We have had several very busy days in San Diego, trying to wrap up projects, do some basic maintenance items, etc. We really needed to be here weeks ago and had planned to, but things happen (aka Charleston, OR). The weather here been cloudy and warm, or what Dawn calls… crappy! I thought San Diego was the land of eternal sunshine, ah phooey!

Every boat that wants to anchor in San Diego gets a permit from the Harbor Patrol. We first grabbed a slip at the Harbor Patrol’s transient doc for a couple of days. This dock is no longer \$10.50 a night, so call around. You can probably get a slip in a marina for the same price with better amenities. You definitely want to be on or nearby Shelter Island if at all possible. We left there and moved to the La Playa Anchorage (A1 on your charts) which is only open on the weekends. Its right next to the prestigious San Diego Yacht Club. You can land your dinghy at the beach just off of the anchorage. We did so, unlocked, tied to a rock, had no issues. A better spot for dingy landing is to not go straight in to shore, but to go to the right as you approach shore, look for a fence that goes into the water. You can land your dinghy on the rocky sand and tie it to the fence and you’re basically right at the street by the SDYC. Form there you can walk to everything. Downwind Marine, West Marine, etc. The Trader Joes and Von’s are about a 1.5 mile walk, or grab the number 28 Bus. The number 28 bus up to Sports Arena Blvd gets you to the Home Depot, Target, Big Five and Sports Chalet. Google Maps’ walking and bus directions are awesome!

On our first night at the transient dock we installed the Xantrex LinkPro battery monitor. OH MY GAWD it is awesome. My favorite thing is to watch the amp meter if its negative you can see how much power you using. If the number is positive you can see how much charging your getting from your alternator, solar panels, shore power, etc. You can turn everything off in the boat and see what each little electrical toy is costing you power wise. Being able to see what is going on with the batteries is not only helpful but gives us way more peace of mind.

Matty got us our last batch of mail. Downwind Marine takes packages for cruisers and holds them for you to pick up. Such an awesome, nice and free thing they do for cruisers! Matty’s services are available to a select few, but he’s damn good!