After being on the boat for 5 days out in the rough Pacific Ocean we sailed to Ventura. What a beautiful sight through the binnoculars! In the distance I could see light sand and towering palm trees. This is my kind of place! The 32 mile sail over from Santa Cr uz was a good one. We set the sails and pretty much left them alone all day. As we crossed the shipping lanes Kevin had to hail the captains of two commercial vessels and inquire as to whether we needed to do any course adjustments. At one point we needed to stop and wait for a ship to pass. It’s a little unnerving floating out in the shipping lanes waiting. The large container ships do not have much manuerability so us smaller vessels are the ones that have to change course and/or speed.
Upon arrival, we learned there is a 2.5 mile boardwalk along the beach and through a small shopping village. We are staying at the Ventura Isle Marina and when we arrived yesterday the marina sent 2 dock hands out to help us dock. That was refreshing since there were big sea lions on the dock and we weren’t sure how to get them off. The marina staff has all the trick to get them to leave. They put white plastic bags on their hands and run towards them like a crazy person waiving their arms and the sea lions jump in the water and move to an open pier and continue to watch us from a distance. We spent the next couple of hours trying to hook up the electricity to the dock. The marina is new with 50 amp power and we had a 30 amp cord so the marina let us borrow an adapter but it didn’t fit. There was a second-hand marine store not too far away. The people docked across from us were just coming back from a day sail and offered to drive us. We bought another adapter and brought it back but that didn’t fit either. The marina went through their lost and found box and located an adapter that eventually worked. We are meeting the nicest people along our journey. This is the 3rd person who has given us a ride.
Since we are finished struggling with the electrical cord, it is time to take a walk on the boardwalk. Ventura Village, which is next door to the marina, is full of nice restaurants and upscale boutiques. We ended our day having a late dinner overlooking the bay and discussing how the world is different on land. Both experiences are great. The contrast from switching from solitude to society is interesting.
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