Memorial Day 2007 - Santa Cruz Island

Time for an island trip!
We hadn't been out since sometime last year (Jim was gone so much doing deliveries...)
So grabbed Stan-the-man and headed out early Saturday morning.
Had a line at the fuel dock, then had to slow down to let this giant by.








We motored to Prisoners and anchored in "our spot".
And it really is "our spot" too, just ask Island Packers...
Stan & Jim went fishing in the dinghy and I read in the cockpit.
They came back with this! It was pretty cold out, so Jim fileted it in the cockpit instead of the bottom step of the transom.








Stan had fun playing with the fish roe...










Then they shared an "Arrogant Bastard"!

The sun finally came out late in the day. Stan noticed a bald eagle flying around the anchorage! I couldn't get a picture of it though...




Made halibut tacos for dinner (YUM!) and hung out in the cockpit watching listening to music.

Sunday morning we all slept in late (especially Jim who ended up reading til 3 am or some weird time - read an entire book!). I made a big "cruiser breakfast" of orange rolls, bacon, eggs & potatoes. Then we loaded the dinghy for a beach-combing excursion. Went to all the beaches East of Prisoners. We found a few dried up starfish,








lots of bones, and some interesting trash. Found a jar with some creepy slimy parts inside... and an old outboard engine that Jim & I had seen on this beach a dozen years ago!









Had a nice view back towards the anchorage too.
We climbed some rocks and explored a bunch of tide pools.
We spent most of the day doing this!






Stan played with some wild pig tusks...
Had a wet dinghy ride back to the boat, as the wind was picking up. It picked up enough to have Mark's boat drag anchor. I noticed it right when we got back to the boat, as it was dragging right down onto our boat, so Jim & Stan zipped over in the dinghy and I put a call out on vhf. Mark and his friends arrived at his boat the same time Jim & Stan arrived and the anchor re-set at the same time!! Yikes, I needed a glass of wine after that... Mark re-anchored, then his dinghy floated away. He wasn't having a very good day.

Time for a hike, so loaded up our ice chest with supplies and grabbed the camera. Took the dinghy to the dinghy dock and walked down the pier. Then did a short hike up the hill to the East of the anchorage. The fennel smelled amazing!






If they tell me I can't do something, it just makes me want to do it even more. Including being on the wrong side of the gate! I also think I'm the only one who goes hiking in crocs with a glass (not plastic)! Crashed the yacht club happy hour party back at the picnic tables (actually we were invited) and gave Mark a hard time for giving me a heart attack earlier when his boat got too close to ours. Met a lot of nice people and Jim ran into a client. We were the last to leave the party... go figure. Then one couple came for a tour of our boat, as they had never been on a catamaran before.

Jim made 3/4 pound burgers for dinner (they were huge!)!! Loaded Stan up with some Tylenol PM for his back and we all went to sleep.

Cold, cold, cold on Monday Memorial Day morning. Washed last night's dishes and made coffee. We were cold sitting in the anchorage, so figured if we were going to be cold, we may as well be cold while we were fishing! So we pulled anchor, said adios to Mark & his friends, then went to some rock fishing spots. Jim pulled up (and threw back) this giant sheephead.
And Stan pulled up this tiny halibut...

They caught enough rockfish for dinner!

We pulled out the headsail and motor-sailed back to the harbor. Heard on the vhf that Scott & Lee had lost their dinghy, so we all looked for it on the way home with no luck.

The neighbors were all out on the dock to grab our lines and invited us over for happy hour on the dock. Put the boat away, visited for awhile, then had our fish dinner! Another great trip.