SV Luna Moth

After a draining stretch of hiding out from bad weather in Isthmus Cove, we took advantage of a nice day between gales and Santa Ana winds and departed for the mainland. For better or worse, we opted for Newport Beach, which was a relatively short 35 nautical miles away. This gave us a distance easily covered in the light, something that we appreciate when it’s cold. We slipped our mooring at 0700 and headed out in the morning light.

The downside of the day we chose was that there was very little wind, causing us to have to motor the whole way. It had been two months since we had been at a dock, but after a quick U-turn, the captain made a smooth landing, scooting by the multi million dollar power boat sticking out right by our finger.

Newport Beach is not, in our opinion, a cruiser’s destination. The slips there are jaw dropping expensive and the management company that seems to have control of all the marinas is not really set up for short term stays. It met our needs and we were happy to have access to a place to buy toilet paper and a good diner.

The yachts around our slip were a combination of huge, fancy motorized condos, and little electric dinner cruise boats, leaving our cruising sailboat feeling a bit out of place. We often saw teams of workers buffing and polishing the boats, including one polishing outboard propellers, something we thought was on the excessive side.

While at Newport Beach we visited Balboa Yacht Club, where we had drinks surrounded by an odd mix of casual yachties, a woman wearing a fur coat and sporting a huge diamond ring (in a hot room), and others wearing dresses that looked more appropriate for the Met Gala than the yacht clubs we’re use to. Dinner was delicious though, and the staff was welcoming.

We spent five days in Newport Beach with a little excursion that we’ll tell about in our next entry.