Watching the navy maneuver, food, glorious food! and tracking us

 We left Los Angeles escorted out of the harbor by CJ and Dennis, our friends in the pirate ketch, carrying an exotic fruit they had given us.  It tastes like a kiwi pudding and is about five inches tall.  Absoluely delicious!

It was a short, 18 hour hop down the coast from L.A.  The winds were strong and we made good time, but were heeled over causing our towels that were hanging from the hatch to sway with the tilt.

   

We arrived in San Diego at dawn, greeted by a sealion on the entry buoy, and entered the harbor

just as the U.S.S Mobile Bay Navy Ticonderoga cruiser and its suppy ship were leaving port. A cruiser like this shoots Tomahawk guided missiles and carries a crew of 400.  She has fought several times in the Middle East and been a support ship when thousands were displaced in the Phillipines during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991. She also carries two Sikorsky helicopters which are prized for their folding tail to save space on deck.   Not quite the same as our folding bikes which save room on our deck.  She will turn 30  this year, two years older than Heron Reach.  I'll bet her upkeep is a pretty penny or two, at least a little more than our upkeep budget.

The supply ship carries everything the cruiser might need, from food and fuel, to additional armaments.  It's cranes can extend over the cruisers decks and deliver goods directly on board.

As we sailed up the channel into port, the fast, hydroplaning escorts, yellow and orange, surrounded us with guns in position.  I assume their job is making sure we weren't not planning to attack.

I liked the idea of her helping folks in the Phillipines, but I couldn't help but think what other ways I would like to see our tax dollars at work.  As a nation, our military spending is about the same as the next eleven biggest military spenders, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and Brazil put together.  Imagine if we put that much effort and resources for infrastructure, education, the environment, or social justice!

We are staying at a small marina, Intrepid Landings on the edge of town.  Folks here have been very welcoming. Unlike L.A., nearly everything is in walking distance and we have found every kind of service geared towards the pedestrians that boats bring in, canvas workers, welders, electronics, etc.  I am told that the reason people sail the world is so they can fix their boats in exotic places and visit exotic laundromats.  That's certainly the case for us, I am especially appreciative of the laundromat as I will now start doing it all by hand.  More on that fiasco in a later blog.

We spent a day with Jerry's old childhood friend, Dale.  Every story Jerry tells of his youth where they were doing something exciting/dangerous/stupid, Dale was involved, although it's not clear who was leading whom, sort of the blind leading the blind and at least having company when they got in trouble.  These days, they are both stable sensible adults, which the stories had suggested might never happen.  Thanks to Dale, we got our scuba gear in order, filled our air tanks, and bought fishing tackle to go with our rod (thank you Susan!) 

With the help of Jerry's nephew, Glenn, we did a major grocery shop for our final provisioning. I've never spent that much money on groceries in one day, not even in one month! We know we can buy more things in French Polynesia, but the prices are expected to be roughly triple the cost here, and the selection neglible.  Our hope is that much of this will last us until Australia, seven months from now.  We wrapped onions, potatoes and apples in newspaper, and the softer, squishier items, pears and oranges, in newspaper plus plastic, then suspended it all in hammocks in the V berth.

Does anyone know how to judge how much toilet paper two people use in 7 months?  I haven't a clue, although I read that Americans use more per person than any other country.  In any event, I'm determined to be prepared.  In the middle of all the food, are packets of bay leaves to help keep bugs away.  Food is stored in every extra nook and cranny of the boat.  The largest hanging coat closet is now shelves of food,

 

parts of the bilge are filled with extra shampoo and conditioner, and our cabin has cargp nets and a hammock for pastas, rice, crackers and more.

We leave here in the morning, headed for the Marquesas, 2838 miles away with nothing but ocean in between.  For the next month, at least one of us will be awake and on deck 24/7, the other trying to get some sleep in four hour increments. To see our progress, you can log onto the Blue Planet Odyssey www.blueplanetodyssey.com and go to "track the boats".  You will see the rest of our group leaving the Galapagos soon and you can see our progress towards the Marquesas.  We will be able to get some emails by radio if they are SHORT and have no attachments or pictures.  The system is MUCH slower than the old dial-up.  I will continue to take pictures and blog, but posting it will have to wait until we are in a port with wifi. A ful moon rising over San Diego with the setting sun still shining on it semed to portend a good voyage.

 Wish us fair winds and following seas.