Sept 24-25. Sausalito to Monterey Bay (95 nm)

Departed Clipper Harbor, Sausalito at 11:30 AM under overcast skies, patchy fog. A westerly swell made the run under the bridge and over the bar rough.

After reaching the end of the ebb delta we turned south. Winds were southerly at 5 knots, so we motored all the way except for an hour that night when the winds shifted slightly and we were able to sail at 3 knots.  Sea conditions were calm. We had a westerly swell that raised our boat 5 feet every 11 seconds. We were running parallel to the crest with the main full to slow our roll. Despite the engine noise it was a very relaxing passage. Bill took the 6 to 9 PM watch and Alex took the first night watch from 9 PM to midnight. My watch at midnight began with a clear, starry sky. I saw my first shooting stars of the voyage on that watch. By 3AM the clouds had obscured most of the strars. Bill took over at 3AM and stayed awake until we docked at Monterey Harbor.

By 6AM we were all awake and on deck. At 7AM I called the night watchman at Monterey Harbor to find out where we should dock. The day before I called to get the after-hours number and was happy I thought ahead. We tied up and while Alex went to sleep, Bill and I walked up to the harbormaster office to register. On the walk back to the boat we stopped at the little restaurant on the pier and had breakfast. I tried to get Alex to join us but he slept through my call. When we returned to the boat we both laid down for a well-earned nap too.

We woke by 1PM and headed out along the boardwalk path to see what Monterey had to offer. Cannery Row and the Monterey Aquarium were our first stops. The aquarium is big and modern with wide, glass viewing areas and exhibits that allow kids to touch sea creatures. We spend several hours wondering around.

We watched a movie about white sharks and learned that the Sea of Cortez is a nursery ground for juvenile white sharks. Guess we’ll be seeing more of them further south.  After the aquarium we wondered back to the boat an made dinner of spare ribs, and potatoes. Monterey is a good place to stop and offers many options for mooring, with good protection in most any weather.

Side note: John Steinbeck made Cannery Row his home while he worked at his chosen profession as a marine biologist. At that time Cannery Row wasn’t like it is today, it had real character then. The wharfs were all run down, commercial fishing depended upon a boom and bust sardine fishery, vacant lots filled with weeds and junk yards were common and the night life was dominated by dingy bars and hoar houses. Not the tourist trap it is today. But, it gave the aspiring writer much grist for his literary mill. Some of Steinbecks books: Log from the Sea of Cortez, Cannery Row, Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, etc.