Cruising to San Francisco

In September I had a nice cruise north to visit San Francisco Bay. The trip covered 535 miles and we went as far as the Napa Valley Marina, 10 miles up the Napa River, where Evening Tide was hauled out so I could paint the bottom. Bottom paint must be redone every two years.
We had great sailing across San Pablo Bay and then went out the Gate to visit Drake's Bay, 35 miles north. I'll let the photos tell more of the story.







It was foggy as we sailed north from Pillar Point Harbor at Half Moon Bay. The fog began to clear as we approached the Golden Gate at 1 PM.

I can see that its sunny inside the Bay.



















It was Saturday and there were lots of nice boats racing.

Clouds and sun make a pretty scene.

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We anchored at Drake's Bay for a day of rest.

The wind eventually reached 25 knots.

The rocks are at the east tip of Point Reyes.

We visited the Farallones, then headed back to Pillar Point.

Sailing south towards Monterey Bay the wind reached 22 knots and the second reef was in the mainsail.

It says we are making 6.5 knots but you know we must be surfing because Evening Tide won't go this fast. Strong wind is fine if you're going downwind!

Early August Trip

I had another great trip up to San Simeon. Here are a few photos.

It was overcast on Saturday as we sailed up to San Simeon. By 10 AM the next day it was beautifully clear. As we sailed south of Point Piedras Blancas I took this photo of the rock. Doesn't it look like a dragon?

As we continued north along the coast north of the point the fishing boat "Admiral" went by. They had been on a two day trip fishing north of Piedras Blancas. Behind them is La Cruz Rock.

At 4:45 PM we were offshore from Salmon Creek Canyon. Here's the view of the mountains to the north just before we turned back. It was perfect weather all day long. This is unusual for summer when haze or even fog is common.

Next morning the fog cleared at 8:30 AM. Later the fog tried to come back and reached as far as the pier but it stayed sunny and bright where we were anchored.

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Things were perfect as we headed back to Morro Bay. We are making 5 knots with just the staysail and mainsail. The water is smooth; no swells and hardly any whitecaps. Far in the distance you can see Point Buchon which is south of Morro Bay (25 miles away). That's how good the visibility was that afternoon.

July Trip

Wednesday, July 15th. It was very foggy when we left Morro Bay and the visibility most of the day was less than one mile. The wind was very light until 1400 so it took a long time to get north of Point Estero. The afternoon wind was just right for smooth sailing. I didn't want to spend a night floating around out in the dark fog so we headed for San Simeon Bay. With the help of GPS we entered the bay (very slowly) at 2330 in thick fog and got anchored.

At daybreak it was very foggy but the sun was bright in the bay by 0930. Another boat was anchored near the beach. He sailed over to talk. He was delivering the boat to San Francisco, the motor had stopped running and he had no electricity for the lights. He was going back to Morro Bay to get the motor repaired. Delivering a boat can be a challenge!

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I had a nice sail that afternoon out to Point Piedras Blancas and back. It wasn't foggy but the clouds were low with visibility of three miles. At least the wind was just right for sailing. When I returned a family from Port San Luis were busy getting anchored.

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The next day I left earlier and took a longer sail out toward the ship lane and then north to Ragged Point. The wind was 15 to 17 knots which is just right for upwind sailing with the jib reefed. The photo shows us heading back to Piedras Blancas on a broad reach. We are making more than 5 knots and I am happy.

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On the way from Piedras Blancas to San Simeon the fog caught up with us. But then while sailing the last mile to the buoy the fog cleared out and San Simeon Point could be seen in bright

sunlight. The Castle is on the ridge just left of center. The bay is behind the point.

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Going back to Morro Bay on Saturday the fog finally cleared and white, puffy clouds could be seen above. The sailing conditions were still near to perfect.

We were home at 1600. Another very nice little trip was finished. So far this year I have had good luck in picking times to go sailing when the sailing conditions were excellent.

June Mini-Trip

There was another excellent 3-day trip in June. When the weather is perfect its hard not to have a great trip. The NW wind was mostly around 11 knots, rarely going over 15 knots, and the waves stayed below 3 feet. The swell was too small to be noticed. The mornings were cloudy (but no fog) and the afternoons were sunny and warm. I said warm- that’s hard to believe for this ocean.
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The first day ended in an interesting way. As we approached San Simeon Bay I saw whale spouts ahead and they appeared to be in the bay. I wondered how I would anchor with whales swimming so close. They were a little south of the buoy and we snuck by them on the north side.
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The second day began with a beautiful sunrise.
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There was a light breeze by 0930 and we tacked west toward the Piedras Blancas lighthouse.

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-The sea was smooth and the AM clouds were beginning to clear.
In the late afternoon we were passing the deep canyons just south of Cape San Martin. Just before dark I somehow spotted whale spouts ahead in the gloom and we changed course to pass them downwind. We reached Cape San Martin at 10:45 PM and then headed offshore to begin our return to Morro Bay. We sailed slowly with small sails until sunup (better for getting some rest).
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-The wind on the final day was inconsistent but it never died completely. When the wind was light every scrap of sail was up to try to capture a little more wind. When we arrived at Estero Bay the whale show began again. There were so many whales jumping that several other boats had stopped to watch the show. Better wind arrived too and we made over 4 knots for the last five miles.
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As I said, what fine weather! During 2 days of upwind sailing the front deck hardly got wet. Overall we traveled 132 miles and used less than 4 motor hours.

Windy Spring

We had many windy days in March, enough to limit my sailing time. And then we had a REALLY windy day. The weather forecast was quite amazing. “Strong to very strong NW flow will affect most of the coastal waters thorough Wed Evening. Rough and Dangerous seas will affect the waters through Wed night.” Our forecast was, “Storm Warnings in effect until noon today- NW winds 25-35 with gusts to 40 knots, increasing to 30-40 knots with frequent gusts to 50 knots.”
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April 21st- I finally visited Morro Bay on Sunday. It seems that the wind on Tuesday set a record. It was the strongest sustained NW wind that anyone could remember. Diablo Canyon recorded gusts to 68 knots and in Morro Bay at the Harbor Office the wind was said to be 50, gusting 70 knots. During storms the south wind often gusts above 50 knots but this was a sustained wind that averaged 50 knots for several hours. Because the tide was flowing slowly and the wind was with the tide the waves in the mooring area were only two to three feet. I noticed that the mooring lines were very tight on the deck cleats but there was no damage that I could see. A mooring is probably a safer place for a boat during a storm than tied up against a dock where large waves can pound the boat. At least one boat at the docks was damaged. At the weather buoys the wind was 35 knots for three hours and the gusts reached 51 knots. The significant wave height was 22 feet.

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This is a 20 knot wind at the mooring. Imagine what two or three foot waves would look like!

February Mini-Trip

Feb 25th- High pressure was covering our area again and light to moderate winds were expected for the next few days. It was time for another little trip northward. We left Morro Bay at 0930 and there was an 8 foot swell breaking over the breakwater- otherwise the water was reasonably smooth. A 9 knot breeze from the SW allowed us to make a heading to the west of Point Estero so no tacking was needed to get out of Estero Bay. It’s nice to be able to shut the motor off immediately outside the harbor and make a reasonable speed sailing in a good direction. Looking back I saw another sailboat leaving the harbor so we had a companion to sail with as for the first several hours until he turned around to head back.

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We had a pleasant and uneventful crossing of Estero Bay. The wind stayed steady and we averaged 3.6 knots, passing the point at 1218. We stayed on port tack until 1340 and were 4 miles north of Point Estero when the shifting wind forced us to shore. The view of shore was pretty today so we didn’t go too far offshore before tacking again to head north. We continued past Cambria and on towards San Simeon Bay. I wasn’t planning to stop at the bay but the wind often has a favorable shift along this section so I stayed close to shore to take the most advantage I could find. The sailing wind had been just about perfect, 10 to 12 knots, which allowed us to make slightly less than 4 knots. Several Gray Whales were seen during the day. They are heading north now, back to the Arctic Ocean.

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At 1740 we reached San Simeon and tacked to head offshore to get beyond Point Piedras Blancas. There was an interesting sunset with some high clouds approaching from the west. The weather forecast said there was a small chance of rain showers tomorrow morning. Gentle sailing continued and there were some useful wind shifts around midnight that allowed us to tack and make better than usual upwind progress (considering that the wind was light and we weren’t moving very fast). It was a dark night with no moon but the stars were bright and I could see the glow of distant town lights to the north above the mountain tops. Gentle breezes blew from various directions until 0400 when it finally became calm. Now I could hove-to and get some uninterrupted sleep.
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Feb 26th- At 0615 it was beginning to get light and I wondered what it looked like out there. Eventually I crawled out of my sleeping bag to have a look. It was an awesome sight with a yellow glow appearing between the smooth ocean and a band of dark clouds above. Little ripples on the water meant there was some breeze too and the waves and swell from yesterday were gone. When it is this smooth the boat will move in a very light breeze.

Our good sailing fortune continued (like yesterday morning) and the wind direction allowed us to sail north towards Point Sur without needing to tack. We were sailing so smoothly that it was almost like being at the mooring. The swells were almost undetectable but each time one passed under us the sails would flap gently before refilling in the light breeze. I looked out into the cockpit and saw little drops- it had started to rain gently and I hadn’t even been aware of it.
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The morning continued on like this and we made 13 miles north by noon when we turned to approach shore at Cape San Martin. At 1430 we headed south near the shore and as if by request a stronger NW wind arrived. An hour later the headsails were down, the main was reefed and we were making 5 knots as we headed for Piedras Blancas.

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We made the turn at Piedras Blancas at 1700 and headed for San Simeon Bay and we had averaged 5.1 knots since 1430. The clouds, cold air and wind had made me quite cool and I was looking forward to getting anchored so I could get into the cabin and warm up. For the rest of the way we played one of my favorite sailing games, “dodge the whale.” The whale’s path of travel was right on our course and I saw three within 100 yards and one that was directly ahead of us! I dodged but I didn’t see him surface again. Others probably passed by unseen. There was still plenty of wind and we made 5.2 knots with just the reefed main. Anchoring was finished at 1900 and it was now completely dark.

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This had been an excellent sailing day! From 0630 to 1822 we had traveled 39 miles and averaged 3.3 knots (and 5 knots coming back). Lots of fun and we were anchored just at the end of the day. During the morning we covered 15 miles northward- good progress in such light wind. On the January trip the wind direction had been less favorable so we had to tack upwind and then the wind died. On this trip it seems that everything worked to our advantage.

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Feb 27th- Sunshine woke me in the morning. It was a perfect San Simeon morning. A 12 knot NE wind blew across the bay but this wind died and was replaced by a light SW breeze before we left for Morro Bay at 0945. Not long after passing the San Simeon buoy we saw our first group of whales.

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We had a slow sail along the Cambria coast but found the usual wind in Estero Bay once south of Point Estero. As we passed Pt. Estero we crossed the whale highway. I was writing in the log book when I heard a snort. There was a whale swimming by only 50 yards to the port side and then another surfaced along side him. As they moved on I saw that there was a third whale in the group. By now we had good wind and were making 4 knots so the whales quickly passed by.
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The sea was very smooth so I decided to leave up the large sails even as the wind was building. Our speed was often above 6 knots and I was hand steering just to hold a straighter course. Its fun to do stupid things once in a while, isn’t it? I say stupid because later after the jib was down and the main was reefed we were still making over 5 knots with a lot less strain on the boat and helmsman. We averaged 5.3 knots crossing Estero Bay and this is “good speed” for Evening Tide. We were past the breakwater at 1600 in 20 knot gusts. Glad I got the sails down when I did!
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Maybe taking 3-day trips in the middle of winter is the best way to sail on our coast. Well, first be sure that high pressure is covering the area. High pressure in winter means clear skies, warm air and light to moderate winds. We covered nearly the same distance on this trip as the trip in January but I would say that the sailing conditions were even better this time. Our winds were favorable and we only needed 2.9 motor hours for the whole trip.

Summer Sailing in January

When it’s warm, the sky is cloud-free, and the breeze is light, that must be summer, right? At Morro Bay these conditions are most likely in mid-winter if a high pressure builds in the area and forces all storms further north. We had high pressure from January 9th through the 22nd when the high finally broke down and a low brought us a little rain.
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I had a great 3-day trip from the 10th through 12th. Last year in January I didn’t get to sail at all due to storms so this year I wanted to get off to a good start. To cover any distance one must sail around the clock so this trip plan was to just sail north until 3 PM on the second day and then head back. In winter I often complain about the short daylight hours but on this trip the daylight was continuous, 24 hours a day! There was an enormous full moon both nights and with the low humidity the air was very clear and the moonlight was exceptionally bright.
Another trip highlight was seeing many Gray Whales that were heading south. I was 10 miles from shore and was surprised to find the whales way out here as normally they travel rather closely along the shoreline. Now I suspect that these whales navigate by eyesight. The air was so clear that Pt. Buchon could be easily seen when I was north of Pt. Piedras Blancas (35 miles). The whale route seemed to be a straight-line course between these two headlands. At times when visibility is only 10 or 15 miles they steer towards coastal features that are closer and pass Morro Bay only 3 or 4 miles offshore.
As far as the sailing went it was nice light wind sailing. During the first day there was perfect wind (12 knots) that lasted until midnight, followed by wind shifts and lulls from midnight to sunup. By noon on the second day we were a little south of Cape San Martin and 10 miles offshore. The light morning wind had died so we floated and waited. The view of the mountains was perfect and haze-free. To the north I could see Pt. Sur (37 miles), Pt. Buchon was south at 44 miles and floating like an island further south was the mountain ridge east of Pt. Arguello, 85 miles away.
There was quite a bit of variety during the trip home. We began in the lightest of breezes with the jib poled out and making less than 2 knots. After midnight the wind shifted to south and we sailed close-hauled and could just stay on our desired heading. At sunup the wind was light so we motored some to charge the batteries. While motoring the wind increased to 15 knots from the ESE and I decided to continue motoring towards the shore south of Cambria to reach some protected water.
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Shore was only 6 miles away but with the gusts eventually reading 26 knots our progress was painfully slow. The weather forecast said “NE10-20 knots"

and the strongest wind was near shore, blowing down off the hills. (Offshore at the weather buoys the wind was less than 5 knots!).

We were back at Morro Bay at 3 PM and the boat was encrusted with a thick layer of salt from all the spray combined with low humidity. This had been a great trip, especially that moonlight!

Dolphins!

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On December 21st I was visited by a huge pod of dolphins! There must of been many more than 100. These are Common Dolphins and I hadn't seen many of this type in Estero Bay in recent years. 30 or 40 came over and swam around the boat. We were sailing smoothly in 11 knots of wind so I had the chance to take many photos.

Ken

A Big Swell Event

On November 29th we had “a big swell event” at Morro Bay. I had noticed a very large low pressure (storm) up by the Aleutian Islands for several days so it was not a surprise when the forecasts said that large swells would arrive at our coast. Actually, they were only 11 to 13 feet high which isn’t exceptional but the swell period (distance from crest to crest) was very long, 21 seconds. At Morro Bay the effect was very large explosions of spray as these swells hit the breakwater.

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This photo is the best I could get on the morning of the 30th. The day before the spray was quite a bit higher than this photo shows.

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I just had to look up the formulas concerning waves to learn more about what was going on. It was quite amazing! The wavelength of these swells was 2260 feet, more than 1/3 of a mile from crest to crest (wavelength is directly related to their period). Their speed was 63 knots, or 73 miles per hour. When a wave is moving in deep water the wave crest moves forward but the water in the wave hardly moves at all; the water just goes back and forth, up and down. But when a wave enters shallow water and breaks, the water at the crest is moving forward at the speed of the wave (73 miles/hour). No wonder these things were hitting the breakwater so hard and sending up so much spray! [Common swells might have a period of 12 seconds and would be moving at only 42 miles per hour.] Actually, swells slow down as they get into shallow water but the point is that these were moving much faster than usual.
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Why were the periods so long? It seems that the farther a swell travels, the more it stretches out and the longer the wavelength. This storm was a long ways away. Another phenomenon of interest was that since the long wavelength swells travel the fastest, they reached our shore first. The period stayed at 21 seconds for 15 hours, by 24 hours it was down to 17 seconds, and by 48 hours it had decreased to 15 seconds and the swell height was down to 8 feet.

The Santa Barbara Channel Islands

I visited the Channel Islands in May. For me, a trip like this should include lots of good sailing hours and it’s a game to see if I can avoid motor use. Heading south with a forecast of NW15-25 you can fly although its not uncommon to have light wind (no wind) in the early AM for the first 6 miles from Morro Bay to Pt. Buchon. This was my third time to the islands so I was a little familiar with where I was going. From Cojo south to San Miguel Island is 24 miles and there is a very secure anchorage at Cuyler Harbor. Secure is necessary because this is the strong-wind end of the island chain. Last time I was here it blew 34 knots while I was anchored but the water inside the harbor stays smooth.
There was a nice breeze the next AM allowing me to reach Johnson’s Lee behind South Point on Santa Rosa Island. This was my first visit here. There is lots of room (lots of kelp too) and the water was surprisingly smooth considering that it is fully exposed in the SE direction.
The following day I sailed around the east end of Santa Rosa, across the channel to Santa Cruz Island, and then beat 7 miles upwind to the anchorage at Becher’s Bay on Santa Rosa. The wind was a bit unreliable when south of the island (in its lee) but was perfect strength (12 knots) once in the Santa Cruz Channel.
The next objective was to view the famous sea caves on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. I sailed slowly along the cliffs, saw many caves, but never quite knew which one was the famous “Painted Cave”. At 1430 the wind got stronger (20+ knots) and we hurried on to the next anchorage at Fry’s Harbor, just beyond Diablo Point. Fry’s is narrow and very protected resulting in perfectly smooth water. Three years ago I spent a night here while a near-gale blew outside. Sunup in Fry’s was beautiful!

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I visited Pelican Bay next. Pelican is just a few miles further east of Fry’s but since I had never been there I wanted to see it. It’s the most popular anchorage at Santa Cruz but on a Thursday night in early May I had the place to myself. This bay is quite exposed to the NE but by 1800 the wind outside had died down and the water in the bay was smooth and free of swells.
Santa Barbara is 22 miles north across the Channel and we were in the harbor by 1430. This visit was mainly to reload the ice box but channel-crossing is also excellent sailing. After one night at the dock we re-crossed the channel to Smuggler’s Cove at the east end of Santa Cruz Island. Actually, I think that Smuggler’s may be the most popular anchorage because I have seen many other boats here. It can be reached more easily from the east end of the Channel (Oxnard, Ventura) than Pelican or Fry’s. My arrival at Smuggler’s was funny. There had been perfect wind in the Channel but when we rounded the east end of the island (San Pedro Point) the wind completely died and I had to motor the last mile to the cove. It’s not always calm here and I have read that 30 knot winds can blow down from the hills. There always seems to be small swells to rock the boat when in Smuggler’s.
Now came the most significant motoring of the trip. Possible gale winds were expected in 24 hours so we motored for 6 hours along the south shore of Santa Cruz (in protected waters) to get back to Becher’s Bay. Becher’s usually isn’t affected by swells to the same extent as Smuggler’s and would be a better place to wait during a gale. By 1700 the wind reached 25 knots but we had avoided problems by traveling in the AM before the wind got going.
Actually, it was “the gale that failed.” The front with the strongest wind passed through in the evening, not the next day as the forecasters expected. At 0800 I listened to the radio and found reasonable wind at all the nearby weather buoys (and it wasn’t increasing). If I could get across “Windy Lane” before the PM wind arrived I might be able to escape. We left at 0850, well reefed in 18 knots of wind (expecting stronger wind ahead) but once north of Carrington Point (Becher’s Bay) the wind began to decrease. By 1000 we were at full sail and close-hauled in 13 knots apparent wind. The sky was blue, visibility was great (first time this trip), and the sea wasn’t especially rough (considering it blew last night). You should know that I was quite nervous about leaving with a forecast of “NW25-35 gusting 40 knots” for an upwind sail in Windy Lane but it turned out to be the best sailing day of the trip. Glad I wasn’t chicken this time. The photo shows us sailing north in perfect conditions and making 4.9 knots (fast for upwind sailing in Evening Tide).

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It would have been nice to reach Cojo but the primary objective was to cross the Channel where the northern shore might protect us if a gale actually developed. Instead of Cojo we anchored at Sacate Cove, 7 miles further east. The chart shows our routes leaving Cojo and returning to Cojo 10 days later.

The next AM we sailed over to Cojo in light breezes, making the slowest passage of the trip (2.3 knots). I anchored briefly but then turned on the radio and found excellent wind ahead. Good wind? Sunny day? Can’t Stay! Besides, I always wanted to try sailing upwind around Conception and things would never be better than now. Leaving Cojo at 1430 meant we would see the strongest PM winds but the maximum true wind was 20 knots when we were 5 miles east of Pt. Arguello and the wind waves (in the lee of this point) were only 4 feet. We then sailed a long leg west between the oil platforms and out to the edge of the ship lane. The swells here were 8 feet but the wind stayed between 15 and 19 knots (apparent). These conditions call for the staysail and full mainsail with the jib down and secured on the front deck. As darkness came on we beat north and continued until 0300 when lighter wind and large waves made sailing under autopilot impossible. We were north of oil platform “Irene” and 10 miles NW of Pt. Arguello. With more sail up we could have continued on but at this point I was ready for some rest so the motor was started and a direct course was set for Pt. Buchon, 35 miles ahead.
We got to sail 10 more miles next AM but once north of Pt. Buchon we hit calm conditions and motored the last 7 miles. When home port is in sight (and I know that I’m in an infamous wind-hole) my desire to always sail is diminished.
What a fine trip, don’t you think? When I counted up the miles I found that we had sailed 80% of the distance and the only windless day was when I actually planned to motor. There had only been a little fog (although not much bright sunshine either) and Windy Lane had treated us to perfect wind. We even sailed 50% of the distance from Cojo north to Morro Bay and I never expect to do this well again.

Point Conception

“The Cape Horn of California.” If you sail on the West Coast you hear about Pt. Conception. The first time I visited Catalina Island people there asked me, “How did you come around Pt. Conception?” I was a brand new sailor then and certainly couldn’t give any advice.
This place has had a reputation for a long time. In “Two Years Before the Mast”, William Henry Dana wrote (in 1840) about sailing north from Santa Barbara. I don’t have an exact quote but when they reached the point their ship (carrying full sail) was suddenly knocked down on its beam ends as the crew furiously tried to douse the sails that were being torn to shreds. I think this best sums up Pt. Conception; it is when approaching from the south that the Cape displays its viciousness.
Returning from my first Catalina visit I tasted a little of this flavor. We motored from Santa Barbara in light wind with patchy fog and overcast. Arriving at Cojo (the anchorage just east of Conception) at 1330 it was sunny, calm and warm. I decided to continue on while the conditions were good rather than staying overnight at Cojo (the wind at the point is supposed to be lightest in the early AM). Well, one hour later we were crashing into 6 foot waves with 25 knot winds. We motored into the waves, tacking so we could cross the crests at a more comfortable angle. The wind meter read 33 knots in the gusts. At least it was sunny (it was May) and this made it more endurable. We passed oil platform “Irene”, 5 miles north of Pt. Arguello, at 2000 and continued on to Pt. Buchon into apparent winds of 18-20 knots.
When approaching from the north the Pt. Conception area (that actually extends 12 miles north to Pt. Arguello) is not much different than the other points along the Central Coast. The wind is accelerated as it funnels around the point and the waves naturally rise along with the wind. In early May I sailed from Morro Bay to Cojo with a weather forecast of “NW15-20, NW swells 5-7 feet”. We passed Pt. Arguello at 1505 and then entered a strong-wind area for the next 4 miles. The true wind gusted to 27 knots and our speed was back up to 5.7 knots for the 12 mile leg down to Pt. Conception. Because we were east of Arguello the waves were smaller in spite of the stronger wind. As we approached Pt. Conception the sun broke through and we had a pretty view of the lighthouse on the point. We were sailing with one reef in the main and no headsail. The autopilot had no difficulty steering. This is typical for a late afternoon passage.
In September 2006 I made a somewhat different passage. We left Morro Bay at 1120 so there would be wind and I wouldn’t have to start the trip motoring which is normal in the early AM. The intention was to hove-to for some sleep a little north of Irene and then continue on to Cuyler Harbor at San Miguel Island. Today’s forecast was “NW15-25, NW swells 3-6 feet” and there had been gale warnings the previous day. We arrived at the hove-to spot at 2130 and it was quite smooth in a 15 knot breeze. We slowly drifted south and by 0230 the wind was 19 knots. I felt awake enough now that I wanted to continue sailing. We only needed the reefed main to make more than 5 knots. There were scattered clouds (no fog) with nice stars between them but no moon. When we passed Pt. Arguello the true wind was 25 knots but I think the seas were only 4 to 5 feet (couldn’t see them in the dark). The wind is often strongest near the West Santa Barbara Channel weather buoy (right on our route to San Miguel Island). I thought we already had enough wind so I chickened out and headed for Cojo. This required a little chart work to be sure we would miss all the little buoys near the oil platforms and then we headed for a waypoint at Government Point, just south of Conception. Except for a few waves slapping the side of the boat it was an uneventful and fast sail through the dark. The sky to the east above the mountains began to glow as we approached Government Point and the sun appeared just as I dropped the anchor at Cojo. In the anchorage there was a 2 knot east breeze.

As you can see the wind and water conditions near Conception were not exceptional, certainly not dangerous. I have seen just as much wind rounding other points further north. My personal speed records were set (twice) sailing from Pigeon Point to Santa Cruz in Monterey Bay. The wind was gusting above 30 knots. The 7 mile stretch from Pt. Sur south to Pfeiffer Point always seems to have especially strong wind. I have seen true winds above 30 knots there too (and the waves/swells were 8-10 feet for lots of good surfing!).
To me Pt. Conception has one bad aspect. I must go north (upwind) around it to get home to Morro Bay. A rough passage at the end of a trip (where I visited the nice waters further south) is not appreciated. At least Cojo is a pretty place to be stuck while you wait for a good weather window.

Whales at Morro Bay

Estero Bay and other nearby coastal areas are great places to see whales. I spend lots of time out on the water so I have had many whale encounters since I began ocean sailing in 2002.
During my first 3 sailing years I kept a count of whales. I saw more than 100 within ½ mile of the boat, close enough to easily see the blow and hear it on days when the wind wasn’t blowing strongly. About 20 times the whale was within 100 yards and 3 passed less than 20 feet away.
The funniest encounter was when I looked down into the water next to the boat and saw a baby Gray Whale emerge from just below the keel. I looked him in the eye and he looked me in the eye. Just as soon as he was clear of the boat he exploded into a frenzy of tail flapping trying to get away, like some huge dolphin swimming fast.
Another time I looked off to the starboard side and saw a Humpback (40 feet away) rolling over to dive and headed directly towards us. I held on and watched as it passed directly under the boat, perhaps 10 feet below the keel.
The most aggressive encounter was with another Humpback. This time I saw “whale footprints” on the water surface headed towards us, then a blast of bubbles from under water, and then the whale (a full size whale, let me tell you!) broke the water about 20 feet behind the stern. The whale’s back was there for 2 seconds (almost within petting distance) and then it was gone from sight.
Another time up by Pt. Piedras Blancas I saw a whale some distance away. I got my camera but the photos at this distance didn’t show much. The whale disappeared and I put the camera away. Then 3 minutes later the whale surfaced about 50 yards away and was swimming parallel with the boat. Then her baby surfaced between her and the boat. Obviously mother had brought baby over to have a look at the sailboat!
One day I was nearly becalmed and Humpbacks swam all around me, some passing within 50 yards.

On another day a whale put on a tail-slapping display. I should mention that my camera is not suited for taking action pictures (there is a long shutter delay) so these photos are some of the few that I tried to take that actually showed a whale.

Whale Watching!

If you want to go whale watching I recommend the boat from Marina Square (where I keep Evening Tide). Their catamaran gives a smoothride and you are close to the water (and to the whales!). Kevin always seems to find whales and gives the passengers a close look.

Winter Sailing

Usually I sail every month of the year but not this January! It was a month of storms. Of course, Central California storms aren’t really too serious but they were enough to keep me in port. The first photo shows the waves on the beach just north of Morro Rock. The town of Cayucos can be seen in the distance. If you look close in the center of the photo you can see a tiny surfer on one of the waves.
We often get winter swells of 20 to 25 feet so conditions like this are not unexpected in January. There is a 35 knot southeast wind blowing the tops off the breakers and this makes them look especially awesome.

When the swells are less than 10 feet it is safe to leave the harbor mouth. (Our harbor entrance is said to be dangerous but its really not so bad most of the time.) It isn’t cold if the sun is shining so why not get some practice in moderate wind?

Coming back (downwind) in 25 knots isn’t bad but I wouldn’t want to be going the other direction right now! Its hard to get a photo to really show the size of waves. These are 6 feet and whitecaps are everywhere. Fun!

Don’t get the impression that its always rough sailing here. Some mornings (in summer) its like a lake.