Redondo Beach King Harbor to Long Beach Marina

We left King Harbor around 10:30am on a sunny day. Not quite as warm as the day before, about 64 degrees with calms seas again in the 1-3 foot at 12 to 15 seconds and a small breeze from the west around 9 knots.

We were headed for Long Beach Harbor and the Shoreline Yacht Club. We cruised for about 4 hours and arrived in the Harbor at about 2:00pm. Alexus had called the Yacht Club and Bob was the Port Captain. He did not have a space for us that day, but would the next day. So we decided to anchor out just behind the man-made Island White in the general anchorage area. It was still well protected, being behind the breakwater.. There were three other boats anchored in the area, in about 45 feet with good holding. It was mud and shells when we brought up the anchor. We spent a very peaceful evening and night with the only rolling occurring when the Harbor Tour Ferries went by. The fog rolled in that night and we could not see the boats anchored only 100 yards away. The fog was very thick and the air had become cold as the wind was out of the west.

The next day, New Years Eve, we had a spot that belonged to Bob, the Yacht Club Port Captain, Slip Z - 103. So around 1:30 we headed for his slip and to the Harbor Master to register for the guest dock for New Years day and possibly spend Thursday, Friday depending on the weather before heading to Catalina Island.

We pulled into Bob’s slip, Z-103 and tied up for the afternoon and that night. There was a Borders Books nearby, and Alexus wanted Season Two of Dexter, so we went off for a walk. We passed a number of restaurants and the “Laugh Factory” a comedy club. After buying season two of Dexter and a calendar, we checked to see if there were tickets available at the comedy club and there was. So we bought tickets for the 8pm show and decided to find a place for dinner. We ended up at “Gladstones” where they had a great deal on a lobster dinner for $19.95 or Alaskan Crab legs for $29.95.

The 8 pm show at the comedy club was fun and after the show we walked around Shoreline Village and headed back to the boat. The weather had become cold and damp with a slight breeze off the water. There was to be a huge fireworks display at midnight. While we could hear the booms, but with the fog we could not see even a flash of light, we could barely see the next dock over. So we watched Dick Clark and the replay of the New York countdown at midnight, Happy New Year!!! Then after two sessions of season two of Dexter we went off to bed around 1:30pm. The next day we would need to move to Q dock from Z dock before noon when Bob returned to his slip from his overnight trip.

Marina Del Rey to King Harbor Redondo Beach

We left Marina Del Rey at about 1:00pm on a warm 70 degree sunny day, and headed towards Redondo Beach and King Harbor. Seas were 1 foot at 12 seconds and the wind was less than 5 knots out of the east. We hoped to stay at the King Harbor Yacht Club when we arrived. After traveling at 7 knots for about an hour and a half, we arrived at King Harbor. There was room at the Yacht Club dock and even a few hands there to catch lines. The dock is about 80 feet long and you side tie. There is water and power at the dock.

After meeting the Rear Commodore and a few members, we registered with Dina and were set for the night. We walked around the marina to the Blue Water Grill and had an early dinner.

We returned to the yacht club and met more members, April, Hutch and Smitty. We had a great time and found out that April was a Kansas Jayhawk Alumni, so she and Alexus compared notes from their college days. Smitty has cruised extensively in Mexico and he shared a great deal of helpful information. Holly also introduced us to a wonderful drink called an oatmeal cookie.... well we had one too many of those and we returned to the boat at 9:30 to watch TV and relax before turning in.

Holidays in So. California

Well,

Wanted to give just a quick update. We are still in Marina Del Rey. Alexus' family came in from out of state and her mom and dad stayed with us on the boat and we had a big family Thanksgiving at her nieces house.

Erika is staying with us until Dec 19th when she leaves for Denver. Then we have our good friends Lori and Jude coming for Christmas eve and Christmas day will be with my family in Glendora.

So we will be in the LA, Long Beach area until after Christmas, then we will head further south hitting habors and marinas that will be all new for us. I will upate the blog when we start moving south again. Right now we are safely and well cared for docked here at the beautiful California Yacht Club, thanks to our good friends Neal and Eva.

Once we start off, we will keep going as we see fit to San Diego and then possibly on to Mexico.

Ventura Harbor to Marina Del Rey – California Yacht Club Nov. 18th 2008

This morning we were at the fuel dock, took on about 180 gallons, and off we went. As we left the harbor, the fog became very dense, so we again needed to use our radar. When crossing the entrance to the Channel Island Harbor we could tell there were about 5 to 6 boats about ½ to ¼ mile away, but other than on the radar, we never actually saw them. The seas were again amazingly calm and with no wind, however we would not be treated to clear skies for most of this leg of our trip. We did not get clear skies until just outside of Malibu and perhaps the last two hours of our five hour trip.

As we approached the harbor, we telephoned our good friends Neal and Eva who we had first met in Anacortes, Washington. As members of the California Yacht Club, Neal had arranged for us to stay at their docks in a slip. It was great, as we pulled in, to see Neal and Eva there at the docks waving us to the right area. It is always nice to have someone give you a hand, but it is even better when it is good friends that you have not seen in three months. After out warm welcome Neal and Eva gave us all the necessary information on their club and told us about the local restaurants, stores, and anything else we might need. We visited with them for a short time and agreed to meet them Thursday for lunch.They also offered us their car. Fortunately Alexus' daughter, Erika had already offered us the use of her car as she is still out of town working on a cruise ship. So we'll have wheels while we're in town. Hooray!

We will spend about a month here in Marina Del Rey allowing us to get together with Alexus’ family and mine for the Thanksgiving Holiday and pre-Christmas holidays. We don’t have plans after that, but once we do….

In the meantime, we will keep the blog updated, as I am hopeful Kathy, Mary, Loe, Kelli, Lori and Jude may join us in the upcoming month.

Santa Barbara Harbor to Ventura Harbor Nov. 17th, 2008

Santa Barbara to Ventura was only about 24 nautical miles so we did not have to leave exceptionally early.

Again we were treated to wonderful calm seas and gentle breezes out of the north and no fog. We arrived at the Ventura Yacht club around 3pm and docked for the night at their guest dock. We met some very nice folks, Robin and others who made us feel right at home and made sure we had access to the club gates to get in and out. We had driven to Ventura before, and we decide to eat at the same great Greek restaurant for this visit by boat.

We walked around the harbor to the fuel dock. Amazingly diesel fuel was only $2.49 a gallon, so we decided to fill up. That fill would be the least expensive fuel we've purchased since owning the boat

Port San Luis to Santa Barbara Harbor Nov. 15th , 16th

The ride into Santa Barbara Harbor was pleasant. Especially considering we needed to round three major navigational points en route, Point Sal, Point Arguello, and Point Conception. Fortunately, our two-day wait in Port San Luis had, indeed, paid off. Because of our wait there, we had seas less that 4 feet and at 10 to 11 second intervals. Winds were mild out of the north at less that 7 knots. The sky was clear and we had no fog.

Since we had about 90 miles to go, we needed to leave San Luis about an hour before daybreak. But since the moon was full it was relatively easy to be under way before first light. The most difficult part of the trip was leaving the anchorage and making sure we did not run into any of the boats anchored near us. Among those anchored nearby was the sailboat Blue Moon from New Zealand. We had met them when they were in Grand Marina in Alameda and I am sure we will run in to them again.

Moorage in Santa Barbara was fairly inexpensive at 60 cents per foot. We had dinner at Chuck’s at the harbor the first night and the next day we rode our bikes into downtown Santa Barbara. Where I stopped at Macy’s for a few things. The weather was warm at about 81 degrees.

Port San Luis Harbor – Avila Beach Nov. 13-14th 2008

The next couple of days were beautiful, with some wind out of the North. In fact the high winds forecast kept us in the Port of San Luis for two days. The winds were to break Saturday, Nov. 15th, and that would make getting around Point Arguello and Point Conception much more pleasant. The current conditions of 12 foot seas and 20 to 25 mile and hour gusts were the not the weather we wanted to encounter when we went around the points.

So one day we called the water taxi, hailing them on channel 12. It is a free service provided by the port and gratuities for the pilot are all that is required. So they came to the boat and we stepped off the swim platform onto the skiff and we went to the pier and had lunch at the restaurant there.
The next day was not quite so windy to we took down the dinghy and motored over to the Avila Pier. The Pier has an area where you tie the stern of your dinghy to a set of floating mooring balls and your bow to a metal ladder that you climb up about 12 to 15 feet. With the surge, it was a little challenging, but not as difficult as I thought it would be. We spent the day walking around the small town of Avila and having brunch. We returned to the ladder climbed down boarded the dinghy and headed for the boat. We would need to be up early Saturday morning for the 11 hour day to Santa Barbara Harbor.

San Simeon to Port San Luis ( Avila Beach) Nov 12th, 2008

We had a short ride of 4-5 hours to the Port of San Luis so we did not need to get up before day break. However, we wanted to get to Port San Luis before the afternoon winds kicked up. We awoke to another nice clear day and were heading out at 7am.

As we started out, Alexus noticed we could not get the starboard engine up to the rpm equivalent to the port engine and the synchronizer would not engage. We turned back around and dropped anchor again so we could figure out what was happening. In San Simeon there are no facilities, so whatever was happening, we needed to fix ourselves or determine if we could get to San Luis. Alexus went into the engine room as I moved the throttle for the starboard engine. She was following the linkage and the synchronizer seemed to be ok. So we continued and Alexus found that one of the bolts from the engine throttle linkage was missing. Given all the work we had done on the engines it could have been left loose or just with the constant vibration of the boat worked itself loose. At least it was an easy fix. We have a number of spare parts, hoses, clamps, tape, screws, nuts, bolts, you name it, just in case things like this happen, as they do of course. I am thankful that Alexus is mechanical and knows engines. I would not be as confident about traveling the ocean without her skills.

After our short delay, we headed out into 8 foot seas at 11 seconds and winds 5 to 10 knots out of the northwest. There was no fog again so at least it would be a nice day. Along the way we saw hundreds of seals and dolphins. This time they actually came to play and 4 to 5 of them were riding the bow wake. I tried to get pictures, but it was impossible with their movement and the boats rolling. As we proceeded we got a great look at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The water is actually two to three degrees warmer in front of the plant. Alexus commented that it probably changes the entire ecosystem near the plant.

We pulled into the Port of San Luis around 1:15pm and decided to fuel. Diesel was $3.04 a gallon. Our friend Rick had told us the fuel dock was overhead on the pier and that the surge at the fuel dock was pretty nasty, he was right. We had all our fenders on the starboard side and were tied at the bow, mid and stern cleats and the boat was still moving and straining in the surge. We decide instead of filling up we would get 200 gallons and check out the mooring balls and anchorage. The mooring balls are out further near the jetty and the anchorage is in closer, between the Cal Poly Pier and the Avila Beach Pier.We chose to anchor, as it seemed more protected and we trust our anchor. We have also moved to all chain for our anchor rode. ( Another of those items we did while in Alameda) We anchored at 35.10.448 N by 120.44.293 W, in sand with good to fair holding. We put out 180 feet of chain as the wind would be coming up with gusts to 20 knots out of the north. With the new rode, anchor snubber and chain lock around our Samson post, we set our anchor alarm and were in for the day.

Monterey Bay to San Simeon Nov 11th, 2008

Up early, but at least there was some light. Sunrise was an hour away. The seas were 8 feet at 11 seconds and there was no wind and no fog. The wind was to come up in the afternoon and be between 10 to 15 knots out of the north. We had a long slow ride into San Simeon, the coast line of California does not have the same number of rock formations as Oregon, but at least you can see the shore and it is much warmer. San Simeon is a decent anchorage. Not quite as big and protected as Drakes Bay, with a little more roll, but it was a pleasant stay, and you can see Hearst Castle from the bay. We anchored in about 12 to 15 feet of water and set the anchor alarm. We had tacos for dinner, so the rolling wasn’t so bad as to make cooking difficult.

Monterey November 9th and 10th, 2008

We knew we were beating a storm into Monterey and that is what happened. We spent the next two days, when the rain broke, walking and riding our bikes around Monterey. We spent a great deal of Monday, at the Monterey Aquarium. It is always interesting and I could spend hours watching the jellyfish exhibit. We had dinner the first night at the Sandab Grill which is on the working pier, next to the slip we were assigned. The restaurant is great and mostly populated by locals. We hit the sack early Monday as we had another 9.5 hour day on Tuesday to make our way to San Simeon.

Alameda to Monterey, Nov 8, 2008

Well, we spent September and October in Alameda getting ready to head south for the winter. After adding a water maker, two new high output alternators, new batteries and battery charger, a new davit for the dinghy, new upholstery for the interior salon, and a list of other items, we left Alameda on November 8, headed for Monterey California as our first stop.

We awoke at 3:30 am, and I moaned to Alexus this is not the way I like to start our trips, but we needed every bit of daylight and since we are familiar enough with the bay and estuary, we were confident enough to leave Alameda in the dark. We left Grand Marina at 4:30 it was still quite dark and foggy. As we headed out the estuary, we discovered the radar was not working. Not a good thing on a dark and foggy morning. I was at the helm as Alexus made various attempts at restarts and resets, and the radar simply would still not come on. I told Alexus I did not want to go into the bay without radar and we started to turn around, back towards Alameda. She said, "let me check for any loose wiring" and to give her until we get to the open bay before we turn around. We were both hopeful that given the amount of electrical and other work we had done, perhaps a connection was loose. Sure enough as I continued to navigate visually toward the open bay, Alexus found a broken connection and was busy soldering the wire. The repair worked as expected and we immediately had working radar. This was a very good thing as it was still dark, and the fog in the open bay had reduced our visibility to less than a half a mile.

In fact we both were closely watching the radar, the AIS, and listening as cargo ships blasted their horns as they proceeded out of the bay. We knew where we were from our GPS. We could see two cargo ships on the radar and AIS, one coming in and one going out, and could hear their horns, but we could not see them. We decided to move out of the traffic lanes and hug the San Francisco city coast line until we were close enough to move out towards the bridge. The wind was very light at 5 knots and the waves were 4 to 5 feet at 11 seconds, so crossing the SF bar was not a challenge. As we came closer to the bridge we heard a horn that sounded like a BIG cargo ship and we simply could not find it on the instruments or see it visually. Finally the lights for the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge became visible and the horn we thought was from a cargo ship was the fog horn for the South Tower. (We felt better but a little silly) If we had looked at the chart more closely we would have seen they have horns on the tower that are used during fog. For the number of times we have been out under the bridge we had never been out in fog so had never heard those very loud warning horns.

By now, around 5:45 am we were getting some light as sunrise was still about 45 minutes away. However, the fog remained pea soup thick with less that 1/2 mile of visibility. We could see from our radar there was traffic coming in and it was great that the Coast Guard Traffic control contacted us, "sailing vessel" westbound from bridge in shipping channel. We responded with our location, boat name "NuMoon”, and that we were 42 foot motor vessel, outbound and just west of the south tower. The Coast Guard thanked us, but they were trying to raise a sailboat that was further west of us. It did help in about 5 minutes we were hailed by the Coast Guard by name and advised that a tug with a barge was approaching us in bound and that the Kyliham could be hailed on channel 13. We hailed the Kyliham and arranged a starboard to starboard passage. We never did see them other than as a blip on the instruments. Many thanks to the Coast Guard for making cruising easier!!!

It would be a pleasant yet long cruise to Monterey, as the seas were minimal and the fog began to clear. It was cold and cloudy as we continued on our 12 hour cruise to Monterey.

We were about 5 miles out from the harbor when the fog set in again, and we could not see any land as we approached the harbor. Out of the fog came a small 15 foot fishing boat with two people aboard. They were trying to catch us and get our attention. We slowed and they quickly caught us. They were two young men who had been fishing and had drifted quite a way and they had no idea were they were. They asked if we were headed into Monterey Harbor and we said yes, they could follow us, but we were comparatively slow at 8 knots. They thanked us and dropped behind us as we made our way into the bay. After about 4 minutes the Coast Guard from Monterey hailed us and asked if we were escorting a small vessel into the harbor. We replied we were, and gave them our location. They said they would send out an "asset" to meet us. We asked for clarification and he again said "asset". (strange name for a boat, ha) We then saw a small fast inflatable Coast Guard boat on the way out to us and at the same time we could now make out the land. The young men in the small boat thanked us profusely and headed off into the harbor and towards the Coast Guard boat. Both Alexus and I could not imagine being that far out without a compass or a hand held GPS. As without those there was absolutely no way you could tell your location in the fog.

After that unusual interaction, we pulled into the harbor and tied up in our assigned slip A10 for the night. It was a day filled with interesting events and lots of helpful interaction with the Coast Guard.

Web Gallery Pictures

I know it will be hard to believe that this is the "Mini" Slideshow (because there are still 252 photos) but believe me, we took many, many more! So this really IS the "pared down" version. But I also know there are WAY too many pictures for most people to be interested in, so please browse as much or as little as you desire.

To view the slide show just click here: http://gallery.me.com/alexus309/100186

Bodgea Bay to Alameda California Sept. 18, 2008

Up early with NO fog, but with calm seas (same as last three days) and perfect cruising weather. On the way we saw whales, seals, dolphins and the seas were smooth and flat. A very different experience coming around Point Reyes compared to May 9th. We got around the point and visibility was so good you could see the tower of the golden gate bridge. The sun was out, sea’s flat, 3 feet at 16 seconds and maybe a slight breeze. It was so good it allowed me to sit in the sun on the fly bridge and catch up the blog. We are so excited to be back. We are returning to Grand Marina, slip A21 and will be there until Monday, when we have the boat hauled out for some work. Then back to Grand Marina to rest, visit with friends and family and enjoy not moving for a few weeks. We will be leaving sometime in late October to head for Marina Del Rey for Thanksgiving and spend the winter in the Southern California area.

Fort Bragg to Bodega Bay Sept. 17th, 2008

We left at first light again, this time with no fog and decent visibility. And once again, we had a great sea day with 3 to 5 foot swells at 14 seconds, NW winds at 5 to 8 knots. Just another 10 hour cruise day, and we arrived in Bodega Bay at about 4:30pm and went right to the fuel dock. Fuel was $3.62 a gallon, the lowest we had paid since beginning this trip. NuMoon was definitely thirsty! (she took just over 300 gallons) We pulled into a slip right across from the fuel dock in Spud Marina, and I made dinner so we could relax and just sit on the boat without being underway and attentive. We were in bed by 10:00pm as we knew again we would be leaving at sun up.

Eureka to Fort Bragg Sept.16th, 2008

We left again at first light for another long day of cruising. The seas again were 3-5 feet at 11 seconds, winds 8 knots NW, but once again visibility is limited. We were in for another day of radar watch, and attention to the charts.

But regardless of the fog, we had a hitchhiker for part of the trip. It was a little yellow bird that was not only NOT scared of us, he seemed to be cold and simply wanted to get warm by sleeping on Deb's lap or sitting in front of the small electric heater we had going in the fly bridge. He was VERY cute!!! And after a couple hours riding with us, he just flew away...

We called the Carine’s restaurant in Fort Bragg to see if we could use their dock again, but they were closed. We had kept the card we had gotten from another dock tenent, Les, and gave him a call. He said the spot was open and to come on in. We tried calling Ted and Bobbi, but there was a disconnect recording. Seems they had moved on. When we docked in Fort Bragg, Les did mention that Ted and Bobbi had moved to Arizona. Seems it was a slow summer for everyone and there is not much job opportunity or money in Fort Bragg. We caught up with Les and he said he is also moving on. He plans on leaving the first week in October and will head for the Martinez Marina here in the bay area. We wish him well and perhaps we may see him again. We had dinner at Silver’s and walked back to the boat for another early night in preparation for yet another early morning.

Crescent City to Eureka Sept. 15, 2008

Crescent City is a bay and has no bar to cross, so entrance and exit is very simple compared to the other locations we had stayed. Up again at first light and on the open water by 7am. Seas again were good 3 foot swells at 11 seconds and winds 3-5 knots, all from the NW. Due to fog, visibility has been poor, at less than 1/2 nautical mile, and we have run the radar the whole way. It makes for a tough run as you don’t really relax with such limited visibility. The fog lifted as we came closer to Fort Bragg. That is a good thing, especially since their entrance channel can have a rough bar at times. We were fortunate that the seas were calm, no wind and in we went. We had called our friend, Rhonda, to let her know we were on our way back and she wanted to meet us for dinner so we could meet her heartthrob, Rich. We docked at Woodley Island Marina and Rhonda was there at 4:45. It was great to see her again and she also wanted us to see Rich’s house in Eureka. His house is fantastic! Big open rooms, very comfortable and homey, on five acres and surrounded by wildlife, or as Rhonda says “critters”. These critters include foxes, bats, bears and deer. Rich came and met us at his house. He is a very nice guy, is a bicyclist, plays guitars and collects them too! Off we went to dinner at the place they met. It was a great restaurant with good food and nice people. Rich and Rhonda walk in, and everyone greets them by name. We had a wonderful evening of conversation and laughter, but it ended too soon. They drove us back to the boat and we said our good byes. We reminded Rhonda that the roads go both directions. Perhaps we will see her again in this neck of the woods.

Bandon Oregon to Crescent City California Sept. 14th

We left Bandon with nice seas but LOTS of fog, as the sets of gales had finally broken. We knew we would have a long day into Crescent City, but at least we would be in California. Up early again to leave at first light, just before sunrise and we made the 93 mile, 12-hour day and arrived just before sunset. There is not much in Crescent City and we had been on the boat all day. We walked across an RV par to the only restaurant, and had a good meal, paid our docking fees at the Harbor office, and walked back to the boat. We turned in at about 9:30pm as we knew we would have another long day to Eureka.

And since the fog lasted nearly all day, we didn't take ANY pictures.

Umpqua River – Salmon Harbor to Coquille River Bandon Oregon Sept. 11th -12th

We left Salmon Harbor just after first light to make our way to Bandon. It was the best sea day we have had in sometime. The winds were light NW 5 to 10 knots, and the seas were NW 5-7 feet at 8 seconds and the sun was out with no fog. It stayed a nice day the entire way to Bandon. We arrived in Bandon at about 11:30 and it also has a bar to cross. The Coquille River bar is less challenging than Umpqua, less shallow, less shoaling and not as long of a channel. We can actually see the bar from the aft deck and even better from the fly bridge where we are docked in the marina, slip C22. The folks at Bandon had been holding the slip for us as we had contacted them when we were in Salmon Harbor. Thank you Trudy and company!!!! Bandon is a cute little town and of the three, Coos Bay, Salmon Harbor and Bandon, we enjoyed Bandon for its number of restaurants, charm and facilities. The marina is right below all the activity and very convenient. The docks could use some work, but I they are decent for wood docks and has plenty of space between boats. We met Gerry and Terry who have the most beautiful 88 foot sailboat named Absolut Freedom. With 88 feet and a 21 foot beam, pilot house and cockpit, they have a wonderful layout and unbelievable living space. The salon is exquisite and expansive and the galley is fantastic for cooking. Their master stateroom is the entire aft and with the cockpit above and exit to the cockpit, it feels like cathedral ceilings. Gerry and Terry are warm, friendly people who have built and recently sold a resort they created from scratch. They plan to spend three more years consulting /contracting to the resort then head out for their sailing adventure. Tomorrow Sept. 12th we hope to head out early for Brookings Oregon. It is about 74 miles which will mean a 9-10 hour day of cruising. Well in the night I heard a noise and thought someone had come aboard the boat, but then I realized it was that the wind had come up significantly, not a good sign. At 6am Alexus was up and checking the weather on the radio. For today Sept. 12th, the weather was small craft warning here in Bandon, which is not bad, but near St. George where we were heading, the weather had deteriorated to Gale warnings, with winds 35-40 knots and seas 8 -10 feet with 3-4 foot of wind waves. So, we turned off the radio and went back to bed. It looks like we may be here for a couple of days until the weather breaks again and we can make progress south towards home.