The last day of our trip was perfect - sunny and warm with calm seas and a breeze at our back. We left Pillar Point after breakfast and hoisted sail as we cleared the breakwater. Within 2 tacks we were headed directly toward the San Francisco approach bouy. A nice little SW breeze was starting to fill in so we launched the mizzen staysail and were soon clipping 7 kts of boat speed in 8 kt of wind. Sweet!
The sky was so clear that by the time we passed the northern most bouy for Pillar Point we could already see the tops of the towers for the Golden Gate bridge over 17 miles away. Joni and I went up to the bow and let Tradition sail herself while we watched the water gliding by. I was glad that the long trip north was done but also a bit sad to see our adventure coming to an end.
We crossed under the Golden Gate just before 1400 on a flood tide. The wind picked up to its usual velocity in the slot and the ocean swell dissapeared... a perfect weekday afternoon to be sailing the Bay. Within an hour we were in our slip at Emeryville. It felt a bit surreal to be home again but sipping a congratulatory glass of wine in the cockpit on a sunny weekday afternoon and talking about all we learned on this trip and where we might go on our next voyage left us feeling like we were still in vacation mode. Life is good.
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We left in the early gray morning and headed across the bay on a line directly for Ano Nuevo. Whales often feed in the deep canyons of the Monterey Bay - and we saw plenty! One pod of 3 or 4 whales surfaced just a few yards off our bow and then proceeded to pound the water with their tails and leap into the air in a spectacular display that lasted 15 minutes.
Later in the day, the sailing gods gave us a gentle Southwest breeze and we finally turned off the motor & launched the spinnaker. (when we counted the days motoring vs. sailing it turns out we are 50/50 for the whole trip).
Arrived in the familiar Pillar Point harbor just before sunset - looking forward to the short sail into San Francisco tomorrow and them home to family.
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We left San Simeon at 0230 and headed a few miles due west to clear the rocks at Piedras Blancas. It we more than a bit unsettling to see the chartplotter display go blank periodically (another fix-it item to add to my list). Fortunately, Joni had agreed last night to keep our Dead Reckoning log. Once we were clear of the rocks we turned north... and motored with the wind dead on our nose for the next 17 hours. It would be our longest leg of the trip.
We planned to stay within a few miles of the rugged coast most of the way. It was cold and overcast the whole day. The coastal mountains were hidden in clouds and the bluffs along the Big Sur coastline were beautiful but looked as cold as we were.
The highlight came as we passed Carmel and saw a pod of whales feeding in the deep canyons. We saw several leap nearly out of the water but alas, missed the photo op.
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From Cojo we motor-sailed north to Morro Bay. In the morning we walked into town for fresh pastry (yum!), refueled and continued on our way north.
The next hop was a short 25 miles to San Simeon Bay to give us a good jumping off point for our the long haul up the Big Sur coast - which had been such a wild ride on the way down.
Arrived San Simeon late afternoon and had the bay all to ourselves. The afternoon sunshine was the last blue sky we would see for awhile.
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We waited an extra day to let the weather settle down before starting our long trip north. The first day was a short 40 mile hop to Cojo. From there we would launch early the next morning for the haul around Pt. Conception.
It was mid-day when we arrived at Cojo and we enjoyed watching the surfers playing in the massive waves with the wrecks on the beach in the background. By evening, the anchorage had filled up with 7 other boats. Still nervous about rounding Conception but forecast is for very light winds. Had an early dinner and tucked in.
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We have enjoyed being Dock Rats in Santa Barbara for the past 3 days and have been increadibly lazy (a rarity on a sailing vacation I've learned). Our days are spent waking late and sightseeing or running errands in the morning. In the afternoon we nap in the cockpit while reading books and drinking wine. Even just watching near-collissions in this very busy marina can be fun.
This morning, we decided it was time to start heading up the coast towards home instead of going back out to the islands. Based on the weather forecst, it looks like our best window for jumping around Pt. Conception will start early Thursday.
So, a few more days to just hang out on the beach... and if the weather is against us, we can just relocate to Santa Barbara ;-)
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