Yahoo! We're On Our Way in Bodega Bay

11/7/2010

Well, HALLELUJAH! We got a weather window on Wednesday, November 3rd  at 9 pm after diligently watching the weather for 2 1/2 weeks as we were stuck in Coos Bay (aka HELL HOLE, to me). Accompanying us was Ken, the same sailor who originally helped Jay bring our boat up from Moss Landing California to Newport, Oregon 2 years ago.We set out with  a new sailing friend, Eric, from Alaska following us in his vessel "Blue Note,"with his trusty chocolate lab sidekick "Jazz."

We had decided days earlier to sail down together for safety and other reasons. Unfortunately as we left, motoring, in a thick fog following a fishing vessel with huge, bright lights, Eric turned West closer to shore than we wanted to sail and we lost track of him for about a day. Eric finally called us the next day telling us that he was exhausted and was pulling into Eureka to rest. We told him we were going on to Bodega Bay and if he wanted to he could catch up with us.  But since Eric is sailing alone while we have 3 on board to take helm shifts, and Eric was finding it impossible to keep up with us he decided to take it slower and head down alone stopping for rest as needed. We bid each other a safe trip and promised to meet up "sometime" in the Sea of Cortez.

The seas were wonderfully mellow all the way to Bodega Bay. The only bad part was having to MOTOR the entire way because we virtually had no wind at all to put up the sails. It was lovely Saturday morning and Jay woke me up to see the ocean at about 5 am as the water looked like a placid lake instead of the ocean. The sky was a beautiful golden orange and Jay took some great photos of the sunrise. A little while later we were visited by not one, or two but FOUR groups of dolphins at different intervals who delighted us with their graceful jumps and soaring thru the crystal clear bluish water along side the boat as close as a mere 1 foot away! Several "played" with us seemingly trying to race the boat.....their grace and beauty in nature was beyond belief to me and I thankfully and joyfully yelled my greetings to them in wonderment over these incredibly beautiful fellow mammals. I feel truly blessed from this experience thanking the Great Indian Chief in the Sky for creating such beautiful, intelligent seaward companions to share the earth and our ocean adventures with us. I have to admit that I am experiencing an incredible affinity with sailors who tell stories of falling in love with the sea! When out in the ocean I am finding a peace and quietude of spirit that I have never felt before.....like totally being part of nature instead of just a "user" of its resources.

After manuevering the incredibly long, circuitous bay route into Bodega Bay, all the while dodging a bazillion crab traps (wouldn't you know we would arrive on the FIRST DAY of crabbing season!) we arrived at the fuel dock at 4 pm. Having  to motor from Wednesday to Saturday without stopping we knew we were close to being out of diesel and the 85 gallons we put into the tank proved it----after paying for fuel and a slip for the night $30--we were nearly $300 poorer! We hope on our next leg of our trip we can sail and not have to pay for fuel. I can't wait for our next "leg" to begin. I am so glad to be in California where Jay and I both were born.