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I always leave the club trip to Catalina feeling that I have been away from the world and all of the accompanying worries and cares, but this year trip participants can truly say that the world changed while we were there. We woke up Tuesday morning, September 11th, to news that seemed particularly surrealistic in that peaceful, quiet place. The news was so unbelievable that the naturalists wanted to keep it from the kids that were sharing the camp with us (this turned out to be an unrealistic goal and probably unwise besides), but still, for those that wanted to pretend the attacks had not happened, Emerald Bay was a great place to be. With TVs in short supply, I didn't even see the collapse of the towers on television until the day after they occurred, and we never did get a newspaper account (since newspapers are brought from the mainland via plane, and of course the planes were grounded). John Purnell once again brought his telescope, and I will never forget star-gazing at a night sky totally empty of planes except one high flying military fighter jet that circled Los Angeles endlessly on its patrol route. Nor will I forget the surprise of seeing so many United States flags on radio antennas when we finally returned to Los Angeles and ``civilization''.
Major sad and scary world events aside, the trip this year was memorable in many happy ways. We had excellent dive conditions with flat seas and minimal currents in most locations all week. Vis varied between 20 and 70 feet dependent on location. There was some morning fog, but the sun came out most days, and most nights were clear, star-filled and cool. We also had some very memorable dives. Those trip members with energy for diving on the 11th, after a very long haul in the zodiacs to Italian Gardens at Long Point, were rewarded by a dive with six or so Giant Sea Bass in the three to five foot range. There was also a morning dive to Bird Rock with gorgonians shining in the sun, that several long-time trip participants thought was the best Bird Rock dive they had even done.
There were many ``old time'' Catalina participants, including John Kelly, Carolyn Oltman and Fran Brubeck, but several enthusiastic newcomers as well. John Drake did every possible dive and then some, and Penelope Fetsch did her first ever cold water dive on the trip! She was easily converted, and by the end of the week she was talking drysuit. Kevin Dalley and John Beland spent a lot of time playing around with their cameras, so hopefully we will be rewarded with some nice shots as entertainment at an upcoming meeting.
Major mishaps and embarrassing moments were kept to a minimum, although Hank Collins managed to acquire the Eagle Reef Curse of the Lost Weight Belt Award from yours truly, Susan Carter, and my week was made when I found some weight that Bill McDowell had lost. I also had a Blurb-worthy moment or two of my own, when I managed to get a severe rope burn while helping to put the Achilles in the water. No matter, John Drake was happy to show off his EMT skills and state-of-the-art first aid kit.
The work that the club had done on engines before the trip paid off, with no major mechanical mishaps. Would-be boat people were inspired by the gorgeous boat that Steve and Kathie Smith cruised in on; and all hands enjoyed the party on board Wednesday night and wistfully bid a fond farewell to the two as they set off on the first leg of their world travels.
But for those of us that can't sail off into the sunset just yet, Catalina is a great temporary getaway! Join us next year and expect a wonderful time, and perhaps the unexpected, while you are away from the world on that desert island. As for this year's trip, thanks are due to trip Chair Bill McDowell for making the arrangements for a wonderful trip.
Small craft advisories discouraged diving. Alacosta played it safe. The silt from runoff made the cove quite muddy. We didn't see anyone diving on Saturday.
Hail hit the campground Saturday night. We packed up camp Sunday morning. John noticed a lone inflatable leaving from Van Damme cove. While we didn't do any abalone diving, the pub diving was successful, with 3 brewpubs in 48 hours.
blurb@alacosta.org