Goodbye and Hello

........and so it begins again. On Tuesday, January 27th, I board a plane bound for Brisbane, Australia. Yesterday I said goodbye to some of the most amazing people in my life...again. After a month of wandering in my old territory, the time has come to make my next move. Although everything necessary for my trip to Australia has been squared away for weeks, the flight remained unresolved until last Tuesday. I grew tired of waiting for things outside of my control and pulled the trigger. Now I sit in Carlsbad, having said goodbye to all of my dear friends in San Diego, spending some of the remaining time with family.

The past month has been full of great experiences. My friends have made sure that we celebrate every day of life. San Diego and Los Angeles have been filled with sunshine, surf, and Lakers victory. A great combination if I must say so.

Having looked up old contacts from my travels in 2006, I realized how many people I know in Australia. Although contact has been sparse with some, as soon as I looked them up, old memories resurfaced and I remembered the warmth I experienced while there. I am very eager to catch up with my Aussie mates and forge new experiences in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

After an 18 hour flight, including a 4 hour layover in Fiji, I will arrive in Brisbane on Thursday the 29th. After hanging out in Brisbane for a few days I will hop a train to Noosa where I will meet with family friend, and legend, Dennis. This will be my home base until Seton arrives and I can secure a job and an apartment. Who knows what will happen along the way but I am ready for whatever comes, greeting all with a smile and a lust for adventure.

Still Waiting

So yes, its true, my departure got pushed back again. I don't know if I am ever going to be able to head out. Its becoming a bit frustrating. Checking out all of the pictures that Seton has posted of Europe as well as the recent photos that Luke has posted of Japan, I'm becoming jealous of their adventures and chomping at the bit to get out of southern California.

Even so, things could be worse. Now I am able to vote easily, hang out with my friends on Halloween and get better acquainted with Newport Beach. The other night I went hoop netting for lobsters with my friends Tommy and Carver over by the famous Wedge. We headed out after sunset with squid and macarel for bait. We caught some more bait fish with the same set up that I landed the seal a few weeks ago as well. Had a few beers, baited and dropped some traps, and enjoyed the full moon, clear skies, and calm water. We didn't pull up any lobster however we did catch a couple of crabs and an octopus. Attached is a video of the octopus and a picture of Carver pulling in the largest crab. Although we didn't have anything to grill when we got back to shore at midnight, after getting pulled over by both fishing and gaming and the coast guard, it was still a great time.

Other then that working and surfing has consumed all of my time. Getting more acquainted with the boat, the water, and getting ready for the trip is all I can do for now. I can't wait to post something from Mexico. Until then limbo continues...

Good Times

Bailing on Princess Cruises was one of the best decisions I've ever made. My life on El Tigre is turning out to be exactly what I was looking for and it will only get better when we leave for Mexico in early November. For now, Newport Beach is a cool town. Turns out I had some friends up here, and through them I've got a chance to see the area and meet some new people.

This week we will taking inventory of what we've got and prepare for our trip south. I'm so excited to get on the water, kill some fish, surf, and "get salty." The only time that I've been out of the harbor on El Tigre is when we went bait fishing for a trip to Catalina that had to be cancelled due to the gale force winds caused by the Santa Annas. Even so, it was a good time. The chef hung around and made dorado and cheese enchiladas along with fresh sushi.

While fishing for bait, I was consistently pulling in multiple fish at a time. At one point I cast out and I felt something big hit the line. At this point I didn't know what I was fighting but I fought it and got it toward the surface. When it got close I was surprised to see I had landed a seal! A cod was on the top hook and the seal must have went after it and got snagged. Luckily it got off the hook before I had to take it out with pliers. Fisherman don't like seals and when we figured out what it was my captain said in jest, "bring it in, let's club it!" Didn't get to club it but it's the first story of many that I will accumulate while on El Tigre.