Boat Type: Sea Ray 510 Fly
Owners: Larry Peha
Club: N/A
Built: 2016
OWNER BIO
Let me introduce my captain and very fun-loving friend/husband, Larry. He has owned boats for over 30 years and retired last October, to prepare for the CUBAR 2019! Larry owned his architectural business for 34 years in Hermosa Beach, where he also raised his three children with me. I am his first and soul mate, Julie. We met during our college days on the beautiful California central coast in San Luis Obispo.
Larry began boating in high school. Taking excursions with a family friend who became a very skilled fisherman, the two would fish in Santa Monica bay and Catalina. I, on the other hand, grew up with lake boats and water ski racing. My experiences with boats on the ocean were fishing charters in Mexico and Hawaii, where I was left miserable with nausea and the stench of dead fish.
FAVORITE BOATING DESTINATION & WHY
Catalina is a popular destination for many and most loved by our family. Larry has been traveling to the island since he was a child, and with grandparents growing up on a small Greek isle, it became a home away from home for them. Once Larry & I started a family, we continued the summer traditions on the island. With two of our kids born in July, no time was wasted in getting their feet wet in Avalon harbor!
FAVORITE BOATING EXPERIENCE
We began taking multiple week boating trips in August, harbor-hopping down the coast from our marina in Redondo Beach, to as far south as Coronado. We enjoy visiting different harbors, spending a few days at a time and getting to know the local flavor of each. Our final cruise stop is always Catalina for at least a week! We unwind at the Isthmus or Avalon by soaking in the beautiful water, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling, fishing, and whatever “floats our boat”.
We know we want to do more of this cruising when we near the end of these trips and don’t want to return home! We are happiest together while at sea!
BOATING STORY
While cruising home from Avalon one day, we decided to anchor in White’s because the weather and water were just too nice not to! We were in our 32 foot Pursuit and when Larry engaged the windless to pull up the anchor, all was not working as it should. Something was causing an additional load. Looking over the bow, I was surprised to see the anchor was now an encrusted old outboard! The outboard was completely lodged on to the anchor and neither of us could get it to separate. Fortunately, there was an unusual workboat about 50 yards away, so we slowly and carefully moved toward the neighboring boat with the outboard hanging off our bow. The captain happened to be a Jacques Cousteau type of guy and more than willing to help! He attached a huge, thick rope to a crane he had on board, promptly jumped in the ocean with the other end, and tied it onto the engine. He pulled the rope with his crane until the outboard broke free and kept the engine as a souvenir, no doubt for an interesting story to tell.
ABOUT YOUR CREW
crew is Stacy and Renea Bowen, neighbors and dear friends of ours. We asked them to join us as they seem to fit the “checklist”! Stacy and Renea are outdoors-people and love an adventure. Stacy grew up motorcycle riding, surfing, and camping and will most likely be our MacGyver on this trip. Renea, an amazing chef in her free time, will be our first aid attendant since she does not wince at the sight of blood. Oh, and did I forget to mention that our crew share the same beverage preferences as we do? Tasty craft brews and vinos of all hues!
WHAT’S IN A NAME
We tend to name our boats, signifying a time in our life. Our previous boat was named “Tuition Free”, right after our last kid got out of college. Our current boat is “Next Phase”, pretty self-explanatory…. the phase in our life where Larry is retired and we are going to make boating our major priority!
Hold the press! Very long story (ask us) but we aquired a new boat and it appears we will not be able to change the name of the boat in time for CUBAR. So it will go with the current name R&R2.
REASON TO BUY THIS BOAT
Although we have become cruisers in the past couple of years, we still feel the need for speed at times, especially when the island is in sight and we’re itching for that cold brew (after mooring)! That being said, we enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. So now we are transforming our express into an express/trawler to gain the best of both worlds, boating in our SeaRay 510!
PREVIOUS BOATS OWNED
SeaRay 400Fly, Pursuit 315 OS, Grady White Journey 258, 17’ Boston Whaler Dauntless, three smaller Boston Whalers, and a 22’ Schiada GN Racing boat (as payment for architectural services rendered for Larry’s father-in-law).
INTEREST IN CUBAR
As we have never ventured south of the border, we felt the comfort of numbers would be nice, along with the opportunity to meet people with the same interest and yet, who typically do not know one another.