With some regret at leaving behind the beauty of San Diego and surrounding countryside, the HMS Beagle weighed anchor and set a northerly course for Los Angeles. It was not a long journey as predicted by the charts, but the shipping lanes in the Los Angeles area, while plentiful and wide, are so congested that the journey is… exceedingly… slow…. The Beagle finally anchored at East Shore RV Park in San Dimas which is east of Los Angeles along the I-10. The RV Park is located within a larger park area called Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park operated by Los Angeles County. This park was chosen primarily because it was well removed from the city and so Mr. Darwin would have ample space to carry on his naturalist activities. As luck would have it, there was perhaps a little too much wildlife available for observation. The Beagle was moored close to a small lake which was home to several species of water fowl including one of Mr. Darwin’s favourites, ducks, each and every one of whom seemed quite content to wander close to the HMS Beagle, flaunting their duckiness in Mr. D’s face. Much enthusiastic on-way conversation from Mr. D would ensue.
At this point in its long voyage, the HMS Beagle suffered an unfortunate breakdown, much to the chagrin of the entire crew. While backing into its mooring, suddenly one of the Beagle’s weight distribution bars detached itself from the trailer hitch in such a way that the hitch could no longer be used for towing, not an insignificant problem as one can well imagine. The Beagle itself suffered no damage but the Captain’s yacht was slightly dented here and there from contact with the Beagle and posts close to the mooring site. As one can also well imagine, this caused the Sailing Master much annoyance, expressed in his usual colourful language.
Luckily Master Chaffers was able to procure a new hitch from an RV chandler not far away in a place called Montclair. Upon reflection and discussion with the RV chandler it became apparent to the Sailing Master that the original equipment supplied with the Beagle had been undersized for her weight. Although the hitch receiver on the Captain’s yacht is rated for 18,500 lbs, the original hitch supplied to connect it to the Beagle was rated for only about 8,000 lbs. The Beagle, when loaded, weighs in at about 10,000 lbs. The weight of the Beagle in a tight backing maneuver at an acute angle caused the pins that attach the weight distribution bar on the port side to shear away the socket meant to hold it in place. The Beagle is now outfitted with a new hitch and weight distribution system rated to hold 12,000 lbs. With this repair the Beagle became sea worthy for her continued voyage. Still, the Captain intends to register her profound displeasure at this unnecessary turn of events with the original provider of the substandard hitch equipment – that means you McKenzie R.V. Trailers in Whitchurch-Stouffville!
While the Beagle was moored at the East Shore RV Park, for the first time in many weeks the weather turned cool and rainy. So it was a wet day when the crew visited the precincts of Hollywood Boulevard. The Sailing Master had visited this area years before and observed that little had changed. In the rain the crew visited the court yard in front of TCL Chinese Theatre and the walk of fame, which was depressingly unimpressive, but then had a fabulous authentic Mexican meal at a modest restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. This was followed by a tour of the town in the Captain’s yacht visiting some of the more famous parts of the city. However, leaving LA was a minor nightmare, given that traffic snakes its way out of the city through a maze of freeways at the speed of an arthritic snail. It makes the QEW at the height of rush hour with road and bridge repairs underway look like quiet Martley Drive in comparison.
Also while at San Dimas, the crew set out for a place called Oxnard where one can pick up the coastal highway south to Malibu and then Santa Monica. By travelling south one is on the starboard tack which puts the yacht on the side of the highway closest to the ocean. Near the sea, the sky cleared and sunny weather prevailed. The Captain had prepared a picnic lunch which the crew ate at a lovely little State Park beach close to the highway. The views of the sea and hills were wonderful and Mr. Darwin had a short visit to the beach, one of his favourite pass times.
Of course as the crew approached Malibu, the real estate became obviously more exclusive and expensive. There were fabulous beach houses as well as beautiful mediterranean and modern style houses clinging to the hillsides above the coastal highway. Eventually the crew reached the beach at Santa Monica where there is an extensive amusement pier and a wide beach frequented many people on this sunny weekend.
While at San Dimas, the crew toured the town and enjoyed its quaint and historic location on the old stage coach route and later railway route to Los Angeles. But it was time for the HMS Beagle to weigh anchor and begin to head north on the long voyage up the west coast. The Captain in particular was happy to see Los Angeles recede in the rear view mirror.
Here is a short montage of the coastal drive.