Hate to leave...

Mary, Keith, Me, Rick, backside of Harley, Heidi and Kirk

It's another gorgeous morning here in Monterey. But we are getting ready to leave. I'm feeling a little anxious and excited at the same time. Hoping for light winds and low swells.

Mary and Keith (SV Little Wing)

Heidi and Kirk (SV Due West)

TIme for a shower I guess….

Heidi spraying some of Neil's Yard Remedies Deodorant
that she's an Independent Consultant for.
She just happened to have some with her. :)

Got to enjoy one last breakfast with Keith and Mary at Lou Lou's on the pier. Sat outside and soaked up the sun. Then as we were leaving, we ran into Heidi and Kirk. We talked and laughed, a lot. Took pictures for momento's and then checked in one more time with the Harbor Master to get weather information. All is looking fairly good for leaving around noon or 1pm today.

Bye for now!

DAY TWO MONTEREY….

So…our plans changed…we decided to stay another day in Monterey. The anchorage in front of Stillwater Cove is supposed to be choppy.  So we decided to skip it and wait 'till first thing tomorrow and do a straight shot to San Simeon and if that anchorage is too unprotected, we will keep going to Morro Bay. It's about 95 Nautical miles to San Simeon and 33 more to Morro Bay (about 25 hours total).  That will for sure be an overnight sail! Our very first on our own boat.

Last night we had a nice dinner at Albalonetti's with Keith, Mary and our new friends from Seattle, Kirk and Heidi. The food was pretty good but we mostly had more fun than the food was good. We left the restaurant around 10:30p.m.

KEITH ENJOYING HIS CRAB

This morning we woke up planning to go to Stillwater but checked with the Harbor Master on wind and weather forecast and it looks like we need to avoid it. I'm bummed but I'd rather be safe than anchor there.

Since our plans changed we decided to take a walk along the beach and head to West Marine. As we walked, Harley enjoyed a swim and fetching sticks and rocks. She also got rolled one time. We didn't see her for a moment and then she popped her head up not missing a beat.  It didn't seem to phase her at all and she was back in the water wanting more.

Now we are just getting ready for tomorrow's long journey. Sadly we will be saying goodbye to Keith and Mary. But hope to see our new friends, Kirk and Heidi a lot along the coast. They are staying put for about a week getting projects done on their boat.

This has been a really great spot for us. The weather has been intensely hot for most of the day then the wind picks up in the afternoon enough to keep it comfortable.

You probably won't be hearing from us for a while, not 'till we land in Morro Bay. Think good thoughts and stay tuned!
Maryalice and Rick

Monterey

 

Monterey Wharf

Had a nice sail from Moss Landing to Monterey. We left around 2:45 p.m. Sailed with a reefed mainsail and rolled out the jib sail. Winds were 15-18 knots. It was sunny with just a few puffy clouds.

We got to Monterey around 4:25 p.m. and dropped our anchor East of the Monterey Harbor entrance.  Keith and Mary did the same when they arrived.

The night started off calm, but then the winds picked up and the swells were big and close together.  I was in the middle of putting clothes away and trying to make our bed when I started to feel the boat rock heavily. I thought I’d better take a sea sickness pill and hurry and make dinner before things got worse. Well, I was able to put together a salad with smoked salmon, but that’s as far as I got. I handed Rick his salad, left mine on the counter and climbed up the stairs, outside into the cockpit. I had to watch the horizon or anything that wasn’t moving. Rick asked me on my way up the ladder if I wanted my dinner. I said, “NOPE!” and continued out the companionway.  I ended up spending the rest of the night out there. Rick came a while later because it was getting too rough for him down below. I was wrapped up like a burrito in my North Face mummy bag and used a big dog pillow to rest my head on. Rick came up only wearing shorts and carrying a blanket from our bed.  It made me cold just to look at him. Next, we booted Harley out of her little protected tent that I make for her every night and we each slept on either side of her. The winds howled all night!! I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco in a hurricane.  We heard later on the morning news that the wind gusted to 35mph last night. Hhhhm….that makes sense.

This morning we woke to sunshine and calm waters. But our blankets and sleeping bags were soaked from the dew.  So, after hanging up all of our sleeping gear to dry, we called Keith and Mary to see how their night went. They were up half the night too, concerned about the anchor holding up in all the wind and waves.  Keith said they were thinking about going inside the marina and getting a slip.  He did not want to go through another night like last night if they could help it. I kind of felt the same.  The vote was unanimous! We all went into the Monterey Harbor and got ourselves a slip for the night.  The Harbor Master, Brian, couldn’t have been nicer!  This was the cheapest place we have stayed, besides Moss Landing, which was free at the YC.  They have showers; Laundromat, free wi-fi, and they give you a key without asking for a deposit. If you take it with you when you leave, then they charge you.  Brian also printed out a weather forecast for us.

 Now we are just cleaning the boat and getting ready for the days to come when we won’t be near a store of any kind or showers or a Laundromat. So today will be doing a little sight seeing but mostly doing errands around town.

Moss Landing

We got to Moss Landing where we decided to stay for a night or two. We ended up finding a slip at the Moss Landing Public Harbor for $1.00 per foot. Everyone in the office was very friendly and so accommodating.  The only sort of annoying aspect of the Harbor was the over abundance of Sea lions. There were Sea Lions everywhere swimming throughout the marina and piled up on the docks. They were quite loud with their barking and the smell was eye watering.

That evening Keith and Mary stayed on their boat and Rick and I decided to walk over to this restaurant, Phil’s Fish Market, that we saw earlier in the day on a walk to the beach (dog friendly- no leash) that looked very popular! Inside the restaurant was completely full of people as well as the outside patio. The line of people was all the way out the door and into the parking lot. The wait was long for us…about an hour standing in line. But once we ordered and sat down, our food was there within minutes.  The food was very good and the portions were huge.  Comfort food all the way!  Rick said the Clam Chowder was the best he’d ever had. 

Monday Keith, Mary, Rick, Harley and I all loaded up in our dinghy and scooted down Elkhorn Slough. We saw lots of Sea Lions, Otters, Pelicans, Snowy White Egrets and many other types of birds. All of the land surrounding the slough is a wildlife preserve so we were off limits.  We putted around the entire length of the slough, which was 10 miles roundtrip. We saw Kayakers and SUP boarders, which we thought might have been a better way to go. It would have been more peaceful and we probably could have gotten closer to the wild life.

Later in the afternoon after we returned from our dinghy ride, we gave the Elkhorn Yacht Club a call to see if there was room available on their guest dock for two sailboats. Sure enough there was. Being members of the Marina Bay Yacht club, which we are members of, came in handy. We get reciprocal privileges, which entitles us to two nights free dockage (at this YC anyway).

This Marina is really cool! The guest dock sits right along a sandy beach where there are seagulls, pelicans otters cute little seals (seals do not make loud barking noises like the Sea Lions but you will hear an occasional snort or two). It is quiet here and we are protected from surge and wind.

After Keith and Mary arrived in their sailboat and we got all settled in, we walked the long dock to the Yacht Club Clubhouse to check in with the Bartender (she has many jobs at the YC). We looked around while we were there and loved it. The lounge area was decorated with the usual flags hanging from the ceiling but it also had little twinkly lights hanging as well. The room looked quite comfortable with oversized chairs and sofas.  Outside, was a brick patio surrounded by a huge green lawn with reclining chairs, fire pits and big barbeques that overlooked the marina and the channel.

Next it was time to figure out what we wanted to do for dinner. There is not much too close by so we took a very long walk along highway 1 over to the Whole Enchilada.  I didn’t mind the walking but I did mind being so close to the fast cars and trucks zooming by. 

The dinner at Whole Enchilada was worth the walk! We all enjoyed our meals, the décor and the friendly staff. The owner, even came over to our table a few times to make sure all was ok. 

The following day we woke up slowly and were in no hurry to go or do anything.  But something very exciting happened early in the morning as Rick and I walked over to the showers. As we were walking along the dock in the morning mist, we about tripped on a mother otter that just recently gave birth to a newborn pup. She was holding the little one and cleaning, nursing and coddling it. I was almost afraid to walk around it just in case she was going to be that protective way mom’s get with their little ones. But she didn’t seem to mind.  On the walk back to our boat, I quickly jumped on board and grabbed my camera to take some pictures. I actually stayed for a while just watching the two.  I was about 2’ away from them and mom did not seem to have a problem. 

Around 11ish, Rick and I walked back along the highway with Harley to the Whole Enchilada Farmer’s Market. We also walked through a little town (a block long) that seems to be opened only on the weekends. We walked by the Haute Enchilada and peeked inside because it looked so adorable on the outside.  Well, the inside was pretty incredible too. I took lots of pictures, I liked it so much. We found out that the Haute Enchilada is owned by the daughter of the owner of the Whole Enchilada. But the Haute Enchilada uses organic ingredients and has a little Cuban flair mixed in with the Mexican cuisine. And it is dog friendly!

We plan to leave this sweet little haven and head to Monterey today. We will stay one night or two and then anchor out at Still Water Cove in Pebble Beach for a night before we do an overnight sail to Morro Bay.

Mary and Keith are planning to go as far as Monterey with us. We’re trying to talk them into going as far as Mexico. 

To be continued… And…pictures to follow when I get better Internet reception!

October 17th...

On October 17^th, we loaded up the boat and found places for things we didn’t know we had. Our water line took a hit! It was a busy day getting loose ends finished up. One highlight of the day was a visit from my daughter, Lauren, who came to spend some time…and to say her goodbye.  It was good to see her but I felt sad the second she drove off.  After I wiped away the tears, I got into task mode and finished getting everything done that I needed to.

It’s been hard for both Rick and I to really get excited about our upcoming trip with all of the stress that we have been under trying to prepare. It wasn’t until the next morning….our day of departure…when we left the dock at 10:00 a.m. after our friends Margo and Robert cut our dock lines, we started to feel some excitement of the journey ahead!

THE DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE

After our departure from our Marina, and heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge, our friends Keith and Mary were following in their sailboat a short ways behind us. Keith and Mary are planning to go with us as far as Monterey. Then they will be heading North back to Brickyard Cove Marina and eventually driving up to Washington to take possession of their new sailboat in Port Townsend.

After we got just outside the Gate, the winds picked up to 22-24 knots and on our nose. The seas were big and the ride was not fun! We spent three hours of clenching our teeth and gripping the sides of the cockpit while the boat bashed forcefully on each wave that came. This was not the way I wanted to start our trip. We were both a little uneasy but chuckled saying,  ‘it figures…just our luck’.

As soon as we passed the 4^th Buoy and turned left (heading South), turned off the motor and put both the Jib and the Mainsail up, life was good again! The winds were down not as high and the swells were still big but they were going with us.  I exhaled and was able to relax and enjoy the sail! The rest of the sail to Half Moon Bay was a dream.  The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear. We saw a lot of Humpback whales along the way which was very exciting!!  We saw one breach completely out of the water…of course my camera was not at the ready for that one!

We approached Pillar Point Harbor at Half Moon Bay in drizzling rain and a bit of fog around 6:25 p.m. The visibility was poor, but we managed to get ourselves into the Harbor and anchored successfully. Thank goodness for navigational charts!

Keith and Mary pulled in within minutes of our arrival. They anchored just next to us.

That night we stayed on board and had soup for dinner and just relaxed from the long 8 1/2 hour sail.

The next day, we woke to rain and were also warn out from the day before that we decided to stay another day and night at Half Moon Bay. We met up with Keith and Mary for breakfast at Ketch Joanne’s and sat outside on the patio. We walked around after our leisurely breakfast then took our dinghies back to our boats and planned to meet later for dinner ashore.

Tuesday morning we left Half Moon Bay at 6:40 a.m. in the dark. No sooner did we leave we were engulfed in the fog. We could not see anything around us or in front of us. We had to rely solely on the iPad for our navigation.

After a few hours in the fog…the sun appeared and it was warm and bright and we could see as far as the eye could see! There was not much wind so we ended up motoring all the way to Santa Cruz. There was a time as we were getting close to the Santa Cruz Harbor where we thought we’d try to put up our sails, but they just started to make lots of noise. So, the sails came down! We motored into Santa Cruz and tied up to the fuel dock, got some fuel, reported in with the Harbor Master and got an end tie right in front of our friends, Jack and Brenda who had been there for two days previous.

SUNSET FROM CROWS NEST

* Nightly fees were $1.25 per foot per night. $40.00 deposit for the key to the gate and restrooms. $25.00 for a key fob for the showers (this fee was non refundable but they can be loaded again on your next visit to the Harbor). 

Soon after we settled in, Keith and Mary arrived and got a slip on the other side of the Harbor.  Everyone was happy with their spots and we ended up spending four more days in Santa Cruz with an intention of only spending a night or two.  That’s what’s great about NOT having a schedule. 

KEITH AND MARY

Our first night in Santa Cruz, we went to the Crow’s Nest in time to enjoy appetizers at half off and sat outside on the deck watching the boats enter and leave the Harbor. We left shortly after sunset. What a view! We said our goodbyes to Jack and Brenda who were heading back towards Brickyard Cove early the next morning. We won’t be seeing them for a while. At least not for 6 months.

A BUTTERFLY JOINED US FOR BREAKFAST AT THE HARBOR CAFE 

COUSINS HANGING OUT ON THE DOCK

The next several days we took a couple of walks on the beach, visited with my sister Sydney, who we met for breakfast, who took me to her Yoga class, who took me for a haircut, to the Laundromat, and to Trader Joe’s. 

Later she introduced us to some close friends of hers who happen to also be sailors and who belong to the SCYC (which is a gorgeous YC especially at night!) 

ME AND MY SISTER, SYDNEY

One day we walked more than we had intended to! First we walked to West Marine for parts, which was almost 2 miles out, then we decided to walk to the Capitola Mall from there to find a T-Mobile store.  We were looking for T-Mobile because we heard that all calls & texts from Mexico are free. So we went there and all we had to do was to trade in one of our phones for their phones. Sounded simple enough, but I was nervous about it because I’ve lost my contacts and pictures etc. every time I’ve gotten a new phone!!  But the T-Mobile representative assured me that it would not be a problem! Well…9 hours later…. It really had turned into a fiasco! Rick had things to do on the boat so he left for the long walk back to the Harbor when he first heard it might be an hour to work things out. I stayed and waited with Harley.  It was a long boring wait so I walked the mall with Harley! I kept checking in every hour only to be told it would be an hour more. In the meantime, Rick was wondering what had happened to me since he thought I’d be back at the Harbor in a few hours at the most. And I was frustrated trying to get a hold of him to let him know that I was going to be a while.  I was calling from a pay phone and he had to borrow Mary’s phone.  We never did connect until about 8p.m. It was quite an experience and a test in patience. But now we are on T-Mobile and all is good…. as far as we know. That was the day of lots of walking! I walked the mall non-stop and Rick walked several miles back to the Harbor and I ended up taking a cab back because it was close to 9p.m.

Since we wasted an entire day at the Mall, we decided to stay another day in Santa Cruz. That was what we called the first day of vacation! The first day we did not have to do any errands and we could just do what we wanted.  The weather has been so gorgeous it was nice to be enjoying it.

CAPITOLA

After we all sailed out of the Santa Cruz Harbor, we sailed over to Capitola and pulled up a Mooring Ball and stayed for the night.  The wind and swells seemed to pick up and the boat rolled around all night long. Finally in the morning things were calm. But there was a big surf crashing at the beach where we wanted to dinghy so we decided not to go to shore. So, we ended up leaving around 11a.m.  It was a short sail over to Moss Landing and the winds were light. We motored with our Jib.

Heading to Mexico!

Stay tuned as Rick, Me and Harley embark upon a journey we have been attempting for the last 3 years. We plan to set sail on Sunday, October 18th.
      
We will be sailing on our Rifiki '37, Notre Isle, that we purchased in 2012. She was in sad shape when we first saw her, since no one had attended to her for over 12 years. We fell in love with her even knowing that we had our work cut out for us. But she was exactly the type of boat we had been wanting to go cruising in and to one day cross oceans with. She is a full keel cutter rig and weighs around 30,000 lbs. So she's very sea worthy!

Notre Isle's first trip out after getting new sail covers….still have lots more to do!

We have been working on her non-stop up until this point.  First thing we did after we took ownership was to take off all of the junk on the boat that the owner left behind! That was a feat all on it's own. We think the previous owner may have been a hoarder! A thorough cleaning was the next step. We even cleaned out the fuel tanks (which had some scary looking goop inside). Next, we replaced the dodger, purchased a few used sails (but in better condition than the ones that were on the boat ). Had Hood Sails install a stack pack, which is very handy! We then took up the teak deck and re-caulked it all (that was a goopy mess!) Then we sprung for a Monitor Wind Vane, replaced the life lines, added dog netting, had new cushions made down below (twice). 

Dickerson Diesel Heater

Purchased a beautiful used Dickerson Diesel Heater, refrigerator, and recently added a Engel portable freezer. We've took Notre Isle out of the water twice for bottom painting at KKMI. 

We've Cetolled all of the wood on the outside of the boat. On the deck, Rick made two cool wooden boxes for storage and one to put over propane tanks, that he varnished to perfection! He also made a nice platform out of Ipe (sounds like e-pay) off the boom-kin to make for better access to the wind vane.  Rick replaced all the electrical wiring & plumbing hoses. Replaced the head for an Air-head. The biggest undertaking was replacing our Volvo engine with a Beta 38! There are other items and projects I know I'm forgetting. But when owning a boat there is never such a thing as a finished project! There is ALWAYS something to do or to work on or to repair.
We are looking forward to doing that work in warmer and in more beautiful surroundings. 
We do love our Marina though and feel fortunate to have found a real diamond in the rough here at Brickyard Cove Marina in Point Richmond. We will miss it here.

Notre Isle in the middle

We are excited to take this journey and a little apprehensive as well…what with El Nino and all. But we will take our time and check the weather often!
We will miss our kiddo's and grandkids so much. But thank goodness for technology we can keep in touch!
I hope to have some more exciting posts for you after Sunday!