We’re just a few minutes away from rounding Pt. Conception. Our ETA for rounding is 1:20 AM. This is a notorious point along the California coast dubbed by numerous sailors as “The Cape Horn of the Pacific”.
brian-trautman
Before Brian and I embarked on this trip, we used to dream about what the cruising life might entail — we pictured long, restful days of lounging in the sun and doing whatever we pleased. I thought it might be similar to retired life… Only with later mornings, later nights, and no golf.
After a busy week in Monterey getting our PADI dive certifications we decided it was time to head further South. Our next stop was Pebble Beach about 25 miles down the coast. Since the trip was short we left after a leisure morning and lunch.
The morning that we arrived in Monterey Bay, the sky opened up. The stars and moon appeared to be just feet above the mast — I was tempted to throw a rope around the dazzling crescent and pull it onto the boat.
We woke up yesterday morning to clear skies and no fog! The forecast wasn’t ideal- light and variable winds out of the South (direction of our travel) but we decided it was time to say goodbye to Half Moon Bay and head further south to Monterey which is around 70 miles away.
We’re anchored in the flat, calm waters of Half Moon Bay, about 20 miles south of San Francisco bay. We’d planned to spend only one night here — last night — but the thought of navigating the foggy coastline for miles is less than enticing.
For the last week or so we’ve been tied to a dock at Schoonmaker marina- partly out of convenience and partly out of necessity. With much luck our new friend Kevin was able to dig our lost prop out of the mud of Richards bay in Sausalito.
We found the propeller! We asked a friend of a friend, Kevin – a professional diver who also sailed his boat down here from Seattle – to set up a search and rescue mission for us…
We crossed under the Golden Gate bridge just after 6AM on Thursday, August 27th. The trip from Seattle took just over 5 days non-stop. Since then we’ve explored the city, gotten busted by a trasit cop for jumping tolls, and saw the Giants get killed at ATT Park right down the street from our marina.
During the 10PM-2AM watch last night we saw the highest sustained winds of the trip- 16 knots as we rounded Cape Mendocino. Ryan said that last week someone he know saw 60 knots, and 40 knots are predicted for 2 days from now.
Day 4, Cape Blanco, OR to Cape Mendocino, CA — posted by Erin
The days are blurring together. Our sleep comes in fits due to the watch schedule we’re on – we rotate three on/three off around six hour shifts during the day and four hour shifts during the night.
Right now we’re about 40 miles North of Coos Bay Oregon and about 45NM away from shore. We haven’t seen land since turning the corner at Cape Flattery on Saturday night. However, I do have an ardent desire to visit the neighborhood areas of Oregon, especially Summit West, Bend.
I have heard a lot about its beauty from a friend of mine who has recently settled here. It has just been a month for her and she is already captivated by the beauty of the land. When she first decided to purchase a home here (perhaps with the help of Bernard Group- https://bernardrealestategroup.com/summit-west-bend-or/), she told me that she was a bit skeptical. But after she moved here, she has been telling me to pay her a visit as the location offers quite the sight. That is why I have been considering to visit this place for a long. Hopefully, when this sailing trip gets over, I could visit her.
That said, for now, I will just focus on the progress of sailing. Honestly, the progress has been steady making 168NM on Saturday and 173NM on Sunday.
We’re in Oregon waters! The Columbia River is about 40 miles to the East of us, and we’re heading south at 5.5 knots (about 6mph). Not fast, but we’re sailing.
We departed Shilshole Bay Marina at 6AM and started motoring North towards the Straights of Juan de Fuca. Our F-dock neighbors were kind enough to help us shove off and give us a final farewell. Where else would your neighbors rise at the crack of dawn to see you off?
Maybe Tomorrow: Desolation Sound BC Canada — posted by Brian
We’re just over two weeks into our trip to Desolation Sound and finally starting to feel in the groove. The last few weeks before leaving were such a busy rush it took time to wind down.
Brian and I are two weeks into a month long exploration of British Columbia. Right now we’re anchored in Garden Bay – one of a group of small bays in Pender Harbor, a few hours north of Vancouver by car.
To Cruise Or Not To Cruise- That is the Question- Princess Louisa Inlet, BC Canada — posted by Brian
A few weeks ago a buddy from high school came into town for a conference. We were sitting around one afternoon in the boat chatting about our cruising plans. I was going on and on about our preparations.
The Search for the Perfect Boat- Port Madison, WA USA — posted by Brian
Searching for the perfect boat is a lot like looking for the perfect mate. There is searching and courtship followed by what’s hopefully a long and happy relationship.