Uwe
07/09/2011, San Francisco, USA

Cutting through the fog, we arrived in Monterey Marina, where Kara took a slip on her new bike and in slow motion I watched as she disappeared into the cold harbor water. A hot shower warmed her back up while I fished for the new bike with the help of the dinghy anchor.
Another long day brought us to Half Moon Bay and still not in San Francisco.
The closer we came to the Golden Gate bridge the colder it got, the wind pierced through us and no amount of extra clothing could warm us up.
Out of the harbor a few yards away from the exit buoys that guards the reef, the engine cut out. The tank was empty. Magnum only pitches back and forth in the waves. The crew gets slightly sea sick. The good news is that we have another tank full of diesel, we only have to get the air out of the line and voila, San Francisco here we come. When the bridge finally comes into view, Kara runs around in excitement. And yet she says: "I guess I'll miss the good old boat life". Under the great golden structure we make out a small but recognizable motor yacht skippered by the man who managed years ago to interest me into buying his first boat, a wooden folk boat. It was Peter Jeal and his wife Suzi. When close enough we recognized Daniel, on camera duty and Maxime on flag holding duty. The flag read "welcome home Magnum. The flag was too far away to wish a little tear out of Anne's eye.
Magnum sails under the GG Bridge after almost 5 years crossing oceans, over 35000 miles and 37 countries.
It is time to start living from our memories and continue to do so for the next few years.
We just hope we don't run into friends and acquaintances asking us "hey, didn't you guys want to go somewhere, on a boat or something?"
Magnum over and out.

Comments [5]

anne
07/06/2011, Monterey, California, USA

Patience paid off, as we rounded the dreaded Point Conception in calm conditions, with maximum gusts of 18 knots- this is calm! Typically this cape is best rounded between midnight and 8am, and most boats anchor in the bay just before it and wait. But at 4pm, the usual afternoon wind, didn't peak higher than 10 knots so we continued on, motoring through the night, on our final overnighter. We arrived in Monterey the following afternoon. Visibility was about 400 meters, and we had to sound the fog horn a few times. About 1 mile from the shore of Monterey we emerged from the fog into sunny skies and made our way into the marina. The yelping of sealions cut through the silent eeriness of Northern California's coastal fog. Indeed we are home-well almost. 2 nights rest here and then early on Friday morning, we're bound for Half Moon Bay. From there its only 18 miles into San Francisco Bay. So, all going well, before the next break in the weather, we should be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge on Saturday July 9th at noon before moving over to our slip at Emery Cove Marina, in Emeryville just across the Bay Bridge. Hoping to arrive there by 2pm. We'll keep you posted with more exact times as we get closer.

Comments [2]

anne
06/29/2011, Santa Barbara, California, USA

As you can see all is well in Venice Beach,Southern California!
It's true that we have crossed oceans in less time than it has taken us to move through Southern California. But there is this obstacle in our way, called Point Conception; often referred to as California's Cape Horn, due to its extreme forceful winds that blow rather consistently. It's half way between San Francisco and San Diego and while conditions are mostly benign south of it, the cape itself and locations north of it typify the colder temperatures and foggy conditions that fare more prominently in northern California. Hence, we are foreigners down here in Southern California, and the friendly people who stop by our boat remind us just how much, by asking us how long it took us to get down here from San Francisco! They couldn't possibly conceive of the notion that we might be heading north instead, back to all that cold and fog that makes them wince upon a mere mention.
We got to relax in the San Diego area for about a week, enjoying a reconnection with our friends Peggy and Ray, ex cruisers who we sailed with for a time, and who welcomed us into their home with open arms into which we dropped a huge pile of dirty laundry. Only if you have lived on a boat can you appreciate its significance.
We also stopped at New Port Beach and met up with a family who we hung out with in Mexico 4 years ago while on their sailboat.
Its hard not to like the lifestyle down here where everything revolves around the beach, and all the cool babes, surfers and skateboarders that surround it and of course the never far away shopping center that offers all the things no one needs. Right now we lie here waiting in Santa Barbara, (a very pleasant place to hang out), for the final window of opportunity to sail north, looks like it may happen around July 4th in the midst of the holiday celebrations.

Comments [1]