It’s kind of strange to be a tourist in my home town. What is it that people like to do when they get here? Why is it again that Long Beach has a multi-billion dollar tourist industry?

It’s the weather, silly.

Visiting with our family members was the highlight of our time in Long Beach, and sharing our sailing life with them was something we’ve looked forward to for a long time. We were delighted with how great the sailing was, every time we went out.

Even in light air, the wind usually came in on a reach, and we were able to make decent speed. Great sunsets and gennaker runs made us feel like we were finally in the southland.

13.7 knots of wind apparent, 6.93 knots of speed (we actually made 7.2, but didn’t get a photo)!

Wade’s mom flew in to share Thanksgiving with all of us, and one afternoon we went for a drive up to the top of Signal Hill. Santa Ana winds had been blowing all week, so the air was clean and the views to Catalina Island as good as they get.

In the old days, Tongva Indians used Signal Hill as a place to set signal fires and communicate up and down the coast. Spanish settlers ran cattle here, and also set signal fires. When oil was discovered, the Hill looked like a porcupine from all the oil derricks on its top and slopes, and a large lantern was used to send lighted signals. Now, in addition to a lone oil pump (we called them iron horses when I was a kid living on the flat below the hill), there are mansions, a lovely park and yes, a cell tower for sending messages.

It was so beautiful, a few days later, we gathered more of the clan and met for a sunset picnic.  It’s strange to be up on the Hill, now that it’s been gentrified. When I was a kid it was still all oil rigs and a lousy bar and dirt parking lots up there. Now, it’s a bona fide family scene.

We took advantage of my parents’ home and hospitality for a month and a half, and greatly appreciate their patience while we worried and groveled at completing the next-to-last tasks: installing an autopilot, a stern anchor, sewing a sun awning and a try sail bag, fiddling with water filters and wind vanes, installing a new VHF radio and remote cockpit microphone… it must have seemed endless.

Finally, the day before we were to leave, we made the last provisioning run. Holy Cow! Where do we put all this stuff? Maybe this picture will help explain why it took us two days to pack the boat. It seemed to take forever, but we finally got ourselves stuffed into Pelican Moon, made our farewells, and sailed out of the harbor. What was next? Stopping in at Dana Point Harbor to visit our friends from s/v Rhino.

From the dock at Shoreline Marina, on the eve of sailing away from Long Beach.