Me: Brrrrrr
Chris: Oh, it's not that cold
Me: Brrrrr
Chris: Damn, it's cold!
Me: Brrrrrr
So, sailing in August does not guarantee sunny skies and warmth. Nor does it guarantee those steady NW winds the folks talk about. So far, the sailing itself has been iffy. But the experience is just about all we could ask for. Except for the better sailing part.
Day 1! We left San Francisco on the morning after our send off soiree (it was fabulous - thanks to all who came out) and headed for Half Moon Bay. The seas were pretty calm but the wind was coming from the southwest, so we had a motor-sail combo going on to speed us on our way. A porpoise or two crossed our bow as we were headed out the Golden Gate, which I will take as a fortuitous sign. Once we tucked into Pillar Point Harbor, we ate and slept like the dead. I had been up most of the night before with a cross between Christmas Eve excitement and final exam trepidation whirling around in my belly and brain.
Day 2! Chris headed for a surf at the jetty, a convenient 2 minute dinghy ride from our anchored Liberte, while I watched and read a bit from Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is making me smarter by the paragraph. We went to a produce stand and fish market for a sole-ful dinner. We checked the weather forecasts, watched Men Who Stare At Goats (funny!) and headed to bed as we planned for an early start.
Day 3! Woke to drizzle and fog. Refused to be deterred. Made our way slowly down the coast, once again with wind from the wrong direction. Saw a whale spout, and possibly a fin. I learned that I need to inform Chris what I'm yelling about when I scream his name while I'm at the helm (he came up quickly and looked rather frightened but after learning it was just a SWEET WILDLIFE SIGHTING calmed down and we both spotted the whale spout). Motored a little, got drizzled upon. Decided, in a fit of backwards logic to go on to Monterey because we were going so slowly we weren't going to make it to Santa Cruz until the middle of the night so might as well go further and get to Monterey in the morning. Our first overnight - wheee! Saw some amazing bioluminescence coming off our bow, got freaked out by a bird or two that squawked loudly as we came by, marveled at the stars for the brief time they were visible, then marveled at the nearly impenetrable darkness. And we finally got some light winds behind us, so managed to sail much of the night. Arrived in Monterey just after sunrise. Slept.
Day 4! Showered. Ahhhh, best $1.25 I've ever spent. Walked to Trader Joe's. Scooted around in the dinghy. Feared that the sea lions that dominate the marina would claim our dinghy as their own. How do you convince them to get off once they are laying in your boat?
Day 5! Today! We're planning a dive and a propane tank fill - woo hoo!
I am laughing hysterically as I can totally see Chris' face when you yelled his name and he popped up to find out that the ship was not going to sink, but that you had just seen a whale spout!! You guys needs code words or an abbreviated language...like when Brad and I were in Australia instead of freaking out every time it seemed like he was going to drive off the road, I would yell WOMBAT:) It actually worked...except for when I actually saw a wombat and Brad missed it cuz he was too busy trying to correct his driving. LOL!
ReplyDeleteLeah-your comments are cracking me up! WOMBAT? haha. Seriously though, an abbreviated language is the best idea ever. That would have certainly come in handy when driving with Amanda and she would shriek like we were going to get ran over by a semi, when maybe a pedestrian was just crossing the road near our path.
ReplyDeleteSo cool you guys saw a whale spouting!! Was it outside of your 50 yard rule Amanda? I still think that's not far enough away.
Have a sweet dive!