Monterey Bay

We left Charleston OR. At dark thirty in tandem with Erick on his steel hulled Blue Note. The plan was to head south together as far as possible in the current weather window. As we entered the channel Erick was waiting off our port bow. When we came abreast he began to fall behind to follow us out. Before he had room to complete this maneuver, a very large fishing vessel appeared out of the fog astern. It proceeded to pass on the starboard side in the narrow channel. It was touch and go for a bit, but the captain obviously knew what he was about. We fell in behind and followed him out across the bar. Upon crossing the fog became thicker and we lost sight of Blue Notes masthead tri-color. Which was the only light on the at that time. We attempted to contact Erick on the VHS to no avail. We then slowed down to wait but he never appeared, nor did he respond to our calls.


We did make contact eventually, discovering that as soon as he crossed the bar, he turned south. We on the other hand continued west for ten miles before heading south, as this would give us the safety margin we desired to clear obstructions along the coast prior to going around Cape Blanco. Erick sailed at around three miles from the coast. When we finally made contact, we changed course to intersect and continue in our attempt to sail in tandem. This however, did not work. We lost contact with the cells, and never could make contact on the VHS. Erick did make contact again and informed us that he was going into Humboldt Bay to rest and for us to go on without him. We wished each other well, and sailed on to Bodega Bay.

The weather was decent but very cold. The seas were kind to us, running eight to nine feet at around twelve seconds. The winds were too mild to hoist sail, or coming from astern just hard enough to increase the chill factor enough to make it extremely uncomfortable in the cockpit. Judy got her first sight of Dolphins in the wild. She was very excited and quite exuberant in her display gratification. She retired to her bunk that evening quite content with her decision to go to sea. Around one in the morning I smelled exhaust fumes in the cockpit. Upon investigation it was discovered that the heat riser had developed a hole the size of a dime. I cracked the hatch, opened the companionway and the lazerett lid to vent the carbon monoxide out. I then placed a carbon monoxide detector between Judy and Ken on the salon table. Checking to making sure they were okay. I awoke Judy on the second morning out to share a beautiful sunrise on an exceptionally flat sea. This was also a first time experience for her. We sat together in the cockpit for several hours enjoying this beautiful morning before she retired back to her bunk.

Upon approaching the coast at Bodega Bay, we discovered a gauntlet of crab traps blocking the approach. There were boats everywhere. We found the entrance to be very narrow and congested with power boats trying to exhibit their capability of excessive speed. Upon reaching the much needed fuel dock, it was discovered that we had timed our arrival to coincide with the opening day of crab season. Our boat holds 100 gallons of fuel and we took 87 gallons. Whew, that is too close. The opposing currents must have been much stronger than anticipated.

The following morning we walked to the top of the hill on the opposite side of the bay and purchased some “Quick Seal,” somewhat like JB Weld. I then cleaned off the offending riser elbow, hammered out two can lids to fit snugly over it. Setting them aside, I mixed up the Quick Seal and covered the offending area with it. Prior to its hardening I placed the newly shaped can lids over the elbow and secured them with hose clamps. The whole area was then wrapped with non-flammable cloth. Problem solved……………….. almost. It seems that when one solves a problem with what is available at the time, it is inevitable that Murphy’s law will sneak in. Oh, the repair held admirably, but oh the stink! It smelled like rotten piss, yuck-a-doooo.

We said adeau to Bodega Bay heading out. That night Judy decided to fix some baked chicken breasts for dinner. When they were about half done she discovered , to her chagrin, that we had failed to fill the propane tanks in Bodega Bay, Ops! I’m sure the crabs enjoyed the half cooked treats, while we ate cold sandwiches.

We are continuing to experience electrical problems, even though we purchased all new batteries. The person that rewired the boat got it wrong. We are going to hire a real electrician to find out what the hell is wrong. It is extremely frustrating to put out over ten thousand dollars for a job poorly done. Live and learn I suppose.

We decided to stop at Santa Cruz to fill the propane tanks. As we approached the entrance I radioed the marina for an entrance report. They gave us the go ahead, and we proceeded to approach the jetty. The swells were running about six feet as we approached and the wind was at six knots. At about 1000 yards, the wind increased to eleven knots and the waves began hitting the full length of the jetty at the same time. Not a good sign, but still do-able. At around 500 yards the wind jumped up to 19 knots. This was “NOT”acceptable! I aborted.

We then crossed the bay and experienced a very rough ride into Moss Landing. Upon searching for a slip we experienced another malady when the transmission linkage slipped. This caused the failure of the ability to engage reverse. Which in turn, almost caused us to kiss another boat. Whew! Close call. Once docked we had an excellent dinner at the local authentic Mexican restaurant. Then it was early to bed.

The following day I went to get propane. After inquiring with a local as to the whereabouts of propane, I loaded up the empty tanks on our trusty folding dolly and headed out. After dragging them around for an hour or so, I discovered that propane was no longer available at Moss Landing. I was told they no longer carried it because they only made around 15 cents a gallon on it. What ever happened to service?

Later that morning I decided to find out where our Canadian friends (Steve & Lodie) were. When I called them I discovered they were right around the corner in the Monterey marina. Well shit howdy! We didn’t waste any time leaving Moss Landing and are now enjoying the company of our Canadian friends here in Monterey!