A few firsts...

Hi folks,

We've had quite a few landmarks this week..... we saw our first pod of Spinner Dolphins, our first Blue Whale and I saw the "Green Flash" (at sunset) for the first time. More important than any of this... we met our dear friends Susan & George here in Dana Point and were reunited with our black, curly & four-footed crew member the "Princess Sophie".  And finally, Carolyn found that Singapore Sling!!

Susan & George have been dog-sitting P.S. for the last 6 weeks. Although our our little pup is a hearty sailor and a great companion onboard, we realized that she would not have enjoyed this first and roughest leg of our southbound journey.

We had a fun couple of days exploring Dana Point with Susan & George and, being caught up in the moment, we only now realize that we forgot to take some photos of our reunion. We do have a nice shot of Sophie after she got herself moved onboard with all her essential sailing gear.

Sophie & friends in her bunk

As we were motoring south to Dana Point from Newport Beach, we saw a huge pod of at least 100 Spinner Dolphins migrating south. We watched for several minutes and they passed us by on both sides of the boat. See you in Mexico guys!!




Spinner Dolphin, heading south with pod

In the distance, we saw one leap completely out of the water, too quickly to get a photo.


One took the time to play in our bow wave.

 An hour or so later, we noticed a whale spouting a short distance off our port side. This was our first sighting of a Blue Whale. We saw only its back, as it slowly moved through the water, but it was enough to impress us with its massive size. At 30 metres in length and 180 metric tons or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.

Blue Whale swimming north near Newport Beach

Soon after our arrival at the Dana Point Yacht Club we met Vinnie, the resident club bartender. He has a  wry sense of humour, a varied and colourful background and an impressive wealth of exotic cocktail recipes committed to memory.  We realized that this was the perfect opportunity for Carolyn to make good on her promise to her dad...



Vinnie - Dana Point Yacht Club's highly skilled Mixologist

We set a date with Vinnie and came up to the bar at the appointed time. The creation of these two drinks was nothing less than a work of art in progress. After topping them off with the requisite marachino cherries, Vinnie told us the story of how he had come into the posession (albiet only a lone) of an original, leather-bound, pirate-map paper thin, copy of the official "Trader Vic's Cocktail Recipe Book".  He went so far as to tell us that the essential ingredient was a "simple gin", but try as we might, we could not get him to share the recipe! Even without the "umbrella", this turned out to be quite a delicious drink!


Trader Vic's special recipe



Hey Dad, these are pretty tasty!!

 
There are two yacht clubs here in the Dana Point harbour (Dana Point YC and Dana West YC) and we've been welcomed with open arms by members of both clubs.  We've enjoyed four days here and have had a few great meals.  Today, we rented a car and drove the Princess to Huntington Beach ("Orange County's Only Off-Leash Dog Beach!!")... well, we mighta picked up some propane and a few groceries while we were at it.

Tomorrow, it's time to go... we're planning on leaving early for Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. "26 miles across the sea...."

'til next time....

K.