Gabert here, being forced to schwing some blog action. Yesterday, after motoring roughly 11 hours across dead glass ocean, the jagged cliffs of Catalina island materialized out of the grey sky. The northwest side of the island juts straight out of deep ocean, strikingly resembling a huge gorilla. Steep talus fields comprise a majority of the island’s coast, rising hundreds of feet straight up into the fog.

As soon as we pull into the mooring at Catalina Harbor I spot a narrow path climbing straight up what looks like a small hill. Amelia, Tucker and I jump in the dinghy and book it to shore to catch the sunset from the top. With daylight dwindling we scramble up the edge of the cliffs towards the top. Deep cracks in the grass twenty feet off the cliff edge point to potential for a huge landslide halfway up. By the time I near the top I am ready to puke after relaxing on the boat for nearly a week. With Amelia and Tucker close behind we climb above the haze at what we all estimate is over 600 feet above the boat. We are greeted with a spectacular sunset before climbing down in the dimming light.

Today after a quick windless motor around the island, we pulled into our mooring at Avalon surrounded by crystal clear water and thousands of fish. Amelia Tucker and I sprung into action again, pounding a beer, shuffling into wetsuits and grabbing snorkeling gear. We jump off the boat as Tor is starting to jam out to some disturbingly funky beats. The last of the day’s sunlight streams through waving fields of kelp grass as Garibaldi, Jack Mackerel, Kelp Bass, and some other mystery fish dart and school around us. The water is thick with salt and is the perfect warm temperature.

I’m heading for bed now after Amelia whipped up another delicious dinner.

Loki out!