Merry and I went to the edge of Redondo Canyon a couple of nights last week for Blackwater dives. We hung our green fishing light overboard and waited for jellies, salps, and siphonophores to arrive. Instead, we were bombarded by millions of squid. We're hoping the swells will calm down soon so we can take photos on the sand to see the eggs and the animals who feast on the dead squid.
I took my newly acquired 2004 C-Dory 16 Cruiser on its maiden voyage. This is the first boat I’ve owned (besides kayaks), and it’s been 30+ years since I’ve launched or retrieved a boat. Things went pretty good and the boat is impressive.
I stuck close to my normal kayaking places, but I’m looking forward to many adventures.
After nearly sixteen years at Port Royal Marina in Redondo Beach, Merry and I moved No Pressure to its new home in Portofina Marina. We're only a hundred feet or so from our old slip, but it feels like a whole new world. We have cement docks instead of the rickety wooden docks at Port Royal. We tried for a few years to get them to fix the dock floats with no luck. Our old slip had docks that felt as if you were land-surfing. Our neighbor had a dock step that took up so much of the dock that we nearly fell in the water every time we hooked up the hose to rinse our starboard motor.
The restrooms at Port Royal were in need of repair for years as well. One of the toilets in the women's restroom has been out of order all year. There are over two hundred slips at Port Royal, but only two decent dock carts for the entire marina. Portofino Marina has two carts for every gangway. The restrooms are private with a shower in each one. We also have use of the Portofino Hotel pool, jacuzzi, and gym, plus a 25% discount at their restaurant and a discount at the fuel dock. I think we will be happy here.
