Living On The Hook
Now Playing: Paradise Cove Retrospective: Getting To Work.

While in Paradise Cove last week I got a call to work a one day Press Junket with Ray Ramano (From the sitcom:"Everybody Loves Raymond"). I had already exceeded the seven day limit on the guest docks in Marina Del Rey.

I took the 7 a.m. call for the shoot figuring I'd leave the boat on the hook where it was and spend the night before in a Motel 6 within biking range of Beverly Hills.

I mentioned this to the producer, Jody and she was kind enough to offer me the shooting suite to sleep in on the fifteenth floor of the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel.

With the boat securely anchored in the same place for five days I figured it was hooked about as well as a boat can be hooked. I still don't like to leave the boat for a whole night and day hanging on even two hooks. Anything could happen. Any weather or amount of swell could leave my boat and all my belongings in jeopardy.

It's like leaving a newborn baby in a basket outside of a grocery store. You wouldn't do it. I use to tie up my Golden Retriever, Holli outside stores only when I could keep and eye on her from the store.

Around 2 pm the next day I hung the kerosene anchor light out on the back stay and rowed ashore.
I. Had put my overnight bag and dry clothes into a large garbage bag. I made it into shore with only getting my feet wet. I positioning myself to land at the end of a row of thirty kayaks, four Hobie Catamarans and a couple of row boats stored on the beach by the local residents.

To get the heavy dinghy up above the steep incliine of sand, above the high tide line, I had to turn the boat end over end and "walk" it up the bank. I tied the painter up in the brambles at the base of the cliff, locked the oars to the thwart (seat) and hikes around the cliff.

At. High tide you have to make a dash around the rock cliff as each wave recedes or you can get pretty wet. I made it around to the main beach near the pier, washed off my legs and changed into street clothes and went in to Bob Morris'. Beach Cafe to have one for the road.

Now, I drink very little beer and not usually during the day. But, Paradise Cove is supposed to charge walkins to their little beach paradise, $5.00, So far, they haven't charged me or even questioned me when I walk past their toll booth. I'd rather patronize the resturant and guzzle a $5.35 glass of beer (plus tip) than pay $5.00 just for the right of passage to my boat. Even though I appreciate private property rights, this community has got public access to the ocean sewn up for a few miles of oceanfront. I keep my receipts just in case there's a dispute. I've added coconut shrimp to my tribute payments and the resturant and bar staff are really quite friendly. I'll tell you owner, Bob Morris story later when I get more info. There's some coast history there.

With beer and shrimp in my system, I then have to climb the access road, a short steep hill.

The 434 MTA bus runs from Trancas in Northern Malibu to the Fairfax bus terminal in LA. The riders are the housekeepers of the big homes of Malibu, busboys and dishwashers from the fine resturants and well-to-do kids from the city who take the bus back and forth to some private school in Malibu.

Looking around the bus I noticed seven men and women with heads nodded and dozing. You don't take a 5 am bus to get to 6 and 7 am jobs without getting tired.

A couple of big, mean looking hombres got on the bus. Of course, one had to sit next to me. Within minutes he was nodding off, head falling on my shoulder. The sleep of a laboring man is sweet. -Proverbs.

I got into the Fairfax station and was surprised at how frequent the buses run for the inner city runs. I usually ride the beach city and nice community routes. Demand is low there, because most of that communitiy wouldn't be caught dead on a bus.

I Took another couple of buses to get to the hotel by 6 pm. I checked in and got the key to a (wo room suite on the 15th floor. The living room was cleared of furniture for our Video Shoot the next day. But, the bedroom was in tack with a king sized bed, cable TV and a mini bar.

Noel Diotte
coverunner@tmo.blackberry.net
310 376-7057

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Sent wirelessly from the sailboat, "Shearwater" off the Southern California coast.