Log Abroad

After serving the city of Long Beach as Harbormaster, Joe Pitisi took advantage of his retirement and found his way to Sanctuary of Truth in Thailand. Known as “The Magnificence of Heaven” on Earth, Sanctuary of Truth was constructed in wood and illustrates the philosophical beliefs born of the “Seven Creators.” It measures about 344 feet tall.

Gary and Andi Solt ventured to New Zealand and spent a few days at the Bay of Islands. The trip also covered the North and South islands, with a stop at Auckland Harbor to see America’s Cup Kiwi boats and ride on a 1917 steamship, Earnslaw, out of Queensland Harbor. After their adventure, the Solts were excited to return home and decorate their Duffy boat in Catalina Island Harbor for the holidays.

Paul Secard and Commodore Chuck Wert read The Log aboard the Avalon Waterways Avalon Poetry II in Arles, France to celebrate the 2017 Commodore’s Cruise. In 2017, the cruise sailed with Secard and Wert, along with 78 fellow members, from Burgundy to Provence.

Mark and Carol Meyer, members of Long Beach Yacht Club, sailed aboard National Geographic Explorer after departing from Ushuaia, Argentina and then traveling to The Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and Antarctica. On Thanksgiving Day in 2016, National Geographic Explorer parked in 7-foot thick ice to allow passengers to polar lunge in 32-degree (Fahrenheit) water and walk on the sea. The Meyers also saw albatross, seals, whales and “literally millions of penguins.”

Jeff and Josie Jellick recently traveled to Asia to visit their son, Matthew, who is teaching at a university there. The Jellicks are avid boaters and owners of the 45-foot sailboat, Sooooo Lucky, based in Alamitos Bay. On a Sunday afternoon, the three took a Hong Kong Container Ship Port Tour with a copy of The Log in hand. The fourth largest port in the world (according to Forbes magazine), the Port of Hong Kong is immense, handling nearly 24 million TEU’s annually. The Container Port Tour lasted about five hours, beginning and ending in Victoria Harbour.

Bob Noterman visits with his 84-year old mother, Lucy Jacobs, in Antwerp, Belgium, where she lives and he was born. The Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady can be seen in the background. Bob, a boat owner in Dana Point Harbor for the past 20 years, learned to water ski behind his uncle’s dinghy in the Schedlt River. Lucy grew up in a boating family and her father owned a 57-ft. powerboat in the early 50s, which was docked in Antwerp Harbor. Bob visits his mother three times a year, always bringing her a copy of The Log so she can keep up on Southern California boating news!

Larry Schember, a shipwright, and his daughter, Jessica, are pictured visiting together in New Orleans. Jessica is a second mate, who mans a ship on the Gulf of Mexico. Off Louisiana’s coast, there is no shortage of red snappers, bull reds and gators. New Orleans, a major port city with much to offer in the way of entertainment and history, and operates several swamp and bayou tours according to TripAdvisor.

The Log’s Susanne Diaz poses in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square in Moscow during her trip to Russia in late September. St. Basil’s Cathedral, now a museum, was built in the mid 1500s at the orders of Ivan the Terrible. Diaz later cruised the Volga- Baltic Waterways to St. Petersburg aboard the 129-meter motorship Zosima Shashkov, a Soviet vessel built in East Germany in 1986.

Cynthia Shelton and Mary Dowd, former Catalina Island residents, meet for the first time beside Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont, where they reminisce about island life and to share news from The Log. Lake Champlain has more than 70 islands. The natural freshwater lake is so vast parts of the lake are in Vermont and New York of the United States and in Quebec, Canada.

Danny and Gail Alexander left their 48-foot Californian behind in San Diego to cruise the inner passage of Alaska on a much bigger ship. They made a stop in Skagway with The Log in hand. The Port of Skagway can be quite windy and rainy, but Danny Alexander said they had great weather and incredible scenery. The port is walking distance to the quaint downtown shops and the Yukon Railroad. Skagway is recognized as the place where gold was unearthed in the 1800s, known as the Klondike Gold Rush.

David Rizzo traveled to Beirut, Lebanon in September. “People were very friendly, and I felt very safe wherever I went,” Rizzon said. The Beirut Marina had about 100 boats. “All but two were power boats,” Rizzon stated. “You’d think they had a lot of oil in that neck of the woods.” He also journeyed approximately 11 miles north of Beirut to a place with remarkable caves in Jeita Grotto. Two connected caverns form the longest cave in the Middle East with 25-foot limestone pillars hanging from the cave’s ceiling, “about the length of a decent day sailor,” Rizzon mentioned.

Off-duty marine surveyor Kells Christian and his wife Hunter chartered a catamaran in the Andaman Sea of Thailand. More than 200 islands are situated in the Andaman Sea with Phuket being the largest of the islands. Phuket is referred to as “the pearl of the Andaman.”

Jack Stavana took this picture of his wife Cheryl in front of Mount Otemanu, an inactive volcano with two peaks. They spent two weeks sailing aboard Tere Roa, a 44-foot Jeanneau, around Taaha, Raiatea, Bora Bora and many motus in French Polynesia. Motu refers to very small Tahitian islands.

OC Weekly Copy Editor Lisa Black traveled to Greece and spent time in Epidaurus, where an ancient theater and sunken city still exist. She experienced the performances at the old theater and snorkeled to view the ancient underwater city. She is pictured here aboard the Moray Eel in the port at Ancient Epidaurus. Epidaurus is also known to be a place for healing.

Annabelle Zabala, The Log’s national advertising manager, is pictured here in the Philippines with her father, Andy Zabala, who served 22 years in the U.S. Navy. He is now 87 years old, retired and residing in the Philippines. He requested to go to Garin Farm, San Joaquin, Iloilo while he is able and well. Garin Farm is not just a ranch with farm animals; this place is a resort with a lagoon for kayaking, boat paddling and ziplining. The Divine Mercy Cross can be seen behind the Zabalas, in which one can climb 456 steps to the cross while passing lifesize statues of biblical events.