Cat Harbor, Catalina Island

 

Cat Harbor, Catalina Island

By the time we had purchased the "Jon-Dee III" I felt we had experienced just about everything that could go wrong owning a 32 ft.sport- fishing boat with twin engines.  By now we knew that an ocean going boat was just another word for "a hole in the ocean to throw money in!"  The first "Jon-Dee" was just 25 ft. and had one gas engine.  Believe me, you never want to cross an ocean 25 miles to Catalina Island with only one engine to get you there and back. Within about five miles of leaving Newport Harbor our engine just plain quit.  Now, we had learned all the signs that would attract other boats that passed by.  This was important, because with the engine, there went our radio as well (another reason to buy the best, not the cheapest).  The four of us, JD and I and a couple of our friends, stood on the deck and waved our arms to attract their attention.  One after the other just waved back and kept on going. Whew! Finally, one lonely person seemed to realize our predicament and helped us back to our berth in Newport Harbor.

Of course, we immediately moved up to the "Jon-Dee II'" and experienced "following seas," those crazy late night crossings, and "rogue waves" that knocked you flat on the deck.  We learned there are no rules regarding how one is treated at sea, especially if you approached a commercial fishing boat that feels he owns all the water as far as he can see. Not to mention, once again, the time our boat was hit by another, bigger boat, during a sudden "radiation fog" that can happen when the water is warmer than the air.  Been there, done that, so what else? 

Oh yes, there was the time we were crossing with another boat, late at night, when all of a sudden we began sinking fast, up to our knees and everything went kapow!  Fortunately, the other boat heard our "May Day" call and in no time was turning around to find us.  It seemed like forever, but the water was not up to the top deck as yet. JD and I stayed behind and helped our four sea-goers onto the other boat, which was rocking a completely different direction.  The other boat had been sending out a steady "May Day" for us and, eventually, a Coast Guard Cutter found us. I was finally able to climb aboard the other boat, while JD stayed onboard and helped secure our boat to the cutter that loomed hugely above us.

To make a long story short, the water-pump didn't work, so by the time the second water-pump was sent down, the boat was barely showing above the water line.  JD climbed onto the other boat and we followed the Coast Guard Cutter that had our boat lashed to its side.  It turned out, the sinking was our fault, as a small bolt had dislodged letting in the water.  Plus, our boat had pretty well messed up the side of the Coast Guard Cutter.  Our insurance company paid, but not too happy that's for sure.


JR with wildflowers collected at Cat Harbor

So with all those ocean-going problems behind us, why would I risk heading over to Catalina Island, by myself, with just my two kids as crew?  Well, this was our newest "Jon-Dee III" with twin diesel engines. The Owens boat was in tip-top shape, the weather was excellent and I wanted to prove to myself I could do this without JD's help. So I did.  True, all the way over the sea was like a lake which was very rare for the 25 mile trip. But this time it was perfect.  Maybe because I needed it to be that way?

We arrived at Cat Harbor in the late afternoon. All the other boats there were skippered by a man, not a woman.  Those guys were just plain surprised to see the kids (JR still in grammar school and Tes a freshman in High School) and I bring that craft into a perfect pick-up of our mooring. It looked just like I did this all the time. I must say, we were proud of our accomplishment.

We had a perfectly wonderful week by ourselves.  JD was not around to yell at any llittle thing that might not please him  As my mother always said, "It's easy to be nice when everything's going your way.  It takes a little effort to be nice when things go wrong."  I guess JD never learned that little message.  Anyway, we were having a grand time.


The "Jon-Dee III" when we arrived back in Newport Beach

Finally it was Sunday again and time to head back to Newport Harbor.  A perfect day all the way back once again. We took time to play with the dolphins along the way and arrived at our dock exactly as scheduled.  I made a wide swing into the dock and pulled back on the two engines, to slide us perfectly into the slip.  This amazed us all.  Usually, when JD came into the dock, it was with him yelling for me to jump onto the dock to help stop the boat. But no yelling this time.  This time we did it just right.  And we were all mighty proud, to say the least.

JD was waiting at the dock and stood in awe that we did it all according to how it should be done.  Tes said, "Daddy, how come Mom can pull into the dock so perfect and you have to yell at everyone?"  He didn't say a word. He just helped us get the boat unpacked and cleaned up.  He never said a word. That was just fine with me.  We had proven we could do it just fine on our own. Go figure.