San Francisco - Oct 27 - 30

A short and fabulous trip coming up to San Francisco, excepting the horrible exit out of Half Moon Bay where everything was falling and crashing to the floor. That was soon forgotten and the 27 nautical miles and about 3 hours travel time in total was great. It was a thrill to come under the Golden Gate Bridge. A memory to cherish forever!  

Marina Green Yacht Harbor is just past the Golden Gate bridge and next to St Francisand Golden Gate Yacht Clubs. What a convenient location! It was one of the more expensive marinas that we stayed at charging $2 per foot, per day. However, think of the price of a hotel room in this great city and it wasn’t so bad. We had three fabulous days and nights in the city and logged many miles on foot. The rain didn’t deter us from getting out and about and Fisherman’s Wharf as touristy as it is, was a must see. The people, the colors, the noise and the history… all wonderful. This city has a vibe that is palpable! 

The view from our end tie

Here we are!

The hop on – hop off bus was a suitable way to get an overview of the sights and history of some of the districts. The Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, Richmond, Golden Gate Park, Sunset, Haight Ashbury, Tenderloin, Nob Hill, Union Square, Chinatown, Little Italy, Financial District, Embarcadero, and back to Fisherman’s Wharf. A great preview and a chance for us to choose the areas we wanted to spend some time in.

On bus ready to cross THE bridge

Looking back from Golden Gate to the city

Haight Ashbury

Tony Bennett's heart in Union Square (he painted it)

Staue of Victory on top of monument 

Pier 39

Irish coffee - yummo!

Well known San Francisco places / businesses that we visited: Buena Vista Café serves the best Irish Coffees and they are legendary. The Argonaut Hotel houses the Maritime Museum and has a good depiction of the early seafaring days of San Francisco as does Boudin Bakery which was established in 1849 by a French master baker and famous for its sourdough bread. Ghirardelli chocolate company was established in San Francisco in 1852, and is the third oldest chocolate company in the U.S. 

Boudin Bakery (Boo-deen)

The ferry landing and embarcadero have a fabulous farmer’s market and is widely acclaimed with both the quality and diversity of its fresh farm products and artisan and prepared foods. It is a wonderful market made up of small regional farmers and ranchers, many of whom are certified organic. A wealth of other products such as breads, cheese and jams. My mouth was watering as we scoped it out… hard living on a boat with no space to store things. (maybe a good thing?)

The Painted Ladies

Crooked Street from the bottom

... from the top (Lombard St)

The city is one of the most densely populated in the country. The architecture is amazing and many of the houses are beautiful. The Victorian 'painted ladies' are a stopping point for many visitors as is Lombard St, known as ‘the crooked street.’ Cable cars, trolleys, buses, trains and ferries… oh my! An easy city to get around in. Tripp and I have become well versed on the transit system between The City, Alameda /Oakland and have our own ‘Clipper’ cards.

Coit Tower - from top of crooked street

Golden Gate Bridge: "The mystical structure, with its perfect amalgam of delicacy and power, exerts an uncanny effect. Its efficiency cannot conceal the artistry. There is heart there, and soul. It is an object to be contemplated for hours. " - Herb Caen, May 1987

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Half Moon Bay - Oct 23 - 27

The cruise up the coast was not so bad… five hours of smooth rolling seas and an easy 47 nautical miles. No engines problems to bother us, however it is not an easy harbor to enter or exit. Waves hit us on the beam and the boat really rocked. 

Pillar Point Harbor

These are Wave Dynamics…

Waves are really just large circles of energy…almost perfect circles when in deep water…and you only see the tops. However, as waves come into shore and the bottom of the “circle of energy” touches the rising ocean floor the circle drags and the lower part of the circle slows down. But the energy behind tries to stay at the same speed and it has nowhere to go but up. And some point, the water can’t be held there and it falls over itself and a breaker is born.  

Among the fishing boats

Pillar Point Harbor is home port to commercial fishing industry. We were assigned a space among the fishing boats, two boats side by each in a slip. As we pulled in the current was strong and we were pushed toward the boat on our port side. A little nerve wracking to say the least. People tramp up and down the docks in the morning hours looking to buy fish and crabs from the boats. It's an active place to be!

                         Pretty town                                     

The quaint town of Half Moon Bay has a charming main street. The day we decided to Uber to town was the day the heavens decided to open and the rain came down. We spent a fun couple of hours ducking into shops to check things out and to stay dry. Perhaps there may have been a couple of wine tasting rooms involved. There were a few great restaurants to choose from but we elected to stay in Pillar Point, (El Granada) mostly and Sam’s Chowder House was a spot that Tripp and I latched onto. We met some varied personalities while perched on bar stools. Hippies, surfers, fishermen and tech people. Everything shuts down pretty early so there was not a lot to do after 9:00.

this is one of the things they do here...

“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” ~ Aristotle Onassis

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Santa Cruz - Oct 20 - 23

A bright, sunny morning welcomed us as we prepared to leave Monterey for Santa Cruz which lies 22.7 nautical miles across the bay at the north end. We thought this cruise would be easy. What we didn’t know was that the waters in the bay can be as rough as they are thousands of miles off shore. It was a bumpy, rocky-rolly ride and Tripp stated that he felt like we were a bobbing cork. Two hours and thirty six minutes later we made it to the Santa Cruz fuel dock. Each marina that we stop at charges different prices for mooring and or fuel. The end-tie in Monterey was 70c a foot and in Santa Cruz $1.25 a foot. Diesel fuel in Monterey was $3.04 a gallon and in Santa Cruz $2.65. Go figure? We fueled in Santa Cruz. 133.4 gallons later, every penny counts.

Boardwalk Amusement Park

Opening on wharf to look at sea lions

Santa Cruz is a well-known beach resort community. We got settled on our assigned end tie and decided to walk over to the famous boardwalk amusement park. Unfortunately, it was closed so we carried on down the beach. Arriving at the wharf we found a great selection of restaurants, shops, fish markets and recreational activities. Something for everyone. Woodie’s menu appealed to us and we stopped for lunch. The wharf is a common resting place for the oft noisy sea lions. Five rectangular holes cut into the center of the wharf’s farthest end provides windows to the structure’s underbelly and favorite sea lion haunts. It is the longest pier on the West Coast. After lunch we continued our walk heading to downtown Santa Cruz. Pacific Ave houses a variety of storefronts and businesses and serves as an outlet for the artistic and unique culture of Santa Cruz. It is an interesting area.

A city of 'NO'

Thursday night we were kept awake by the barking of a male bull seal lion. He happened to be perched on the dock right outside my stateroom port hole. Not a restful night and not so cute anymore. In addition to the noise he sprayed I Sea Blues with a disgusting mess of poop. Tripp had a hard time cleaning it off. Sticks like glue… gross!

The Santa Cruz Yacht Club offers dinner on Friday evenings so we ventured up to check things out. A group from Sacramento Yacht Club were there on a cruise out and we met four lovely couples. Connections are everything and we had a great exchange of stories and ideas for repairs and traveling north.

Saturday was spent cleaning the boat and moving it to an end tie on the other side of the harbor, away from the pesky sea lion and closer to the harbor office and several restaurants. Upon waking Sunday morning and looking at the weather for the coming week we decided to leave right away. Monday and the following few days were bringing high winds and seas. It was the right decision.

 You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
-Rabindranath Tagore

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Monterey - Oct 13 - 20

The cacophony of the gulls, seals and sea lions and the stench of the bird poop and kelp beds is what greets us each morning. Wharf #2 rises above I Sea Blues and the vehicles rattle down the pier from the wee hours of the morning heading to the fish markets at the end or one of the restaurants to empty the garbage bins. The Sand Bar restaurant patrons have a bird’s eye view of us and we feel their gaze. The crane whirs to life and the clang of the block and tackle is constant. This is boat living – this is Monterey. 

I Sea Blues & Wharf 2

The city has a vibrant past. Famous people and colorful characters, extremely diverse. Cannery Row was the one-time center of the sardine packing industry and was immortalized in John Steinbeck’s novel. Today, you can still see the remnants of those times but the converted factories are now gift shops, seafood restaurants and bars. The aquarium at the end of the strip is a filled with marine mammals and plants on display in underwater and interactive exhibits. This is Monterey. 

   

Aquarium and Cannery Row

Six days in the area and we have well-worn shoes and a new appreciation of all things local. Fisherman’s wharf was once an active wholesale fish market and is now full of lively restaurants and hawkers trying to get one to sample their clam chowder. Each place touts theirs as the best. Sardines and king crab legs from the Time Bandit, of Deadliest Catch fame, at Delmonico’s was high on our list of favorites. The touristy gift shops all carry the same kitschy merchandise and fortunately for living small we are not easily tempted to purchase anything. This is Monterey. 

Fisherman's Wharf

Our cute dock neighbor

Carmel was easily accessed via the convenient MST transit system. An afternoon of walking thru the high end shops, wine tasting rooms and wealthy community was enjoyable but we were happy to return to Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf and I Sea Blues. This is Monterey.  

The Sardine Factory

Steinbeck Monument

“The tide goes out imperceptibly. The boulders show and seem to rise up and the ocean recedes leaving little pools, leaving wet weed and moss and sponge, iridescence and brown and blue and China red. On the bottoms lie the incredible refuse of the sea, shells broken and chipped and bits of skeleton, claws, the whole sea bottom a fantastic cemetery on which the living scamper and scramble.”
- John Steinbeck, Cannery Row  

San Simeon - Oct 13

Preparing food, the night before we left Morro Bay was on the to-do list as we would be at anchor in San Simeon overnight. I have become the master at one pot meals thanks to Pinterest. This was a chili mac and cheese, reminiscent of Hamburger Helper. Come on, who didn’t like that in the day? 

Making chili mac & cheese

Driving out of the harbor was easy while Tripp worked on the port engine and I avoided paddle boarders and watched the sea otters. The seas were smooth and rolling and it was a bright sunny day. San Simeon was 24.1 nautical miles and we traveled at a comfortable cruising speed of 8 kts. We dropped 125’ of anchor just after noon in about 20 feet of water and settled in to have some lunch. The wind was blowing at about 6 knots but we felt comfortable.

A key feature of the locale is Hearst Castle  a hilltop mansion built by William Randolph Hurst in the early 20th century that is now a tourist attraction. The area is also home to a large northern elephant seal rookery, known as the Piedras Blancas rookery. Taking our dinghy to see the elephant seals was going to be a highlight of staying in the cove.  

Hearst Castle

View from I Sea Blues

       

After checking ‘Sail Flow’ again and another app called ‘Windyty’ we thought it best to pull anchor and head for Monterey immediately. It was 4:12 PM when we got underway. Winds were at about 15 knots and the seas were choppy, but forecast was for low winds and seas until about 2 AM. Tripp was concerned about our dinghy as it was bouncing around and he thought we might lose it. As the sun was setting we saw three whales which is always a wonderful sight.

Once darkness settled the fog rolled in and we couldn’t see twenty yards in front of us. The moon was almost full so when the fog cleared for a brief time around 9:30 PM we could see the mainland and the lights of cars driving HWY 1. Being able to see something gives one some form of comfort. Unfortunately, it did not last long and the fog rolled back in and stayed with us until we rounded the point toward Monterey. It was hard seeing the red light marker buoys in the channel and I realized that my night vision sucks! I stood on the bow of the boat and Tripp read the radar as we entered the harbor. We figured it out and he navigated toward the marina opening, which is very narrow, and headed to the dock at Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club. Harbor Control spied us coming through and called I Sea Blues on channel 16 asking us to identify ourselves. They gave us a heads up that we were going in the right direction and we carried on for another couple of minutes until we found the 20’ of dock that was available in front of the club. Hhmmm… our boat is probably 42’ overall and try as we might there was no way we could stay on that dock. Harbor Control to the rescue again and we were assigned an end tie across from the yacht club dock. All’s well that ends well and we finally tapped out about 3:30 AM just ahead of some foul weather and after a 115 nautical mile day. 

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To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, but life without meaning is the torture of restlessness and vague desire - It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid. Edgar Lee Masters

Morro Bay - October 08 - 13

Leaving Port San Luis in sunshine and having smooth seas and a short cruise made for a great day. It was a total of 22.2 nautical miles to Morro Bay and two and half hours.

Morro Rock

Coho Anchorage to Morro 

 Morro Bay is about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles near Hearst Castle and the Big Sur Coast. It is a working fishing village. Morro Rock, its famous landmark, was named by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo when he first charted this coast during his 16th Century voyage of discovery. Morro Rock is the best known of the Nine Sisters of San Luis Obispo County, a series of ancient volcanic plugs that line the Los Osos Valley between the cities of Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.

            When we arrived there was no space on the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock and the mooring buoys had no lines, wand or float attached. Tripp had to attach our own lines via the dinghy and made a bridle after picking up the mooring lines with a boat hook. A little challenging but he got it done and we stayed on the buoy for three nights. The port captain reserved us space on their dock for our last two nights. We managed to be 'unplugged' for 14 days in a row and only ran our generator for eight hours total and we were still at 95% power. The solar panels and generator keep us going!

Finally on the dock

Our time in Morro Bay was quiet and we enjoyed walking around the town poking through little shops and finding restaurants with good food. The best was 75c happy hour oysters at Windows on the Water. 

75c oysters

Fisherman capturing mermaid

The frolicking sea otters were adorable and I enjoyed spotting them when we were out and about.

Sea Otters love crab

Tripp worked hard at installing a new 110 volt plug on our fly bridge and a USB plug. Yeah, we can now power our devices while underway and plug in a heater when needed. A new propeller arrived at the yacht club on Monday and Tripp swapped that out with the one that he'd put on in Port San Luis. This new one was the right size and pitch. We'll keep the other as a spare. 

Tripp working on 12V USB

Starboard engine issues haunted us this time with a bad connection on the starter. Tripp cleaned the connections up and got it working again. As we pulled away from the dock on the morning of departure the port engine died again. Tripp bled the air out of the line and it started again. He can't figure out what the issues are with that engine.

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