Heading out Bodega Bay

Bodega Bird Sanctuary – Outer bay

Set out that day after showers and settling up with a full tank of water and fuel. Winds were kind of light on the way out so we set the Genny and ran with N/W'sters and following seas out to Point Reyes. Beautiful afternoon sail until the winds built again to 25 to 30 knots. GPS hit 11.2 that I saw.. waves were building and it was time to Gybe so we could make Drake Bay to settle in.. That didn't go so well so we just struck the sail and set off the rest of the way under power – It was only a few more miles anyway..

Blowing 15 – 20 knots making about 9 knots over the ground

Was a great sail for the most part from Bodega to Drakes Bay. I would say the best one yet.. Sunny skies and good breezes – until the point....Pt. Reyes – Wind picked up to about 25 – 30 as we rounded.

Rounded Chimney rock and headed into the bay – Seas subsided greatly but the winds did not.. Went in as far as we dared and anchored in 15 feet of water with 120 feet of rode out – we NEEDED it – yikes how it blew in there.. Made a good chafing guard for the rode, even set the kellet, but it had to be coaxed down because a 7:1 scope is a pretty shallow slope. Amazed that we held fast in sand and eelgrass – didn't drag an inch. CPS really knows what they are talking about when they say 7:1 is optimum in a blow. Never had to do it before – also have never had the room either.. Drake Bay is HUGE and there were only 6 or 7 boats in there.. None with a dingy in the water.

Chimney Rock

Tall Ship KaiSei from Singapore in the fog that drifted in EVERY night...

They blew for another 2 days so Lucy re-vamped the aft head and aft cabin so we could use it more easily and I re-did the electrical on the windlass. Anchor went out, but no way of pushing a button to get it back... Hmmm.... thought I learned about a marine environment when I moved to the west coast, but nope.. Down here – things go away even more quickly.. had to re-wire the switch and cables from what we had to a better quality and added a quick release on the windlass switch.

Also the solid brass hinges we bought from Rona aren't.. After 2 weeks of use they have rusted the brass finish completely off and stained out newly painted cockpit. Yes, the package DID say solid brass. A bit preturbing, but not a whole lot we can do about it right now.. Except write a letter to Rona about it and ask them to really check their suppliers. They aren't alone – even the units we bought that ARE solid brass – gave us coated screws.. Bit of a mess in other places too. The only ones that actually contained what the package said – were from Canadian Tire. Don't think it was the store's fault. I think their suppliers mis labelled the items. Anyway – we'll work it out and carry on...

Chimney Rock from the OTHER side – On our way to San Fran.

This morning (September 17'th) was quiet and calm when I opened my eyes at 7 am so it was time to leave. Got out and motored to San Francisco.. Quite uneventful...

When we arrived at the entrance of the Golden Gate, the coast guard cutter, Sockeye, was heading out of the Golden Gate as we were heading in... and as soon as they saw Stone Age heading in they turned around and followed us.

Sailing under the bridge was a pretty cool thing to do. A marvel of engineering and a sailors icon. Almost the same as crossing the equator. Ok – not quite, but pretty cool none the less.

Then we hit the traffic in the Bay. Wow talk about busy. Expected because it was an absolutely beautiful Saturday afternoon.. I'd have been sailing too if I lived here. Kingsley was at the helm and I heard more than once a, Ahhh!!! just because of so many boats. Imagine English harbour on a sunny afternoon with 2 – 3 times as many boats. Counted about 4 races going on. The Oracle was out practicing for next years cup (thet's her in the middle picture)  - many boats just out for the day and a few charter sails going on – never mind the ferries and coast guard cutter, Sockeye. She was following us....

When we got through the mayhem that was S/F bay on a beautiful Saturday Afternoon, we got boarded.

They hailed us and said they were coming aboard so we let them.. It was a great experience.. The guys were very courteous and professional but not to the point of being sticks in the mud. Very friendly and fun. They checked the bilges and flares and all the other things they do with the safety inspection and we passed with zero violations. All in all it was very cool meeting some new friends.. I'll call them our heros because these are the guys who head out in stuff we want to get rescued from.. Respect.

Nice place. Folks are a bit more stand offish here than we are used to. Back home when a wave is given one is usually returned.. Here we found that some waved but the majority didn't – even when they were looking right at us when we waved – this isn't Canada seems that some folks just need a bit of warming up to.. Super nice folks when you do...

Anchored in front of Horizons restaraunt in Sausalito at the end of it all, got the dingy's in the water and headed for shore. Walked a few miles and saw some sights. Said Hi to everyone -- Canadianized them a bit. Went for a fish and chip dinner with ice cream chaser then headed back to the boat to work on this for a while. So here we are – basically up to date..

Walked over to the Bridge tonight and got a great view of the city.

Tried to walk over the bridge and “pull a Steve” (only you know about that one Steve.. Remember the Grandville Island Experience??) but were denied because of Construction.

San Francisco Bay to Monterey

Well, Peter has left us. He decided that he really wasn't cut out for the offshore part of our voyage and was expecting to be stopping every night at somewhere he could get to land.. even though we told him there was going to be offshore passages. He left the boat on Sunday morning, leaving only a map of San Francisco on the table as a clue as to where he went. Never heard from him until about 10 pm. Was a bit worried. Guess he really needed a land fix. That day I had to re-vamp our cruising schedule because a) we were about 2 weeks late leaving Ladysmith and b) a few days later still because of the storm. Planned another 3 long offshore passages because we have to be in Panama by Dec 14'th – otherwise we won't get through the canal at our booked time.

Upon Peter's return we talked about his need for land and he made the decision to leave us. He was worried that those of you folks following us are expecting him to make the entire journey.. Don't be mad, or think ill of him for not doing so. This was a voyage of discovery for Peter and we all discovered that he just isn't cut out to be a mariner. Not a good or a bad thing, just a thing. This offshore sailing isn't for everyone. It's kind of funny because when I mentioned that we would be doing 3 more offshore passages one being at least 10 days, he was packed in about 1/2 hour. Certainly not the first time anyone has done something like that – Offshore can be a scary thing and after the storm we went through – I am sure he will have a much more enjoyable journey overland.

We wish you well, Peter, in the rest of your journey and will wait for your contact when we get to Belize in January.

We bid Peter a fond farewell and headed out the Golden Gate into clearing fog and sunny skies. Unfortunately, there was very little wind so it was a motor trip to Halfmoon Bay.

Angel Island on our way out of S/F Bay.

Sausalito is a very pretty town

Fog rolled in again around noon so it was a GPS guided tour of the coast. It cleared up just in time for our approach into Princeton Harbour at Halfmoon Bay. Set Anchor in 15 feet.

37 Deg 29.905m N

122Deg 29.182m W Halfmoon Bay.

Approaches to Halfmoon Bay and Princeton

Then Kingsley saw an ad stating the Cheerleaders were serving at the seafood restaraunt so we had to go out for dinner. Ok... for Kingsley's googling pleasure. Got to talk with a few and turns out they are raising money for a trip to the Pro Bowl to do a show at half time. Good luck to them and I hope they do very well.

Was a short stop – just overnight and were on our way to Monterey the next morning. No wind again so we were merrily motoring along when the Port engine raw water pump decided to go on strike... Grrr.. The mounting hinge had given way so off I went into the shop to do a fix. Had everything we needed and it only took me 3 hours. Got it working just in time for wind to show up so we then shut down the Stbd engine and raised the genny again. Didn't want to go too fast, otherwise we would end up in Monterey at 2am.. Don't really like heading into an unknown harbour in the dark. As the day went on, the wind picked up a bit more – typicall of offshore breezes when the land heats up through the day. At about 2000 hrs we struck the sail again and motored as slow as we possibly could so we'd get there at dawn or later.. Good thing too.. Here comes the soup...

Monterey

36 deg 36.223N

121 deg 53.188W

Fog stayed with us until about noon on the 20'th. Even at Dawn heading into Monterey Hr was a scary proposition.. Fog with visibility about 50 feet. Many boats heading out – almost got hit by a runabout heading straight for us. Some folks just don't get it.. There was a white bayliner out there with is lights on and right at dawn, he turned them off and disappeared. I wonder if some folks actually KNOW the rules of the sea... Made it in safe.

Much smaller harbour than anticipated and the 'anchorage' really wasn't. We grabbed hold of the first vacant mooring can we saw, got secured and headed for bed. I was told by customs that every blue and white mooring can in the USA was for public use and if one was available and we wanted to tie up to it – it was ok.. She was wrong.. We just got settled in to bed for a nap and the harbour master came knocking... Sorry – he said – this was a private can and we had to move.. Public cans were on the east side of the wharf and anchorage east of them.. Oh – Ok.. Actually it was a blessing because the jetty just outside the can we tied to is where the United States keeps their sea lions – very noisy. – we moved, threw out out anchor and had a really good rest. Woke up around noon to clear skies and warm temp.

We stopped in Monterey because Heidi and Rick are friends that have also bought property at Sanctuary, Belize.

                                      Gerome ( Ricks Son)               Rick                                Heidi

After contacting them, Rick stated that the yacht club was having their Wed. Night races and would we like to join them? Yes!! Yes!! Absolutely! So we wandered around Monterey for the afternoon taking in some sights. Even got to watch the silly boat race that was going on the beach that afternoon.

I am Soooo Adorable...

Monterey Harbour Market

Silly Boat Race Sailboat in the lead (wins it)

Turns out the Monterey Yacht Club is pretty laid back with some very good sailors. The Sheilds fleet is huge. Tried to get on as crew, but we didn't make the cut and ended up on the spectator boat with about 20 other members. Turns out it was the commodore of the club, Joe's boat. Met some more great people and afterwords we went back to the clubhouse for drinks and dinner. Great people and we had an incredible time.

Monterey Yacht Club Wed. Night “Beer Can race”

Talked with Marty – a new member of the club – quite a bit and he took us around Monterey and surrounding area in search of supplies and fix it stuff on the 22'nd. Ended up getting some tuna gear too.. Might as well throw a hook out - See if we can catch dinner once or twice while we are out there..

Went for lunch at a mexican Grocery store in Seaside that made the best burritos – so big that I almost couldn't eat it all. And they had some pickled Jalapenos that were super tasty too.

Mexican Cantina WOW what great food Marty Lima

Became very good friends with him and just on a whim – we invited him to join us for the canal.. It's his 50'th birthday present.. He was so excited about it he has already booked his flight to Panama City.

Won't be a problem as far as experience is concerned – He's a licensed captain with the US Coast Guard and has his ticket for up to 100 tons. Actually owns a boat and is preparing for a journey similar to ours. :-)..

Spent a good deal of time with Heidi and Rick. Got to really appreciate what Monterey has to offer and made some realllly good friends. We look forward to seeing them again in Belize when the marina is flooded.. Looks like it might be February now.. we'll have to anchor for a little bit in Sapodilla lagoon – Great – I'll see if I can get some mooring cans ordered when we get to Newport beach. Should get delivery by the time we get there in January.

September 24

Meet Heidi and Rick for Breakfast on Saturday, just before we headed out. We wanted a late leave from Monterey because that would ensure us a day arrival at Morro Bay. It's 125 miles so it will take us at least 24 hours if the winds are good.

Set out from Monterey at about 1400 and set sails up by 1600.. We had a little wind and wanted to clear Lover's point and beyond before setting sail. Well, a little wind turned into less wind and by 1830 we were out of wind so we lit up one of the iron genny's to continue on our way.

Was a gorgeous night at sea. Stars and the lights from land – lighthouses on the point were pretty neat. Just before dawn a crescent moon lit up the sky. You know the ones.. Look like a great big smile. Lucy saw one coming into Monterey briefly in the thick and thin of the fog.. Tried to get it on Radar (she thought it might have been a boat) but we only have a 24 mile unit.. Just doesn't reach that far :-))... She said it rose on the water in such a manner that it did indeed look like the bow of a vessel approaching. Don't know – I was sleeping. But seeing the one this night – I can see how her mirage came to be...

Next day we had travelled a bit slower than anticipated and still no wind so we lit up the other one and made some headway. Well, Stone Age travels at about 7 knots at 1800 RPM.. We use about 6.5 litres per hour. Just under a litre per mile. We still had 94 litres on board and only 50 miles to go se we had lots for 1800 rpm. We had to do a little better so we took it up to about 1950. With the main still up we made about 8 knots. (after the wind came up with about an hour or so left – final approach to Morrow Bay)

When we went to the fuel dock to re-fill.. we had 9 litres left. We were so low that AFTER filling, the Starboard engine ran out of fuel because of the gap in the fuel line between the last drop it picked up out of the tank and the new fuel added. Next time we go above 1800 rpm it will be through the Canal (they require you to do 8 knots) and it will be with a FULL tank. That was too close.

Morro Bay

35 Deg 22.099'N

120 Deg 51.363'W

Yes if we were still in Canada we'd be somewhere in the BC interior. Morro Bay – Neat little town. Super friendly people and many things to do. Went for a walk to the state park and stopped in the galleries and stores along the way.

Had a conversation with a gal about a fish called Opah.. Big purple thing that is in season right now and supposedly superb tasting. But don't get it at that market – go down the street and it'll be a whole bunch less – she said. So we did. We got some Opah to try. Sorry – no pictures.. they were just fillets. Apparently it's a pretty big fish :-)

     Kingsley's new girlfriend

                                                                  Park Patrons

Anchorage on the Estuary

Then we strolled out to the rock for sunset. A bit cool with the breeze but what a neat rock.. Just sitting there in the middle of nowhere really.. It marks the entrance to the Harbour and the Plaque says it's been used by mariners for 300+ years as a landfall mark to safe harbour.

It was discovered by us folk (western Man) in about 1517 and is known as the Gibralter of the Pacific because of it's huge-ness. They say that it's there because it plugged a volcano about 20 billion years ago and the volcano that was created by the magma flow has eroded away. Not sure I buy that – Volcanoes are pretty tough. Plus there are mountains and such all along the coast that were still there so I cannot be sure of the logistics behind what the sign at the rock says. Maybe it was a volcano wannabe that fizzled because the rock it was trying to push out of the way was just too heavy and there was an easier route just down the coast.... I don't know - Just doesn't make sense that a volcano erodes away and the other mountains (pretty much sand) all around the area stick around... Is Magma a softer substance than sand or other rock that is typically found in Southern California mountains? They say there are several others like it – On in San Luis Obispo as well. We are headed there next so we'll see...

Pretty cool rock though.. Right in the middle of a sandy area. Yes, beach all around.. Maybe everything around it just washed away in the Flood. You know – the big one.. Remember – Noah and his clan? :-). That makes sense too.

Tougher rock than the sand surrounding                      Beach right next to the rock 

Cave entrance – Dr. Evil's maybe???                                            Sun melting into the west

Almost at the green flash

Back to the boat for dinner..

Well.. If you can get some – Opah is an absolutely superb and tasty fish. It is mild tasting and a texture like fillet mingnon. Lightly fried in some hemp oil (1 T) basically dusted with Flour and Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and, of course, lemon (you can't have fish without lemon) after the fact. WOW – caught in the same areas as tuna – at least down here. We will be searching for more.. My fish hunting skills will be put to the test shortly. Apparently it is pretty difficult to NOT catch a tuna.. But we are after Opah.. Hope they aren't 200 pounds.. Time for some internet research...

Left Morro Bay the next day for a pretty benign run to San Luis. We travelled at a slower speed so we could arrive during daylight hours. Some wind so we set the yankee and Stays'l. Making about 6 knots. So we left it at that. Great day sail. Even got to see the Diablo Canyon Nuclear power facility from the ocean. And AT LEAST 1 MILE AWAY – strictly enforced by the US coast guard. If we were to have come that close – they would be on us with hands on the 50 caliber machine guns on their foredecks. Yes, they would have – I have read articles from other sailors that have actually had the experience. Didn't want that – also didn't want to end up glowing so we stayed away by a mile.

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Facility

Port of San Luis. Pier on right used to be the main run for oil piped into the USA

Port of San Luis.. Basically a boat yard and an RV park. They won't let you Anchor there and no dock to tie to. Bunch of mooring cans that are all used.... Hmmm.. What to do... well another community just down the bay there was one boat there so we went and had a look. Yup – Anchoring is just fine. Bit of a swell like Monterey, but we set the Northhill lunch hook down as a stern anchor and it did a great job at keeping the bow to the swells. Much more comfy. Was quite surprised how that thing held.. We COULD have used it for our main anchor.. Won't, (only a 20 pounder) but wow, great holding power. You are right Wayne.. North Hills are about the best bang for the buck there is..

35 Deg 10.564N

120 Deg 44.139W

Avila Beach Pier – Eats dingy oars for lunch.

Little town called Avila Beach and Pisbo just down the road a bit. Quaint tourist traps and super beach. People saying Hi everywhere. One thing though – CRUISERS – take note... If you come across a place where there is no dingy dock and just a ladder on a pier... You need to be very careful your dingy is WELL away from the peir when you leave – otherwise the peir will eat it. The Avila Pier had a few mooring balls away from the peir to tie one end of the dingy to so it could be pulled away – We didn't get it right and came back to a dingy with no oars. Well 1/2 of one was there (the handle) and the other one looked a bit like a pretzel.. WTF!!!!

Good luck ran with us that day because 1) another Canadian boat “Borboleta” had anchored beside us and saw our dilemma. They came over with their dingy and gave us a tow home. Said they watched the peir eat it.. Couldn't do anything about it because of surge and such.. And 2) we had a spare set of oars. We will tie to piers very cautiously from now on....

Should have pulled the dingy farther out

What was left of our oar on return

Other one was missing the paddle end

Next day, we rowed over to Barboleta to say hello and thank them again.. They were on their way to the islands almost immediately so we had a bit of a conversation and wished them well. We'll see them again in San Diego. (they are in the Baha Haha) We also noticed there was another Canadian boat there – a Waquiez 47 named Exit Strategy. (also Baha Haha) So we went over to say Hi. Well Tom and Kim are a great couple from Victoria. Lucy and I had a nice evening with them and found out that they too were kicked out of Port San Luis. That makes 3 Canadian boats that couldn't anchor over there. We didn't bother trying because of the moorings, Barboleta did and were asked to leave and now Exit Strategy... 'Can't anchor in a mooring field' Tom said they told him. Never mind there were no moorings around them and they weren't interfering with anyone. Guess us cruiser's money isn't good enough for them... Lucy Kingsley and I walked over there to find there wasn't much there anyway.. Couple restaurants, the tarmac they called an RV park and a boatyard with no chandlery.. Found that odd. Small store/bar that sold fishing stuff and beer, but that was about it.

We spent our money in Avila beach. We would have spent more if there was a grocery store, but we couldn't find one. Asked a few people and the closest one was in San Luis Obispo, inland about 5 miles. So we made do until we got to Santa Barbara. We still had lots so it was all good. We did find some ice cream and a Mexican Restaurant to eat at however.. Pretty good fare.

Under Avilla Beach Peir. Walkway for dingy tie up (also treacherous)

View from the Pier Pisbo Point

Beach Front Walkway (Stores)

Just a dump truck – But real pretty

Trailer boat Launch

Keeping Cool

Port San Luis Pretty much it.

Biggest Aloe plant I've ever seen

Nice Place.