Santa Barbara Pier

I had to move out of the Santa Barbara marina for 2 days while a Yacht racing event took over. I decided to anchor south of Stearns Wharf pier and scoped out a spot in the dinghy that seemed protected from the swells and wind. I ended up tucked in as close to the Pier as possible but had to stay at least 300ft away as per the local regs. I could get my space back in the marina on Friday afternoon and then Ali and the kids should be here on Saturday morning.

Anchored behind Stearns Wharf Pier

The anchorage worked out well, during the day when the wind and the swell were in the same direction it was very mellow, but as soon as the thermal winds dropped at nite the boat swung around to the south and rolled like crazy (around 2am!) Getting a good sleep was tough, but I'm getting better at sleeping thro it now. I set a stern anchor with the Danforth I have in the bow locker and tried holding the boat into the swell, this worked well, but then a moderate south wind kicked in the next nite and I had wind waves smashing into the hull that sounded like someone hitting the boat with a hammer. Tying up back in the calm marina seemed very appealing now, plus setting and retrieving 2 anchors took a lot of time and I have to sleep with the anchor watch alarm on which usually goes off as the wind shifts.

The start of the yacht race

Friday morning I took the dingy out to watch the start of yacht race. A lot of the boats were custom built, over 65ft and kitted out with carbon fiber masts and booms, some serious cash being spent on a fun race. They were all fully crewed and it was pretty impressive watching the teamwork involved in tacking and gybing, certainly more graceful (and faster) than when I do it alone.

After the race I hauled anchor and got my spot back in the marina, the end tie on Q dock, I then headed down to Brophy's bar that overlooks the marina.to get some lunch. I'd tried to go a few times before but it was always packed and had a long waiting list. It was packed again but managed to get a spot at the bar. The food and service was great and I got chatting with a few of the locals. Put this place on your todo list if you ever visit Santa Barbara, its a real gem.

Great view from the bar at Brophys

I've found a closer coffee shop (HotSpots) near the pier so I managed to update the blog. I have ordered a new long range USB WiFi antenna which has a built in access point so I can then share any connection I find with other laptops and IPhones. Its the Engenius EUB9603H which was recommended by Allan from s/v Follow You, Follow Me' who I met on the docks the other day, which reminds me I also bought his boat bikes from him and some charts for the south Pacific. He is on the return journey to Redwood city from New Zealand and used to have the slip directly behind me at Bair Island Marina, it was real coincidence to run into him. We spent a few hours talking about his trip and all the experiences he and his wife had had with their boat, which included being towed in the south Pacific when their rudder fell off.

Anyway, the bikes have worked out great as they really extend the distance I can travel when I stop somewhere. When I'm done they fold up really small and go in a bag. They don't weigh much and they are built specifically for storing on boats with (mostly) Aluminum and stainless steel and seem to resist rusting in a very salty environment that would destroy most bikes in a few months.

I've been riding all over Santa Barbara and even found a Trader Joes. The rack on the back fits a 12 pack box of Corona perfectly, I got a few comments on my way back to the boat with that! Having the bike reminds me of getting my first motorbike when I was 16 and the freedom it gave me.

Port Runner Aluminum folding bike, my new ride!

HotSpots coffee shop on State Street

Cool skate park next to the beach. Time to be a teenager again!

The family should be here in the morning and we will hang out here for a few days and then head for Two Harbors at Catalina Island via Ventura Harbor and Marina Del Ray if the weather holds. Ali will be driving here in the car and I want to drive around the area and explore Montecito a few miles down the road.

Santa Barbara

We had a fantastic sail back from San Miguel Island with 20+ knots of wind on the beam to start and slowing to 5-10knots from astern by the time we reached Santa Barbara. About 1/4 of the way the fog cleared and we had clear blue skies and shorts and t-shirt weather. Welcome to SoCal!

I really like Santa Barbara. It has everything. Great weather, a huge beach, clean marina, clear blue water, lots of sea life, fantastic views over the Channel Islands and downtown that rivals anything with the best shops and restaurants.Its hard to live here unless your retired or a student at the university as there is not much of a local industry, but this makes it very laid back and far removed from the rat race in the bay area. Montecito is the Hillsborough equivalent in the local hills overlooking the bay, one day....

There is a big boat race in a few days so I will loose my spot in the marina. Im OK for 4 nights, then I will anchor off the pier for a few days until there is space again.

View of the Santa Inez mountains from my dock.

Stearns Wharf off downtown Santa Barbara

I'd fallen way behind on my Blog, mainly because I didn't have and WIFI access and posting on my Iphone meant only short text messages and no photos. I finally caught up after a few days in Santa Barbara by spending the morning at Starbucks on State Street. If your used to my blog, you will notice I update the posts as I go along, often you will get a brief initial entry and later I will update it with more info and photos. If a previous posting seemed short, reread the posts and you will be sure to not miss anything.

Cuyler Harbor, San Miguel Island

San Miguel is the most remote of all the Channel Islands and the cruising guides have heavy warnings about the many reefs and strong winds. The Wikipedia entry describes the approach as "A Mariners Nightmare!". All these warnings mean San Miguel is virtually untouched and rarely visited (less than 200 people a year) making it very unique. Its a National Historic Place and a nature reserve, requiring a permit to explore. There are zero facilities and you can only get here by private boat making it a truly unique place. My sincere thanks to Chris for giving me the confidence to visit this island. I'm sure I wouldn't have done it by myself.
The first European Explorer Juan Rodriguez visited the Island in 1542 and reportedly died here, a monument to him is up a small trail from the beach.

Its only 40 miles offshore from Southern California and millions of people, making it strange to have such a wilderness so close to one of the busiest areas in the USA.

As soon as we got the anchor set securely, we dropped the dinghy off the davits and headed for the beach to see the Elephant seals. We could see and hear about 20 of them from the boat. We had no problem landing the dinghy on the pristine white sand beach. The Elephant Seals are huge, the males reaching up to 6500 lbs (think of 3 large cows or 2 cars) and make a sound like a roaring lion.

2 Elephant Seals check out our boat anchored in Cuyler Harbor

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2 males fighting

Hauled out on the beach

Not too bothered by me taking photos

A few males played in the water off the beach

A mix between a seal and an elephant?

They are BIG .....

A pristine beach

Don't get this fishbone caught in your throat. I think its from the spine of a blue whale.

Joe and Chris at Cuyler harbor, Sea42 anchored in the background.

 The next morning we hauled anchor and set sail for Santa Barbara about 40nm east.

Point Conception

We left Morro Bay after getting some breakfast at one of the waterfront eateries. We got a good breeze until we cleared the southern point of Morro Bay when it died to a few knots. We decided to head for San Miguel Island where the elephant seals have a colony. It's a tricky approach and would mean sailing thro the nite around point conception and arriving at the island the next afternoon.

Since I have my friend Christophe with me for this week we decided on a 4hr watch schedule. Since we had so little wind it made for some serious rolling. Everything on the boat was clanking squeaking and creaking. That combined with trying to pass the most dangerous point on the California coastline with the shipping lanes and the oil rigs made it very hard to relax.

Anyway we had no problems besides getting very little sleep and by the next afternoon we dropped anchor in Cuyler Harbor an San Miguel Island

Morro Bay

We left San Simeon the next morning after a very rolly nite at anchor. An unusual south swell was causing breakers on the beach so we couldn't land the dinghy, so we moved onto Morro Bay Harbor about 4hrs south. We tied up at the MBYC (local yacht club) dock. Cleaned up the boat and chatted with some of the local sailors organizing the kids sailing program. Morro Bay is one of the few stops on the coast where you can get fuel and provision and there is always some interesting stories as people pass thro here.

A few hours later I'm sitting below and suddenly feel a big thud, I run up to the deck and a big multistory powerboat had reversed into me. I called out to the skipper who obviously didn't see me and the boat just turned and came at me again. After much shouting he stopped. The skipper was an old disabled guy and only had is poor clueless wife as crew. I finally got them to put some decent fenders out and helped them raft up to boat.

A large powerboat rafted up to me at MBYC. Morro Rock in the background.

Morro Bay is a working fishing port, but like all similar ports along the coast (ie Halfmoon Bay) the fishing industry is dieing due to overfishing and overly restrictive laws that make fishing unprofitable and they are resorting to tourism. A big power plant is situated here just next to the rock that kills the view, but its looking like it may be decommissioned as its only running at 5% capacity and that would really help the resorts appeal.

The Morro Bay power plant. Hopefully it gets pulled down soon.

All the rocks along the breakwater have squirrels living in them! A really strange sight. They seemed to be used to humans and come running over to meet you and even start nibbling at your shoes. I havent seen squirrels living on the beach before.

Friendly squirrels living in the breakwater rocks

The next morning a small 27ft boat pulls up to the dock with 3 young guys in it. They had been out in this tiny boat for 3 weeks, working their way up to Santa Cruz. We invited them aboard for a beer and got to hear some fantastic stories of places they had visited in the channel islands, falling overboard and a broken mast. It was really inspiring to see them charging full speed into a full on summer adventure and not being overly concerned about all the risks. It reminded me of my younger years when I started traveling on my own.

I hope they make it back to Santa Cruz safely, its looking like mild weather for the next few days for a northbound passage. Since May at least 5 people have died in small boats along this coast after being washed overboard by big waves.

I finally tried some oysters. The local pacific oysters are huge and available all along the water front restaurants. The idea of swallowing a slimy raw shellfish had never been appealing to me for some reason! I decided to order some on the halfshell (traditional style) and some Rockefeller cooked ones. The Rockefeller oysters were very tasty but could have been anything. The raw oysters were so big it was difficult to swallow them whole and reminded me of trying to swallow a large pill. I tried chewing one but it was way too slimey and made me think of liver flavored Jello. At least I got that todo item checked off the list.

San Simeon (Hearst Castle)

Just anchored at San Simeon after a mostly foggy, cold and windless Big Sur passage. Ironically, there is a strong NW wind on this coast 99% of the time, but this time we had to motor at the end to make the anchorage by nightfall. We did have some good sailing at times, some blue whale sightings and had a large pod of dolphins join us, so I cant complain.

Big Sur coastline

I anchored here at San Simeon on my last trip and was really looking forward to spending some quality time here, exploring the coast and maybe visiting Hearst Castle, but a strong southerly swell will make landing the dinghy difficult in the surf and I have first hand experience of that as I flipped the dinghy on a breaking wave last time I was here! Looks like I will have to save this great anchorage for the next trip.

In the morning we will haul anchor and set sail for Morro Bay about 4 hrs south of here.

Monterey Harbor (continued)



Monterey Museum next to the Plaza

 It's Monday already and I'm still in Monterey. I've been having so much fun I decided to slow down and enjoy my time here. Met some great people and even got some work done on the boat. The family drove over for the weekend and we spent some time exploring the town and even sailed out to Point Pinos to do some whale watching. I intend to cast off Tuesday morning and continue my quest south. My friend Christophe managed to get some time off this week to join me for the Big Sur passage which should be fun.

Scenic walk to Cannery Row

The new Plaza

Lots to do on the Pier

Downtown Monterey

Sunset view from our dock

Monterey Harbor

I hugged the coast down to Monterey from Moss Landing as a reasonable swell was running from the NW and it was blowing about 15 knots on the beam making for a perfect passage. I got all the white canvas out and never dropped below seven knots, a truly great sail along a fantastic coastline. I hope I get more days like that.

 
I called up the harbormaster on the VHF and got the end tie on B dock overlooking the pier, I couldn't ask for a better location.

The water is so clear here, I can even see my rudder from the dock and there is fish swimming around it!

I love this place, I have a constant show from all the sea-life right from my cockpit. You get used to the barking seals after a while ...

Lots to do here, with the pier just steps away and the historic downtown to visit. I think I will stay here a while.

I walked around the pier area and got some roasted sardines that were very good. Lots of nice looking seafood restaurants on the pier and they are all giving away samples of their popular dishes. By the time I got to the end of the pier I didn't need to get dinner.

The next day I washed all the salt of the boat and tidied up a bit, then headed downtown. I was looking for a WIFI connection because I couldn't find anything from the marina that wasn't locked, even with my long range antenna. I found an open WiFi network at the end of the high street and sat on a bench to update the blog. When I finished I noticed a Trader Joe's round the corner and loaded up with all my favorite goodies. Of course I then found a Peets Coffee with Wifi next door which I could have used. 5 years ago when I did this same route I had much less trouble finding internet access as most wireless networks were open.

Moss Landing and Elkhorn Creek

I left Capitola in the afternoon after sailing around to Santa Cruz Pier and back with some friends that live in Capitola.

Admiral Mimi at the helm. The new captain also insisted we re-tuned the radio station to something less ancient.

I got to try out the big spinnaker on the downwind run back.

I then headed for Moss Landing which is a few hours south. Moss Landing is a real fishing port with a fish processing plant. There are some very interesting old sailboats in the marina, a real trip back in time.

The harbor is full of seals and otters. A huge seal was asleep on the dock next to me when I pulled up.

The next morning I tool the dinghy down Elkhorn Creek. It's a beautiful area full of wildlife.

I wanted to wait for the afternoon winds to pick up, so I spent some time wandering around downtown. Did you know the Shakespeare society and its museum is located in Moss Landing? The guy in the museum is keen to raise money to save the collection and gave me a tour and a history lesson. A little embarrassing to be schooled on Shakespeare by an American, but it was interesting.

There are a few antiques/art stores and some Mexican restaurants. I didn't get to try any as I ate on the boat.

After picking up some fresh fruit from the local market on the side on Highway 1, I checked out of the marina and cast off for Monterey at the south of the bay.

Capitola

Last time  I was in this part of the coast in the boat I stopped at Capitola, but the pier dock was closed because it was too early in the season. I have been meaning to stop here again, as it looks like a great spot to visit.
I left Santa Cruz Marina in the morning as the fog burnt off and set sail for Capitola. Its only a few miles so even as the wind was real light I sailed at a few knots and enjoyed the scenery. I skirted the edges of the kelp forests and got to enjoy the clear waters of Monterrey bay.

You tie up to mooring balls just west of the pier. Capitola is unique with all the funky colored beach houses.

Access to the pier is easy with a ramp that lowers to a dinghy dock. Sea42 is on the mooring ball in the background.

There is a great  bar/restaurant right on the end of the pier called the Wharf House. Fish n Chips are world class! The whole pier and items in the restaurant sway as the swells roll under the pier. Its surreal!

Its interesting how different it is to Santa Cruz considering how close it is. There is a definite pride of ownership in this town.

I called up an old friend who lives in Capitola and got to go surfing at the local break behind the kelp. Even though its been 16 years since I last surfed I had a great time and actually managed to stand up (briefly) 3 times. I was exhausted after that and slept well that nite. Its pretty rolly off the pier as its open to the Pacific, so I moved to one of the aft berths. It worked out well with a lot less motion than the vberth.

Downtown Capitola is right at the end of the pier with a great beach and lagoon. Lots of nice places to eat right on the bay. This is somewhere I could live.

Santa Cruz Harbor

After a rolly nite anchored off the pier I decided to try for a space at the harbor because Ali and the kids are driving over today and taking the dinghy over to the pier was a little tricky with all the seals on the  landing and it was closed at nite. I radioed the harbor master and he fixed me up with a great alongside tie-up underneath Aldo's restaurant.

The fog burnt off in the afternoon and we had a great day at the boardwalk as the kids tried out the rides

Had a great breakfast at Lindas Seabreeze cafe a few blocks away. Also the Calamari at Aldo's is amazing. They gut and prep the squid on the dock and fry it immediately.Its better than anything I have had at any fancy restaurant.

The family is headed home tommorow, so I will continue south as soon as the wind picks up and hopefully the fog burns off.

Santa Cruz Pier

Im anchored south of the Pier just a few hundred yards from the beach. It's hot and sunny and Im surrounded by the screams and music from the boardwalk fair rides and a hoard of huge seals under the pier barking like crazy. A total change from this morning with cold fog and fishing boats.

Anchored off the Santa Cruz Pier and Boardwalk fair

















I had the best sail so far on this stretch of the coast. The fog burnt off and the NW wind built up to 25knts at the end. It was light wind at first and I got to try out my small spinnaker from my last boat. It's in good shape but it's for a 30ft boat, so I was interested in if I could use it without a spinnaker pole. With sheets just tied to the beam ends, it was great up to 10 knots, I then tried using a block on the end of the boom to stabilize it which worked well, but then got a little out of control and I had to douse it quickly as the wind built. Great fun for a while though as it pulled me along like a kite at 5 knots.

Half moon bay

Finally, made it out of the bay and into the Pacific! As soon as we got under the golden gate bridge we were greeted with dolphins.

Ali finally got to sail under and out of the Golden Gate bridge.

Once around mile rock we had a nice beam reach until a few miles from Halfmoon bay when the wind died. Ali and the kids went home today, so I'm back to singlehanding again. The guy at the pump said it's ok to stay tied up to the fuel dock for the nite.

I'll head for Santa Cruz tomorrow. Hopefully I get some sun for this next leg.  Enough of the lousy weather, its meant to be summer!

Weatherfaxes thro the SSB are coming in strong and clear now I'm in the ocean.

South Beach harbor

Finally the weather is looking up, we should be good for sailing out the gate tomorrow. We sailed across the bay and tied up at Southbeach harbor. Ali will catch the train up to the city tonite and meet me and the girls for a meal out in the city. Hopefully the weather holds. Im tempted to stay at SouthBeach another few days as Paul McCartney is playing at the ball park next to the marina. All the tickets are sold out long ago, but we can anchor in McCovey cove and hear the concert pretty well. Its the same cove the kayakers go to pick up the baseballs that are hit out of the park.

Tiburon & Sausalito

We left Angel Island this morning for Sams Anchor Cafe at Tiburon. There is a coffee shop here we like that has great eclairs. The weather is very overcast and windy (from the wrong direction) partially caused by 2 hurricanes of the Mexican coast. We need these to pass so we can get back to the regular NW winds and sun for our passage to Halfmoon bay. The unusual weather is forecast to end this week, but every day it seems to slip.

Its great to be out port hopping again. Everyone is interested in what we are up to and were we are headed.

There is free wireless internet at Sams so I'm using that to get software loaded on the laptop. We will probably head over to Sausalito tonite and either anchor out in Richardsons bay or tie up at our favorite alongside at Schoonmaker marina.

Sausalito is a main hub for sailors passing thro San Francisco on the tradewind route south, Plenty of marine supplies, restaurants and a low key funky atmosphere make this a cool stop.

We hit our usual Pizza place in Sausalito for dinner and headed back in the dinghy for a very quiet night.

First nite at Angel Island

We cast off at 9am this morning. Got a great send off from my neighbors at the marina. My daughters Sophie and Lisa are going to spend the first few days with me and then Ali will join me to sail under the Golden Gate and down to Halfmoon Bay. We are tied up to the moorings at Angel Island for tonite.
The new jib sail is working great and allows me to sail much higher into the wind. It's also reefs really well which was handy as it was blowing 30knots across the slot this afternoon.
All the new boat systems are working well.

Final cleanup

Ali came down to the boat today to help me be brutal about tidying up and removing unnecessary junk. She is infinitely superior in packing/sorting/organizing than me and we managed to remove about a cubic yard of stuff that I didn't really need. I actually have room for some clothes and food now!

The A/C system worked out great as it was hot today. I'm so glad I took the time to install it now.

The all important "Gumby" survival suit. You don't even need a boat with this!