As most of you know Captain James delivers yachts for a living. In fact it was on a yacht delivery for our friend Rand that we first met. He was sailing Rand’s Mason 53 sailboat down to Santa Barbara from Sausalito. By twists of fate we met on the dock, and the next day as he headed out of the Golden Gate he hit 15 foot swell so had to turn back and spend another day with me in Sausalito. Clearly the ocean gods were pulling strings on my behalf.

We’ve spent the last four glorious days delivering his client’s 57 foot Carver power boat from Emeryville to Long Beach.

The weather was perfect, the boat luxurious, and the adventures numerous.

Our first stop was Santa Cruz. We made it to the harbor early in the afternoon just as the summer coastal fog was clearing. James set out for a ride while I relaxed on the boat. We set up the BBQ and dined on chicken and steak the top deck watching the harbor world go by as the sun set.

The next morning we got up early to go on a mountain bike ride. Wow wow wow. We climbed for over an hour up through the redwoods on a single track, then at the summit turned around for the flow ride down. It was gorgeous.

At the bottom we stumbled upon The Homeless Garden Project near Pogonip Park where they were selling organic produce with the most delicious tomatoes, lettuce and strawberries.

Back at the boat we set sail on our 20 hour leg to Santa Barbara. Once again the seas were calm and the wind minimal. The sunset was glorious.

James took the hard watch from 10-4am, I took watch from 4-7am. We arrived to Santa Barbara just as the fog was clearing.

That afternoon we rode our mountain bikes up to Rand’s beautiful home in Montecito for a BBQ. It was a magical evening with our dear friend. We stayed in his guest cottage and rode back to the boat early Sunday morning, stopping for coffee in the impossibly charming Montecito Village.

We sailed down the coast Monday in perfect weather. Warm, sunny, calm water and almost no wind.

We arrived in Long Beach’s Alamitos Harbor while it was still light, then had dinner at a restaurant right near the dock.

As I flew home today I reflected with much gratitude on my good fortune to be Captain Jim’s First Mate Kate, and this time to make the journey from Sausalito to Santa Barbara together.