Commander #155 'Mephisto Cat'

[Rico]

PICTURE 1.- Leaving San Diego after checking in with customs. This is now Saturday afternoon. I would have rather have continued straight north taking advantage of the afternoon breeze, but I did not want to get in trouble...

The point you see is San Diego's Point Loma. The harbor entrance is just to the south (Right) of it, and you can see Downtown far in the distance.

PICTURE 2.- The next picture is of the following morning about 10:00. It is of the approach to Dana Point. Had to make a quick stop here since my crew needed to head off to real life... I dropped off the guys and caught a few winks and shoved off on my own for the Dana Point to Newport Beach stretch.

PICTURE 3.- (Forgot to rotate this!) Heading offshore from Dana Point. I had a great sail in a mild breeze.... I flew the 180% Genoa. I was a bit hesitant at first because I'd be in a struggle to switch sails on my own, but it worked out great. I was eager to sail, so I caught a reach towards Catalina Island (West) which is the scenic route (longer) to Newport which lies only 15 mi to the north.

PICTURE 4.-On the way to Newport Beach! I took this while I was changing underneath. I rigged up a little auto pilot to help me with the tiller while I tidied-up and got rid of the clutter. This worked really well, for the few minutes at a time that I needed...