August 24, 2007

After a nice walk around Bodega Bay to discover that there was not much to do there except walk, we returned to the boat for cocktails, dinner and continuing problem solving. We have not solved all the world's problems yet, but we are having great conversations.

At the marina, we met another sail-boating couple who had also left from Shilshole Bay in early August and were also heading down to San Diego. They told us that yet another boat from Tacoma was also at Bodega Bay that evening. This is mentioned to assure all our friends who think we have lost our minds that boaters do these trips all the time. As a matter of fact, there are at least three routes that are charted for boats to follow. We chose the Express Route which is a bit farther out but is supposed to be free of crab pots which one would not want to start dragging, as that would severely impede the forward progress of a boat-one of the things we look out for on our watches. It would also impact the livelihood of the crabbers who we used to watch from our windows in Ocean Park.  So, we are trying our best to avoid them.  The crab pot-less zone seems to be largely ignored in Washington State where they were a big hassle, somewhat upheld in Oregon where we still had to be very aware, and pretty much respected in California. This may be due to the amounts of crab available in each state or to enforcement, I do not know, but it has been nice not to have to work actively to avoid them recently. We generally are from 5 - 20 miles offshore and have been able to see land as long as it is not foggy.

We left for San Francisco on Monday, August 20. There was thick fog until about noon, so we were on fog watch (with radar) all morning. It is very eerie, and the sense of sound seems to be much heightened during the experience. When the fog lifted, we had good wind coming from the Northwest - finally. So we raised sails and sailed all afternoon. The seas were more like what we had thought we would experience on the Pacific Ocean - swells with whitecaps and choppy conditions that made for some rocking and rolling. It got so windy, that we lowered the jib, but Ralph was able to sail into San Francisco Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge with just the main - and we made maximum boat speed with just the one sail. He was very pleased as that was something he had long wanted to do.

We dropped the main in front of Alcatraz and docked at a marina within two miles of the bridge. That evening, we explored the Marina District and had a great dinner at a Vietnamese Restaurant on Steiner and Chestnut. The next morning, we left to thick fog and could not even see the bridge! The forecast was for increasing weather and sea conditions the following day such that we were going to have to seek a port where we could stay until conditions were safe for sailing. Monterey was our destination as we left San Francisco Bay. We reefed the main as we set the sails. However, the conditions were lighter than predicted and we made slow progress until we took the sails down and then we really started experiencing the Pacific Ocean. Swells were perhaps to 6 feet with added waves and whitecaps on top of that. It gusted to more than 30 mph. We were never in any danger, but we did get some more jostling about and decided to turn the autopilot off. Ralph drove the boat to maximize our comfort and did a great job. Conditions calmed down when we reached the Monterey Bay and were docked in the marina at around 10:30 p.m.  We are finding out that it is trickier to do everything in the dark, but, guess that makes us better sailors (or we hope that is the case!). 

On Wednesday, we started exploring Monterey. We played 9 holes at Pacific Grove Golf course and had dinner on Fisherman's Wharf. That evening we listened to the current conditions on the NOAA Weather Radio Channel and swells to 10 feet were reported (they measure swells from half-way up, so those are pretty darn big) with waves to 6 feet on top of that (our boat can handle a combination of the two to about 30 feet, but we have no intention of testing that quite yet...). We were glad to be ashore and so we prepared to wait the situation out. Making the best out of the situation, Ken and Ralph played Pebble Beach (starting at 6:50 a.m.) on Thursday while I explored the beach area near the Marina and the historic district around Alvarado Street.

In the afternoon, Ralph and I went on a Carmel Valley wine tasting expedition and found a couple of bottles of red that we liked from a new, small, family run winery - Boete Winery. Today, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium: it is spectacular. We enjoyed lunch on Cannery Row and a trip to the local Ghirardelli store for some chocolate (making Ken and Ralph quite happy). We have had fun waiting for the weather system to pass and it appears that we will leave tomorrow for Moro Bay.

August 19, 2007

We left Astoria on 8/14 and again tried to sail - and again there was no wind. But, we are going to experience another first - our first overnight on the Pacific Ocean.  So far, cooking on the boat has been fairly easy due to the calm conditions.  And, Ralph is using the grill which makes for some simple, but, delicious fare.  Tonight, after dinner, we saw a whale up close as it swam through the water, breached, and then thumped its tail on the ocean many times. That was quite the sight!  When we are out on the open water over night, it is necessary to have someone looking out for freighters, fishing vessels, and whatever might come our way at all times.  We are being casual during daylight hours with no official watches.  But, at night, our watches are:  Ken 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Ralph 1-4, and me 4-7. Ken had just started his watch when the fog rolled in.  It enveloped the boat, indeed, and visual sight distance was non-existent.  He and Ralph successfully dealt with that using radar, GPS and careful lookouts, and it was long gone by my watch, I am happy to say. The morning of the 15th, porpoises swam by the bow of the boat right at daybreak. What a way to start the day! We arrived in Bandon in the afternoon and relaxed the rest of the day.  Hot showers on land were the highlight. Thursday we went to Brookings and Friday night we spent in Eureka.  We fueled up in Eureka (Inspiration has one tank with only 55 gallons).  The fuel dock was made for larger boats and so we really had to maneuver the boat and the lines in order to secure us to the cement wall.  That made for a pretty exciting time and we were glad to get the boat off it without doing any damage to it or us.     

After leaving Eureka, we were able to sail a bit and we ran with the wind for a time. The north wind is supposed to be the one that blows this time of year and it was great to finally find it-however short lived. Our second overnight was last night and there was no fog. The sky was jammed full of stars and so, of course, now I will want to read the book Ralph bought that will identify some of them.  It was so reminiscent of camping because there is no light out on the ocean so the stars are visible from horizon to horizon. 

We arrived in Bodega Bay, just north of San Francisco, early afternoon on August 19. It is a beautiful day here - sunny and warm - and we are going for a walk into town. We'll see if we have developed sea legs yet and see what there is to see on land.  We may do a bit of provisioning before returning to start another discussion where we solve the world's problems one cocktail at a time.  Maybe we'll have the energy to do that tonight.

First Leg of the Trip

Well here we go!  We closed our business and are ready to start some new adventures. While the house that Ralph is building in Albuquerque is not yet complete, the weather conditions for a trip down the west coast are right and we are feeling as if we don't do it now, we may miss our opportunity.  We are not getting any younger!  So with visions of Trinidad dancing in our heads, we are starting out by taking our shake down cruise to San Diego. In San Diego we can completely outfit our boat and then continue southward after hurricane season is over. This will be out first blue water sailing experience so neither of us know exactly what to expect.  We shall find out!  

Ralph and I left Olympia on Sunday, August 5, 2007.  Jim and Susie Rolland took us to Inspiration, a 47" Benetteau sailboat.  After a champagne toast, we headed north and spent the first night off Blake Island on a mooring buoy.  We then went to Seattle and docked Shilshole Bay Marina where we continued provisioning the boat.  I was able to spend an enjoyable day with my sister, Kathy, who is recuperating from hip and thumb fractures or we would have gotten her and Don out to join us.  However, she provisioned us with lettuce and basil which we enjoyed for our first week out.

Our friend, Ken Gollings, is accompanying us on our trip to San Diego.  He met up with us at Shilshole on Wednesday and we sailed to Port Ludlow and spent the night.  Then it was on to Port Angeles and finally, Neah Bay.  We have now sailed the wild and feared Strait of Juan de Fuca and the winds were stronger and the water choppier than any we'd had before.  We were discussing our ideas on what open ocean water would be like when we rounded Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island and entered the Pacific Ocean on Saturday the 11th. The weather forcast indicated NW winds at 10-15 knots but that did not materialize and the mighty Pacific looked alot like a big bathtub. Nonethess, we were sailing the Pacific Ocean and there is no turning back.  

Because there was not much wind, we arrived in Westport late at night and were guided in the river area by beacons and lights.  That was a good "shake out" night landing but we found the dock we were looking for and spent the night.  After a big breakfast, we headed down the coast for Astoria, OR. It was fun to sail past the Long Beach Peninsula and view the landmarks (including our house in Surfside) that we knew from when we lived there. We called several friends who have houses with views of the Pacific and were able to reach Bruce and Patty Wood who saw us going past. Crossing the treacherous Columbia River Bar past Cape Disappointment (so named for the number of sailing vessels that sunk rather than made it past) was the very exciting. The conditions were good but there were still plenty of choppy waves and swells that kept the boat bouncing around.  The mighty Columbia River was flowing to the sea with great force and, thus, impeded forward progress.  However, we made it in good order with much excitement as we experience our firsts on this trip and the boat keeps on floating! 

In Astoria we did some cleaning, grocery shopping and laundry. We enjoyed the view of Jim Reichert's and John Berdes' house and conversations with both of them. Jan and Dick Grambo drove down from Long Beach to treat us all to dinner at Fulio's.

It was much faster to get out of Astoria downriver, but, once again, in spite of favorable wind reports, wind remains elusive. It is much warmer today, August 14, and I am not wearing the typical several layers of clothing. 

So far, so good. It is a simpler way to live-back to basics. Time is different on the ocean and it is impossible to be in a hurry. We find that we can fill a day being gently lulled by the waves and swells, and, before we know it, it is time for lunch, then dinner, then bed. We have spotted a few whales, dolphins, seals, and lots of varieties of birds.  And, of course, salmon and other fish are in seeming abundance.