San Diego – Return to the United States

We arrived back in San Diego on Sunday June 6, after an uneventful 65 NM run up from Ensenada.  Entering the channel on a Sunday afternoon was quite an event, with sailboats, motor yachts, fishing boats, and runabouts of all shapes and sizes converging on the outer markers.  To make it more interesting, a submarine was heading out of the harbor with Naval patrol boats clearing a path.  This was more boat (and radio) traffic than we have experienced in a couple of years. 

We used the CBP Roam app to check in after entering the harbor channel, and it couldn’t have been easier.  A customs officer called us and asked some questions about where we had been and where we were going, and then assigned a clearance number that came back from the App.

Soon we were tied up at the Police Dock (formally called the visitors dock) at the head of Shelter Island.  It is run by the Port of San Diego and provides inexpensive moorage ($1 per foot) for up to 15 days.  They have an online reservation system that makes it easy to reserve a spot.  The only downside is that the dock is frequented by San Diego liveaboards that seem to do a continual circuit between the anchorages and the police dock, occupying slips that are not reserved.  Not a big deal, really but inconvenient when we had to changes slips and wait on one of these boats to depart the slip we were scheduled to move to. 

Not long after after we arrived, we saw the beautiful blue steel hull of Varnebank, owned by Ken and Christy Donnelly, off our stern. We had traveled with them during CUBAR 2019.  They were our hosts during our stay, giving us a car to use and having a couple of dinners with us in spite of just closing on their house and having two daughters in town shopping for wedding dresses.  Thanks, Ken and Christy!

Our main project for San Diego was getting our second COVID vaccination, which wasn’t scheduled until the following Monday.  While waiting for that we made good use of the car, shopping for provisions and boat parts.  In the middle of our first week (following a domestic altercation on one of the liveaboard boats that brought the police to the police dock) we learned that Southwestern Yacht Club was able to reopen their reciprocal docks.  We stayed there for a few days in 2019 and really appreciated the hospitality.  Southwestern member and 2019 CUBAR fleet captain Bill Roush was able to secure us a member’s empty slip for the second week of our visit.  Thanks, Bill, and thanks to Southwestern YC!

We did a few touristy things around town.  We drove up to the Cabrillo Monument (on one of the few sunny days) for the spectacular view of the harbor and Pacific Ocean.  We also visited the USS Midway and the San Diego Zoo.  Both were VERY crowded with newly free San Diegans after (well actually a few days before) California reopened completely.  After mostly keeping to ourselves for the past five months, the crowds were a bit of a shock.

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We also drove down to Chula Vista to visit Diesel Guru Bob Senter, and spent a little time on his Roughwater 37 cruiser.  Bob put the spare time afforded by the pandemic to good use, bringing the classic Monk-designed cruiser up to Bristol condition.

Finally, we refueled over at Pearson’s on Shelter Island.  While the price wasn’t great by US standards it was much cheaper than Mexico and the attendants provided outstanding service.

All in all it was a great stop, but we were ready to go by Thursday, June 17^th.  Next stop, 60 miles to the North, was Dana Point, mecca for Nordhavns and home of PAE – Pacific Asian Enterprises.