We arrived in Eureka Thursday evening after a 11 hour run from Crescent City, mostly in the fog. The highlight of the trip was a visit from three humpback whales. They were so close that we, meaning of course I, was a bit concerned! One of them headed slowly right for us, and kind of laid on top of the water about 100' off our bow. Jeff, wanting a closer look, was standing on the bow, looking right down into the blow hole. I stayed safely back in the cockpit, reminding him that Moby Dick might have been a true story!

Eureka is a great town, and we are staying at the brand new city dock insteady of Woodley Island where most of the cruisers go. It's pretty nice there I guess, but you have to walk about 1.5 miles across a highway bridge to get into town. At the city dock, we can walk about 1/2 mile and be right in old town. The town is celebrating their 150 year anniversary, and today there is a maritime festival. We'll take a free ferry over to the island, then watch the Coast Guard guys and the fishermen show off their stuff. There's a "Paddlefest" tomorrow, with the boats all being made of cardboard. Should be fun.

I've met several gals here in the marina that live on their boats, and have been offered a ride wherever I might need to go. Amazing how generous folks are.

We've been fortunate in that we haven't broken anything major so far. A door latch and one canvas snap. Other boats we've met have had sails tear and engines overheat. Hopefully our luck will continue as we round the infamous Cape Mendocino (Cape Bitch the cruisers call it). The weather looks ok, not great, but ok on Monday. Wind and wind waves look manageable, but the swells are from nine to 13 feet and relatively close together. I'll be stuffing pillows and towels into all the lockers before we leave for sure.

Oh, and lest you think we are basking in the warm California sun while we play with the whales, I wear silk long johns, a turtle neck, polar fleese sweats, bibs, and a float coat. Two hats, one polar fleese and one wool, and gloves.

Time to start walking into town. Thanks for your support!