After a checkout, inflating our dingy, we departed from Balboa Marina around 10, and spend almost 50 minutes for a leisure cruise toward the exit marker. Prevailing mild wind of around 5 knots or less was not helping to make distance. We arrived at Avalon harbor around 3:40, approx. 5 hours 40 minutes later. En-route we spotted a whale, but not close enough for a really spectacular encounter.

We arrived exactly when the harbor master officers were changing their shift, and so we waited for a while for the admission. Then it happened! While circling we hit a floating kelp, which turned around the propeller, and killed the engine. Wind kept pushing us toward the ferry channel and we called for a vessel assist. They towed us to the first available buoy, which was actually destined for much larger vessel. Next morning we had to unhook, and relocate to the 2nd row. Kudos to Igor, for diving and removing the bundle of kelp from our propeller.