After Nine Years, a Shitty Welcome Back

It would have been nice if Capt. Greg King of Jennifer Sanders’ 64-ft staysail schooner Coco Kai could have had a pleasant last leg from Cabo San Lucas to Long Beach to wrap up a circumnavigation that started with the 2006 Baja Ha-Ha. But it wasn’t to be.

First, there was a problem down around the Cape with the engine oil cooler.

Then, a day after rounding Cabo for California for the 18th time in his career, King and crew had to heave to off Mag Bay to withstand the winds of fading Hurricane Blanca.

Later, on the way to Turtle Bay, there was a problem with the U-joint.

After leaving Ensenada on June 16, with an escort of hundreds of dolphins, what could possibly go wrong? King explains:

"I got up at 2 a.m., a bit groggy from the previous day’s festivities in Ensenada, so we could make it up to Parker’s Lighthouse in Long Beach for the homecoming celebration. After making coffee, I turned the key for the engine two or three times, but nothing happened. Three or four seconds later, while scratching my head, the engine started without my doing anything! But the engine was making a weird noise, so I investigated.

"I found that the starter was still going, even though the starter key was ‘off’. I scratched my sore head some more, then figured I could take a lead off the starter, and just touch it to start the engine. Once the engine was going, I would take it off and still be good to Long Beach. So I removed the lead, then hit the solenoid a with a hammer — sometimes they stick — put the battery switch back ‘on’, and touched the wire. Nothing. That was good. So I reattached the wire, and the motor started and ran fine."

When you’ve been on a boat as long as King has, and you’ve done an extensive rebuild on her as he did in Thailand, you can diagnose problems and make repairs like he does.

But wait, as they say in late night television ads, there’s more! King explains:

"The following morning at 2 a.m., 10 miles off of Dana Point, with only 10 miles to go, I got woken up and told something was wrong. At this point I’d only gotten one hour of sleep in the previous 24.

"It was an Orange County Sheriff’s Task Force, and they wanted to board us. I politely helped two heavily-armed guys aboard. After going through papers and asking questions, they kept us under guard for the next 45 minutes while headquarters figured out what they wanted to do with us. No going to the toilet, no using the phone, no letting us go below. It was like we were criminals.

"At 2:45 a.m., they told us that the Coast Guard would be coming to board us. At 3:30 a.m., while we’re still under guard, they decide we should head to Long Beach for the boarding.

"But no, at 3:45 a.m., while underway for Long Beach, the Coast Guard shows up and three more heavily-armed guys come aboard. They tell us we’re now heading for Newport Beach.

"At 5:15 a.m. we arrive at the Coast Guard dock in Newport. At this point my crew is crying and I’m pretty pissed off at what I believe has been our nasty treatment. But we’re still separated and we’re questioned again. We’re still not allowed to use the head or the phone.

"The Coast Guard guys are going to rip the boat apart for a second time.

"At 6:30 a.m. I’m finally able to call Jen, the boat’s owner. And I’m promised a report of the incident, with the names of all involved.

"At 7:30 a.m., they are done with their ‘safety inspection’ and take off. I get no report. I don’t even get help with the docklines.

"For five and a half hours we’d been under heavy guard and threats were made if we moved. It was a nightmare!"

It occurred to us that the authorities might have been pissed that Coco Kai had bypassed San Diego and was going to clear into the States at Long Beach. It’s legal, but sometimes the authorities get pissy about it.

"Greg did bypass San Diego and did check in at Long Beach," says Coco Kai’s owner, Jennifer Sanders. "Long Beach has a phone number you call during business hours two hours prior to your arrival, and officials will meet you at Rainbow Pier. That’s what happened, and although Greg and the crew had to wait several hours, there was no problem with checking in or Immigration. The only bummer was Greg’s encounter with the ‘task force’ off Newport Beach. That’s an entirely different story, and was a sad way to end a nine-year trip. Only in America."