"I Sea Blues" ~ Tripp & Grayce Cruise North: Marina del Rey - Sept 12

Our early Monday morning departure from Two Harbors found us with calm seas and the kind of crossing that I like, smooth and easy. Sail Flow has been a great app for our phones and our new AIS has been wonderful in helping us to plan our timing and to see other ships. Our average cruise speed is about 8.5 knots. The trip was just under 4 hours with a total travel distance of 33.1 nautical miles.

The Marina, the world's largest man-made small craft harbor with eight basins, is home port to approximately 6,500 boats. Prior to its development, the land occupied by Marina del Rey was a saltmarsh fed by fresh water from Ballona Creek. Marina del Rey falls within unincorporated Los Angeles County and is southeast of the L.A. City community of Venice and north of the L.A. City community of Playa del Rey. It is located four miles north of Los Angeles International Airport.

California Yacht Club had a slip available to us so we enjoyed all the amenities of the club and surrounding area. Tripp and I spent one day exploring Venice Beach… an eclectic energy, to say the least. Another day we took our dinghy around the harbor and found his former sailboat, Siesta. He recognized the mast amongst a myriad of others. We loved looking at all the boats. He’d secretly like to own a Lagoon 450 Catamaran. Sea Lions seem to be an issue for boaters here, as well as other harbors along the coast. Most boats have buckets full of water on their swim steps or parking cones to keep the mammals off.

We were blessed with several friends visiting from Long Beach, Mardele on Thursday and Friday. Bob, Donna, Sparky & Terry on Saturday. We love you all and enjoyed our time very much! Local friends, Alex & Marlene, were kind enough to tour us around and took us for lunch at Paradise Cove Café in Malibu. The food portions were over the top but also delicious! Our week in Marina del Rey flew by and it was time to head to the next port of call.