As our water tanks are being refilled in the Santa Barbara Harbor, here is a quick update! We are leaving Santa Barbara and heading back to the Channel Islands (Santa Cruz).
We’ve had a great time in Santa Barbara, enjoying Fiesta Week, seeing my cousin Anna and my Aunt Helen, and meeting up with friends from the Bay Area as well as having Kim on the boat learning the ropes and cutting her teeth as a crew member.
She has been our guest teacher and has been getting the girls up to snuff on all things academic. Adelaide is rocking her math and Isa is writing five full sentences a day (if grudgingly). But they are having a great time, learning a ton and we all love having Aunty Kim around.
Kim is on her own adventure. She is taking off two years from her job as an assistant principal. Her goal is to hike the 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail and also to hit as many National Parks around the country as possible. She is also catching up with friends, walking the AVON walk and about a million other things. She is heading to the Channel Islands with us (it’ll be her first sail on Banyan) and then next week is heading up north to check out Olympic National Park and see Dave Matthews Band with friends at the world famous Gorge Amphitheater in Washington. Check out her blog www.kimswalkabout.com
While in Santa Barbara, we have been able to do a few jobs that we have been wanting to get done as well as having a lot of fun. The zoo was a highlight for the girls—one of the best small zoos in the US. It’s time to move on though, and we are heading south, planning to Island hop down the Channel Islands and then off to San Diego before I make a quick trip home to Napa in a few weeks to work. Grapes are coming in and it’s time to spend some quality time with my feet in the dirt.
In San Diego we will be prepping for Mexico! We have signed up for the Baja Ha Ha, which is a rally of 200+ boats that will all head from SD to Cabo San Lucas together. There are a few parties before, during and after so we can all meet, as well as conferences on weather, safety checks, and generally a sharing of resources so we can all be more informed and hopefully safer. We hope to meet some other “kid boats” as well. Kim will be joining us for that big adventure!
That’s it for now! Happy Sails.
Hi, Anne and Cameron
I loved this update, particularly, being a teacher with Aunty Kim on board…Carver and I are in a flat in a Paris neighborhood hearing 95% Frnch spoken and meeting the people who live and work here. I read an article on terroir and Burgundy and wondered if it’s a region you visited, Anne. I’ll give the article to Barb and Doug so they can bring it to you…love and Blessings to all of you, Marianne
Hi Annie and family,
This is Grant Bixby, and I’m a distant cousin of sorts. I sat with your father at a brunch yesterday following Willy’s memorial service. I am sorry that we lost Willy so soon, as he had a lot of life left in him. Your father told me about your family adventure at sea. I grew up in Long Beach doing lots of sailing along the way–sabots, lasers, Gulf Star 43′, Olson 30′, Peterson 44′, J120, all in that order, etc. Today I live in Newport Beach with my wife, Heidi, and two kids Zoe (12) and Kai (10). We all love boating, surfing, snorkeling, etc. I read that you were island hopping down the Channel Islands with your family and thought that if you haven’t planned on a Catalina stop, you should. I’d love to buzz over with my family for a day or two on our Parker 21′, if the timing could work out. If you have any questions about the island, I know it well and can advise on best coves for diving, kayaking, and the like. If you didn’t think Catalina was going to be a stop, then Newport Harbor is another option with great services, which is where we keep our Parker.
I hope we can connect, but if it’s not in the cards, I wish you all fair winds and following seas.
Best,
Grant and family
m.949.677.0111