Blue Whales

We have been reading recently about the Blue Whales feeding off the coast of Long Beach and this weekend on the way to Catalina and back we ran into a pod of them (both days). There were 8 or 10 whales at times all around us, some closer than we were really comfortable with! At one point two or three cruised right in front of the boat and we almost ran over them. They were much bigger than the boat and it was awesome. Alas, we didn't have a camera but I finally managed to get a few shots with my iPhone.

Summer 2011

Looking over the previous posts, I cannot believe it has been over a year since the last one! Reading these posts and the blogs of our other sailor friends make Dave and I eagerly anticipate our next voyage to the South Pacific. We have certainly been keeping busy though, not only with our work but with our many land bound trips and excursions as well. Last year for my birthday, we vacationed in Australia and checked out the wines and the kangaroos.

This summer was a lot of fun with a family vacation to Europe. We visited Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. We also did the local vacation here in Southern California with family and friends to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica along with the local wineries as well as vacations to Lake Havasu and Las Vegas. We are also in the planning stages of a trip to Italy next spring.

Of course, we take Starshine out on day sails as much as possible, but it is not quite the same as being in the Caribbean. We keep telling ourselves that these next few years will quickly pass and before we know it, we will be blogging from the South Pacific!