Third and Final Posting CIC 2006

We’re back!

We docked back at Alamitos Bay Marina at 1:30 P.M. Friday. For our return, we basically reversed our trip down to Chula Vista.

Each leg of the return trip was of longer duration than the southbound legs, due to a prevailing southern current, or so I’m told.

The leg from Chula Vista to Oceanside was uneventful, except it seemed very long. While in Oceanside Marina, I noticed that the Great Blue Heron that I had seen on the downward leg had a very large nest atop a large tree near our mooring. For all the GBH I’ve seen in the Klamath Basin, I have never seen one of their nests; they are huge, I estimate this one is at least four foot in diameter. As we were leaving Oceanside, we saw the new, exotic, Bio-Diesel Research boat, Earthrace.

From Oceanside to Dana Point we encountered a Marine Corps training operation of the coast of San Onofree involving one of the Small Aircraft Carriers dedicated to Amphibious Assault. In Dana Point, we again bought some more of the excellent Smoked Fish we had on the way down.

Between Dana Point and Newport/Balboa, we encountered a pod of Dolphins. They were feeding upon a school of fish as we passed by, but their curiosity got the best of them and they took a break to came over and check us out. What fascinating creatures they are!

It is a short transit between Oceanside and Newport/Balboa; this leg was uneventful, except for the fact that we noticed that there is hardly any, empty, undeveloped, space left along that stretch of shoreline. After mooring, we took a long dinghy ride through the "Back Bay" area of Balboa Bay. The "Back Bay" is set aside from development as a Wildlife Refuge. The dinghy ride, through the Refuge, was the highlight of the return trip for me.

The last leg: Newport/Balboa to Long Beach’s Alamitos Bay Marina; another short leg with nothing noteworthy, except it being the last leg, and with that a bit of sadness to have a great and refreshing trip come to a close.

Many thanks to Captain Ron Reinert, for making it all possible.