noises at night.
-The storage hatch covers are really flimsy and flex under the berth.
