We'd had a nice stay in Monterey, but it was time to move on. The plan had been to make our getaway on the 19th, but unfavorable winds kept us in one more day and the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club was willing to tolerate another night with Mabrouka at their dock. Andante had left two days before with suitable weather, but I guess we just hadn't had enough of this fine town and let them go off on their own.

September 20th dawned clear with a good northwesterly breeze, so we departed in convoy with Friday. We both hoped to meet up with Andante downcoast in Morro Bay. Rounding out of Monterey Bay at Point Pinos, we headed off with both boats setting sail on a reach around Cypress Point and southward along a rugged stretch of California coast headed for another overnight run.

We hadn't seen much of the whales that had so entertained us on the way in to Monterey, but sometime in the early afternoon we sighted whale spouts ahead of Friday who was a little inshore of us off our port quarter. Whales have become a bit of a worry for some of my fellow boaters who get concerned about collisions between the massive beasts and their little boats with their fragile keels. I just can't get fussed about that, I suppose because Mabrouka is a bit of a whale herself. Sorry, honey, but your keel IS massive.

Anyway, we radioed Friday to put them on the lookout. I'm not sure they ever saw them, but they did have a close encounter. Jim was looking their direction for spouts when he saw one whale breach, completely clearing the water except for its tail right off Friday's port quarter. Neither Amanda nor Jared ever saw it, turning only in time to see the splash afterwards. I didn't happen to be looking that direction either, but would have loved to have seen it, even from Jared's proximity. It would have scared me I'm sure, but it would have been the image of a lifetime.

We lost track of Friday sometime during the night and motor-sailed alone into Morro Bay the next morning. It was glassy calm in the grey light and we could see the occasional sea otter floating on its back and munching its morning crustacean. Morro Rock marked the entrance with its iconic presence as we rode the incoming tide into the bay to anchor next to Andante. It was good to see them again.

We learned by radio that Friday had had some overheating problems during the night. They were safe, but came in several hours behind us. I think it turned out to be a jelly fish they'd sucked up into the sea strainer. Tough for the jelly, but no big deal for Jared.