The Chronicles of Carmen

North to the Bay Area – Spring 08

A quick visit back to our land base and we were back at Ensenada readying for the northbound trip up the coast. To exactly where will be quite apparent when we turn back south!

We needed to go to San Diego to get our Inverter/Charger fixed. So we prepared for the trip by getting water food, supplies etc. Numerous weather checks and then we set out on May 1^st. Surprise – the sea conditions at Ensenada do not really resemble those of San Diego a mere 65 odd miles north. In fact they were quite different, 5-7’ NW swells quite close or as I recall it 6’-8’ swells. Anyway the net result was that after about an hour and a half a check one of the gauges showed a problem. The skippers face had gone from pink to pale to near green! Well I never claimed to be immune. A hasty conference decided that the prudent course of action was back to where we started. This accomplished, we entered recovery mode.

More checks of the weather showed that May 3^rd was a better bet and so prepared with the chewable stuff one hour before departure we set out for San Diego. We had arranged for a berth at Cabrillo Isle Marina. This time the sea conditions were better and the trip was uneventful. We arrived in San Diego to discover that this being a Saturday and it being Fleet week and the air races being on had turned the San Diego approaches and channel into a complete frenzy of sailboats under sail, sailboats under power, power boats drifting, power boats under power, seadoos, sailboards etc. etc. We wove our wav around all of this to find the customs dock and then to find out that we were the first Canadian boat that this crew of CBP officers had seen and so there was some confusion as to what papers we needed. After all this fun we settled in at our berth.

Next day (Sunday) we pottered around the marina and did a little exploring. Monday saw us walking into town to sort out the cruising permit, had some lunch and back to the boat to meet the most inverter knowledgeable person I have ever met. Pulled out the inverter and sent it away to be “bench tested”.

Next day (Tuesday) we rented a car and did some major shopping to restock the larder in preparation for the trip north. The inverter returned with a new control board and we reinstalled it and then I was treated (literally) to a great hands on lecture about the Link 1000. Wednesday saw us finalizing our plan for the trip and made ready. Thursday we headed out and set course for Avalon, Santa Catalina Island. After some nn miles we entered the outer bay and were met by the Harbor Patrol who promptly collected the fee and allocated us to a mooring buoy. I was really glad of my close quarters handling skills as the route we chose to get to that buoy squeezed by some very narrow passages between boats. We figured out how to pick up the mooring, with the Harbor Patrol standing by, and made fast.

What a fantastic place. Really pretty, calm, quiet (you just get overloaded by jet noise in San Diego when you are sandwiched between the commercial airport to starboard and the naval air base to port). Of course that only left the space directly overhead for the Coast Guard helicopters!

So what a change, we relaxed and as we had not yet launched our tender (fancy yachty term for dinghy) we dined aboard. Next day was launch day for the tender. I of course knew that this was going to be fun as the motor had not been run since October. I was not disappointed when after a very smooth injection to the water the motor would not respond to a very low battery and old fuel.

We were located quite close to the fuel dock and I thought I could paddle the tender over there, so that would solve one of the issues. However they could not offer a jump start. So we called up Vessel Assist – who we could see about 185yds away – and they agreed to take me to the dock for fresh gas and then jump start the motor. That unlimited card turned out to be useful. After lunch we executed the plan and soon had all systems running.

We decided that Avalon was worth a longer stay not least because Pt Conception was clearly not passable in the current weather scene. Anything from 8 – 12ft short steep seas. This being readily confirmed by the lack of a berth in Santa Barbara, things were backing up as folks waited for Mother Nature to ease off a bit. Another charm being that at this time of year if you pay for four nights, then the next three are free! After San Diego this was a treat indeed.

We spent a great week exploring and just relaxing prior to seeing the next weather window come along. Thursday a week after we arrived saw us cast off and make way for Santa Barbara as the closest real harbor to the two Points. The sea sate was quite calm. Unfortunately there was no room in Santa Barbara when we set out and still none when we arrived, that left us with the option of continuing through the night, or staying in the rather exposed anchorage or going back to Ventura or Channel Islands Harbor. Going back meant we would probably miss the window. Going on was not advisable as the seas were moderating overnight and an early arrival would be rougher, as well as neither of us having prepared for a two day run.

So we stayed and unfortunately the skipper showed poor effort when it came to laying a second anchor to hold the bow to the swell. So downright uncomfortable was the result. Mea culpa. Next morning there was little to persuade us to hang around and we soon weighed anchor (a trivia prize for all those who know the origins of that phrase) and set out for Morro Bay.

Some patchy fog with some confused, but small seas in places was the order of the day. After Conception and Arguello the sea pattern was regular longish swells of four to six feet from the WNW with a NW wind of 10-15kts. OK Stuff. We cruised into Morro Bay and were referred to the Morro Bay Sailing Club by the Harbour Patrol. It was the cocktail hour and so there were multiple hands to assist us in rafting alongside and making fast. Formalities dealt with we went ashore for an ‘explore’ and dinner. Found a wonderful place called Shawns up on Main Street. Highly recommended.

Early next morning we slipped our moorings and made our way to sea, a little rougher today with a bit more wind wave build over the same swell. Monterey bound and very happy. All went swimmingly (if that is a permitted sailing/cruising term) until we were about four to five miles south of Big Sur. We were standing off the coast about three miles. First the fog and then all hell broke loose. Big Sur was in a surly mood. Very confused seas, steep up to 10-12ft I guess, as when I was sitting in the pilothouse they were way (yes way) above me, to the point that I couldn’t see up to the crests. Two or more different directions, up to 35 knots of wind but not much in the way of breakers. Very very uncomfortable. It occurred to me after about an hour that when we reached Monterey I should call Jerry Husted and congratulate him on building a fine boat. But he knows that already.

We made it through and turned in towards Monterey, very occasional breaks in the fog meant we could sometimes see the breakers, but not the buoys until we passed them close aboard.

Upon entering Monterey the sun was shining, the fog bank behind us and all right in the world. We relaxed and yes, went out to dinner. The weather forecasts indicated that we would be in Monterey for at least three days if not four before it calmed down out there. So needless to say our plans were changed for us by the wondrous Mother Nature as she provided a small one day window before some really ugly storm was set in motion. So we took the window and with less fuel aboard than we would have liked, set course for Half Moon Bay and Pillar Point. Then after fuelling up we set course for Sea Buoy 4 in the San Francisco channel. A few miles up the coast we saw the Coast Guard standing off of Pt San Pedro, boarding a fishing vessel. Shortly after passing we saw their RHIB coming up fast and made ready for short term guests. They asked, came aboard, liked the Nordic and left. We continued up to our waypoint and then headed into the Bay and across to Alameda. Upon arrival we inspected the offered berth, decided it wasn’t to our taste and our friends on F dock invited us into our old slip, so we took it. Turns out that was the longer term intent of the Marina, so all was well. Made fast and settled in. More fun to come as they say.