Santa Barbara

Tuesday, October 11

After rolling at anchor all night, we were anxious to secure one of the very few visitor slips in the marina. Some of Santa Barbara’s docks are under construction making it a tight fit for transients. Before 9 we pulled up at the Harbormaster’s office, right next to West Marine! While we waited, a uniformed marina worker strode up to the boat and popped a florazine dye tablet into each of our heads. We never flush overboard in marinas, but this was the first time we’d seen anything but the honor system in use. Confirming warnings that the relaxed approach to cruisers would change in Southern California, the amount of registration paperwork increased as well. Security in the marina required the use of a gate card for every entrance, even the on-dock bathrooms.

Even from the marina we could see that we had really arrived in Southern California. The beachfront walk is planted with palm trees. To us they look unreal and out of place. Everyone exercising on the walk seemed tall blond and athletic. The only other tall trees are eucalyptus.

We visited the Maritime Museum, also on the dock, and enjoyed the large exhibit on deep sea diving equipment lots of which was used in the oil drilling business, by the Seals and for wreck salvage. Their Channel Island restoration video and the good reports on the recovery of the sea bass, brown pelican and other island populations is encouraging. Strangely these droughty islands had been used for sheep and cattle ranching which destroyed vegetation and allowed some nasty foreign species like rats to take over. Now where these have been removed the former natives are returning nicely.

For dinner we found ourselves cheating a little, eating at Brophy’s overlooking the marina. They make the best clam chowder since Joe Knowles! Afterward we watched fisherman unloading huge nets full of spiny urchins into bins on the dock.

Southern California (or is this Hollywood?)

Monday, October 10

South of Port San Luis the coast of California bends to the east, rounding Points Arguello and Conception, notorious for nasty conditions in a blow. Charlie had been worrying a bit and wanted to take the turn when the weather was stable. Favorable northwesterlies, 25 knots, had been blowing every day and were forecast to continue. Figuring we’d sail the 75 miles to San Miguel Island in time to anchor in daylight, we took off at 4 a.m. in hopes that the rounding wouldn’t be tough. Of course we ended up with a double reefed main and half the jib for most of the trip. Unfortunately dense fog diminished our enjoyment of the scenery, entirely obscuring views of “Irene” our first oil rig!

As actual wind speeds of over 30 brought us to within 12 miles of Cuyler Harbor an hour ahead of schedule, our feet got colder and colder. Anchoring in foggy, unknown and possibly poorly protected conditions seemed unwise. Luckily the cautious skipper du jour, Charles, made the call to change course. We jibed over to a fast beam reach headed for the mainland.

It seemed that within a few minutes of re-entering the shipping lanes in Santa Barbara Channel the weather warmed, the fog cleared, angels began to sing and we discovered for dinner a very tasty packet of Indian curry that required us only to boil water. The only disconcerting element turned up close to shore where we powered into oily water. It actually smelled quite strong. Later we learned that just north of Santa Barbara the Coal Oil Point area has oil seeps. There was no room in the marina but with the big bright moon anchoring outside Sterns Wharf was no problem.

We explore Morro Bay

October 8, 2011

This morning we dinghied around the Bay taking in the amazing bird life on the shore.

Morro Bay was the end point of our Big Sur bike tour so naturally we had to revisit the inn from the water. It’s next to a huge rookery, empty at this season, for herons, cormorants and egrets.

White pelicans ranged on the tideflats, willets and curlews flew by us in droves and lots of other little birds that were too far to see drilled into the mud. Later we joined a bunch of MBYC members watching the sailing club from Cal Poly as they ran around the short obstacle filled race course set up by the YC. The kids ranged from At One with the Boat to What’s a Jibsheet? (Actually they reminded me of us SYC adult Vanguard sailors.) We had a riotous commentary going from the club’s balcony as they took turns racing in the club’s Flying Juniors. No one capsized and there was only one mild collision with a hapless vessel on a mooring. Thank goodness we’d moved Gratitude to a buoy further up the harbor first thing in the morning.

Charlie enjoyed a too short schmooze with the skipper of a beautiful Tartan 47 who was ited up at the dock. They exchanged tips on tying to a mooring ball. Charlie's new gadget proved the most effective, though he did have to replace a plastic pin with a metal screw. We walked around town via the waterfront boardwalk and discovered that it's a huge tourist destination!

In the late afternoon I took a walk to the rock. Morro means turban or dome shaped rock. It’s a volcanic plug, revealed by erosion, actually from an ancient volcano. Many interesting kinds of lava can be seen when you get close. One of the fabled peregrine falcons of the rock flew past me as I approached and another soared at the top of the rock. On ocean beach behind the rock the Scholastic College Surf competition tents were set up. Even though a frigid northerly was howling at about 25 knots out there, half a dozen talented nuts in wetsuits could be seen paddling out to catch the last of the day’s good waves.

October 9
Before heading to Port San Luis for the night, we took an hour paddling around the marshes and mudflats. The birding was wonderful. Long billed curlews, dowagers, willets but most amazing was the immense flock of small (maybe least?) sandpipers coating the edges of one little island. Help me, bird friends. We only had the iPhone for pix.

Overnight to Morro Bay

October 6

Watching the weather, listening on the radio which only covered north to Monterey and downloading GRIB files, etc kept Charlie’s attention. It was raining frequently, occasionally with thunder. Finally we took off Thursday afternoon with dark clouds over the coastal mountains but a smooth and sunny sea to the west. Wave spray shot high on the rocky Pt Pinos, and Pebble Beach Golf Course gleamed green reminding of the beginning of our Big Sur bike ride in 2000.

After a long twilight the gibbous moon lit our way until 3 am. The wind filled in from the northwest as predicted sending us along at a nice 6-7 knots for most of the night. What a great break-in “solo” for these ancient mariners. On the dawn watch I saw several small birds in the air. A couple of meadowlarks circled the boat, one landing for a while on our jackline. It was actually panting for a few seconds. Over beers that night at Morro Bay YC a fellow cruiser mentioned another boat with a small bird visitor that flew into the cabin and slept through the night!

Monterey

October 3-5

Finally the fall rains have come to California. We arrived in Santa Cruz’s little slit of a harbor during a downpour. Though the docks were all usable, signs of damage from last winter’s tsunami were everywhere. Plywood nailed over dock joints, boards securing the connections around pilings. There is a brand new dock and several more planned. We noticed the surge shuttling us back and forth in the slip all night but it was nothing like the rushing river from the tidal wave that sank a dozen boats.

Monterey, on the southern shore of the same bay, provided more excitement starting with hundreds of birds outside the harbor, including rhinoceros auklets that we haven’t seen in CA before. The splashes of sea lions attracted attention a mile out. We noticed many groups, some porpoising along as if migrating. In addition bigger splashes revealed a few pods of Risso’s dolphins also on the hunt. These 13 foot light grey dolphins have tall dorsal fins and whitewashed heads. New to us.

Monterey Bay has the most pristine ocean environment we’ve seen along the coast. Clearly the feeding was great for marine mammals. The long breakwater was crowded with sea lions, the stench of their breath driving us to hold our own breath. Kayak tours headed for the kelp beds along the beaches to observe the fast growing sea otter population. In the marina Charlie oooed as a mother otter swam by with her baby on her tummy. Very cute.

Monterey used to be the sardine capital of the country. Its front street, renamed Cannery Row after Steinbeck’s novel now would be corniest row. I’ve never seen so many tee shirts with hokey slogans. Business was slow. At least 4 restaurants gave us free chowder samples. Luckily we found the Tuesday night farmers’ market open and bought Brussels sprouts to go with our swordfish from the same pier as our marina.

The biggest draw of Monterey for us was the Aquarium. Getting there via a walking trail on the old railway bed, we stopped to watch the harbor seals posing on single rocks like granite sculptures on plinths. Also novel were white egrets standing on kelp mats to fish. One almost lost its life to a lunging sea lion! We spent pretty much the whole day looking at the exhibits and going to feedings and informative talks in the auditorium. The huge ocean tank has a great while shark and a mola mola or ocean sunfish as well as dozens of other fish including anchovy schools.

Good-bye to the Bay

Sunday, October 2

Powering out of the Bay this morning I recalled my first impression two years ago when aboard Jarana we pulled into the Saint Francis YC. On a sunny day that spot really has the best view of the Bay we've ever seen in all our travels here. Of course it was too late to photograph this morning.

We had a calm jump to Pillar Point at the north end of Half Moon Bay. This harbor is created with two outer breakwaters and another one inside. Very sheltered. Passersby trolled the docks buying fresh fish, abalone and crab right off the fishing boats. In the evening we took a walk at low tide past the Half Moon YC and got a laugh out of young kids shouting for the little ferry to bring them in from the club's float.

The light was beautiful and turned seaweed and jellyfish into jewels on the glistening sand. Good beer, Mad Dog Bitter, at Half Moon Bay Brewery for dinner.

San Francisco Finale

Friday, September 30

For the last day of the week and month, Edie and I decided to visit the deYoung museum in Golden Gate Park. We spent a delightful hour there looking at African art and visiting Martine's great great aunt's portrait as painted by her great aunt, Mary Cassat.

Also a lot of early American furniture that reminded me of home.

We then joined the throngs of walkers and bike riders flooding into the park headed to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival on streets closed to cars. The sunny weather brought out just about every music who could escape from work and half of them came on bikes. Could this be the future of transportation in the US? We settled for a while at the Banjo stage to listen to John Pryne.

That evening we had dinner with the Schiffs who told us that the festival had been running for about 10 years and is a gift to the city from Warren Hellman, whose group the Wronglers also played in the festival!

Saturday, October 1

For our last day in SF it felt as if the city had planned al all day send off for us. In the morning we powered over from Berkeley, tied up at St Francis YC and promptly pedaled off over the Presidio (pant pant) to revisit the festival. Back at the Banjo stage we found Earl Scruggs, age 87, and two sons plucking away for a mellow crowd of sunburned beer drinkers, dancers in long skirts and short (well, absent for a lot of guys) tops, and that certain aroma in the air, the old familiar scent of burning weed. Scruggs played many of the old faves starting with Salty Dog.

Afterwards with the assistance of iPhone echolocation we managed to pinpoint our friend Blake among the 250,000 in attendance. He generously offered a Bud Light to rehydrate us for the ride back to the YC.

There we prepared to celebrate Kelly's 30 birthday in style at Le Central, an excellent French restaurant. She got a lot of useful stuff for her apt including a VeggieChop from us and a vac from Edie. What a wonderful conclusion to this delightfully entertaining month!