Date: 12.27.06/Depart: Anchor Marina 1500/Arrive: Anchor Marina 1745/Air Temp: 75 degF/Water Temp: 62degF/Wind: 8-14mph, South/Skies: Partly Cloudy/Water Color: Stained/Wave Ht: <1'

The weather had been fine all week long, balmy temperature and light SE winds, more like spring conditions than dead of winter.

I hadn't seen Little Man and his wife Emily for several years. They live landlocked in Arizona, where he is with the US Border Patrol, but years ago we were running mates, working together at the Coastal Studies Lab, surfing, fishing and boating. LM was the best man at our wedding in '95.....

So when he called Wed. and said they were coming over here for the day, I knew we were going to have to try and cram in as much sea time as possible, because I'm sure he doesn't know when his next fix might be.

I turned on the marine forecast, and it looked grim in the face of an approaching cold front. The winds by afternoon were forecast to be SSE at 20-30, which makes sailing a bit like work. It seems like every time someone comes to visit and sail with us, we end up with SCA conditions.

Anyway, LM and Emily showed up around noon, and after visiting a bit, we decided to go to Manuels for breakfast. If you're reading this from somewhere besides South of latitude 26, Manuels serves about the best breakfasts' on the border. Scrambled eggs and spicy chorizo, migas, machacado con huevos or chilaquiles, it's all good, so we lingered over steaming plates and coffee, not in much of a hurry. Curiously, the wind was not picking up as forecasted.

Around 1400 we went over to Anchor Marina, and showed off Olivia. The wind was still light out of the South, and I started the cold blooded Westerbeke, letting it come up to temperature as I mused with rigging the boat. Going below, I chose the working jib, taking my time hanking it on.

D and Emily went to the store, got some beer and drinks for the twins as LM and I got things ready to go. We untied around 1500 and chugged out of the harbor into the the light winds and calm bay, setting sail north towards the causeway.

With such light wind, the working jib had us a bit under-canvased, so turning the twin keeler was slow and laborious, but we finally picked up a bit of wind near Pirates Landing, ghosting along toward the GICWW.

The wind never did pick up as forecasted, and it was a leasurly sail, we were even treated to an extensive swim-alongside by a pod of dolphins, mamas and young ones. We toasted friendship and time, turning around near the overpass, heading back broad reaching quietly toward the channel.

Even though the tide appeared to be rising, the water  was still quite low, and we momentaily grounded on the shallow, hazardous bar blocking the entrance to the fingers, managing to wiggle off with a bit of power.

Covering the sails and putting things away as we slid past all the tied up boats, we docked around 1745, and stowed/secured the rest of the gear.

Later we went to the Pizza joint and hoisted a few more toasts before LM and Emily disappeared into the night, sailing their own course back West. Hopefully they will end up back here soon, and we can sail/surf/fish or just hang out like when we were all younger.