We pulled into busy San Diego at 11am on New Year’s Eve and tied up at the San Diego Public Docks on Shelter Island. It was a 27-hour, 155-nautical mile sail from Ventura and around the west coast of Catalina island to get here. Scott and I were so tired from the trip that we were in bed snoozing by 9:30pm. No crazy New Year’s Eve out for us.
The public docks themselves are pretty nice. They are solidly built, pump out stations are everywhere, and access to potable water and electrical hook-ups, but the bathrooms and showers are pretty beat and there’s no laundry available anywhere nearby. At least the water is very, very hot. These are for transients, and it shows.
We stayed at these docks for about a week, during which it rained the most I have ever seen it rain since I left Brooklyn. Just sheets and sheets of rain for days. Fabulous for California, but boring as hell for us stuck inside a boat at the tip of Shelter Island with limited places to eat or escape from the rain and cabin fever.
Once the rain stopped, we moved over to Sun Harbor Marina. Wonderful showers and laundry! Since arriving, we’ve been focused on boat work (having our diesel tanks cleaned and fuel polished, heater repair, etc.), procuring parts and items that will be hard to find or expensive in Mexico (maple syrup, for example) and having some fun.
Next stop: Ensenada, Mexico!