01/04/2013, Home Sweet Home
There is a constant site in estuary anchorages in Mexico and the States. A boat aground when the tide, current and wind conspire against the boat owner that anchored just a bit too close to edge of deep water. Typically there isn't any real damage to the boat because as bad as it looks most boats can take a gentle drying-out but it sure is easier to look at when it's not your boat!
Combine cheap anchoring and moorings with flat calm water and you can find them everywhere from Puerto Escondido and La Paz Mexico to Morro Bay, California. Boat that stopped being "boats" long ago but to someone is home. Local Government agencies and Harbor commissions try to kick them out and make their life harder through anchoring limitations and various rules, but the Float Aboard or Sea Gypsys always find a way around the maze of rules and regs designed to run them out. Morro Bay actually has more than it's fair share of floating (or not so floating) water condos, but it's part of what gives the area it's charm.
Jason and I took a dinghy tour of the estuary and about fell out of our dingy laughing at this boat owner who turn a bumper sticker political slogan into his boat name. I bet I know who he voted for last Nov.
What isn't a Lie is just how much we like Morro Bay. We have been coming here for short day visits as far back as I can remember, but this is the first time we have been here by boat. We have already met lots of friendly live aboards and unlike the novelty of us living aboard in Port San Luis, living aboard here in Morro Bay is quite common.
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01/01/2013, 3 to 4 Vote for Mexico
It was delayed for weather and circumstance many times, but on the last day of 2012 we dropped our mooring line and left Port San Luis. As we were departing, talked turned to the last time we motored away from Port San Luis back on Sept 28th, 2008. It took us 4 years to come back but this time should be different...right? At the tip of the Port San Luis breakwater we faced our choice. We could turn South, enter radio and blog posting silence and in 13 days be anchored in the La Paz, Mexico estuary before anyone knew what we were up to, OR we could turn North and have our anchor down in Morro Bay by 3PM. The crew was called, the options weighed and secret ballot vote was called using 4 flash cards. An "X" on the card was a vote for Mexico and an "O" was for Morro Bay. With agreement that Mexico needed to be unanimous, the lots were cast and counted. No hanging chads were found and the final tally was 3 votes for Mexico. No time for "cliff-like" negotiations, so Morro Bay here we come.
The story of the trip was the cold. The kids hearing the engine starting reflexively hid below and turned on a DVD for the trip, while Lori and I stayed out in the cockpit enjoying the green mount views and trying to keep warm. The "Princess" as I'm known is now back in an estuary anchorage and folks can remember just how hard it is to pry me out or a calm estuary once I've dug in like a tick. We haven't even been here 24hrs yet and I'm already calling Morro Bay home.
At slack tide today in about 30 minutes, we will pull our anchor and with Jason playing emergency tug boat with the dinghy, we will pull into our slip on the commercial fishing boat dock. Along with the dock lines and fenders, the shore power cord stands ready to light up our AC power panel to give our trusty Honda 2000 generator a rest. 2013 will start off well: continuous hot water for showers and dishes, AC space heaters, and happy batteries in float mode. I've already told Lori that this will be the life of Luxury I promised. Strange, that she doesn't seem as excited as I am, but then again the smell of fish and chip fry grease from the tourist strip 50ft away is more of an aphrodisiac to me than her.
Be determined to make 2013 the year you start what you have always said you would, but never made the time for. Happy New Year.
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12/29/2012, The Mythical Move to Morro Bay
We have been try to drop the mooring ball and head to Morro Bay. Honestly we have, there just constantly seems to be something getting in our way. Our latest plan-gone-bust was for today, which was canceled when we were jostled out of bed at 1AM by winds, rocking and rolling. The bummer is that last night we prepositioned a car on Morro Bay, so now today we have to go pick it back up and then drop it off again Sunday night for our next scheduled attempt for Monday morning. Leaving a parked car for more than a day on a tourist beach town street is a sure way to either get a ticket or worse, your car towed away. The rumor has already started that our move to Morro Bay is a myth, but since we have already paid our $400 for January 1st-31st, we will eventually make it.
I had a question about how our move to Morro Bay will affect the kids school. Surprisingly, the move will be pretty easy. The kids will change bus stops and we will have to drive them a short distance to the new bus stop rather than just drop them off at the pier. Since we will be able to step on/off the boat in the mornings, driving them a short distance to their new bus stop won't be too much drama....ya right...we live on a boat....everything is drama!
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