Port San Luis to Morro Bay to San Simeon April 9 to April 17th 2009

We knew the extended weather forecast was for high winds; and since we wanted a short day to beat the winds, we cruised 3 hours from Port San Luis to Morro Bay. Again we had seas in the 4-5 foot range and 8 -9 seconds with winds in the 5 to 10 knots. We pulled into Morro Bay and tied up at the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock. It was a pleasant surprise as one of the folks there to assist us tie up was Jeff, of the boat Sierra Madre. We had met Jeff in Petaluma and run into him again at Grand Marina in Alameda. The folks at the club were welcoming and we shared Easter dinner pot luck with them. We also spent the next 9 days in Morro bay as the winds had increased to 40 to 50 knots with gusts to 60. There were actually 2-3 foot wind waves running through the harbor. Securely side tied up at the dock with two stern lines, two mid cleats and a bow line, NuMoon still bounced as if in open water. Yet we were thankful to be in port and not at sea with the wind gusting 60 knots and seas at 20 feet at 8 seconds. We got to know the town of Morro Bay very well and we also made new friends, Josh and Scott, who were sailing from Ventura to Half Moon Bay and were also waiting out the weather in Morro Bay. The winds were so strong that it had picked up Josh’s dinghy tied up off the back of his boat, and overturned it, motor and all. He spent the next day clearing water from the outboard engine. We spent a good deal of time with them, thoroughly enjoying their company and building a friendship as we all waited out the weather. Finally the weather broke enough for us to have a fair ride so we left early the morning of Apr. 17^th. Josh and Scott had left the evening before and were prepared to anchor out at Wrecked Beach cove if necessary. The swells were about 11 seconds apart, but the wind created a chop of about 4-6 feet at 6 seconds, not dangerous, but a rough ride. Well that rough ride caused the gunk in the fuel tank to rise to the top and sure enough we recognized the first symptoms of fuel starvation and we did not want to lose an engine along the Big Sur coast, so back to Morro Bay we went. It was only 11am and we found a mechanic to change out all the filters, had lunch and decided to head to San Simeon and anchor out. Our windlass had stopped working in Port San Luis and we had to lower and haul it manually. We had tried to have someone look it over and if possible, fix the windlass in Morro Bay, but services and supplies are very limited. We knew it is not deep in San Simeon and we could lower and haul the anchor manually and we were anxious to leave Morro Bay and get home soon. So we left Morro Bay at about 1pm and cruised about 6 hours to San Simeon. On the way the winds gusted to 30 knots and the seas were choppy. But the engines ran great. Once we pulled into San Simeon it is so protected from north wind and north swells it was simply lovely, peaceful and calm. Yet we had just spent 11 engine hours of cruising to go 20 miles. We made a decision right then to add dual Racor filters once we were back in Alameda. Being able to turn a switch/lever and continue underway would have been a wonderful time saver and an additional safety feature.

Part of Catch up Time April 1-8 2009

Ok, today is June 7th and two whole months have gone by and you probably wonder where the heck we are. Well, the trip to Oxnard and the Channel Island Yacht club was a smooth 6.5 hours of cruising. The folks at the Channel Island Yacht club were wonderful and we spent a night celebrating life with them. We also got great tips on the best anchorages in the islands. We first stayed at Santa Cruz Island, Smugglers Cove which was a rocking and rolling location, and did not have a good beach for taking the dinghy ashore. In fact we watched a couple go bow over stern in their dinghy, which dumped them, the fuel tank and all their items in the surf. Smugglers Cove was pleasant, but not somewhere I would return to for a longer stay. The next day we motored 2.5 hours and stayed in Coches Prieto, which was beautiful, smaller and more protected anchorage. We decided to use a stern anchor to keep us pointed into the swells and that worked well. The challenge came the next day in trying to free our stern anchor. We released the bow anchor, turned the boat around and walked the stern anchor line to the windlass and used it to free and raise the anchor. That worked, but next time we will simply use the davit winch off the stern of NuMoon. We knew the weather was beginning to change, so we motored 5.5 hours headed for Santa Barbara. We did not want to cross the channel in bad weather. We spent two days in Santa Barbara and rode our bikes around town. We got caught in a rain shower, so we stopped in a restaurant where we met Isis and her boyfriend. We had a great time talking with her and sharing traveling stories. After many happy hours drinks, the rain finally stopped, we said our good byes, Isis walked to their hotel and we rode our bikes back to the marina. The next day April 8th we started our 11 hour cruise from Santa Barbara to Port San Luis rounding Point Conception. Waiting for decent weather has allowed us to round Point Conception two times and experience wonderful seas and scenery.

We anchored in our usual spot at Port San Luis, and watched the abundance of marine wildlife circle the port.

Marina Del Rey-Santa Barbara- Channel Islands Apr 1-8 2009

The trip to Oxnard and the Channel Island Yacht club was a smooth 6.5 hours of cruising. The folks at the Channel Island Yacht club were wonderful and we spent a night celebrating life with them. We also got great tips on the best anchorages in the islands. We first stayed at Santa Cruz Island, Smugglers Cove which was a rocking and rolling location, and did not have a good beach for taking the dinghy ashore. In fact we watched a couple go bow over stern in their dinghy, which dumped them, the fuel tank and all their items in the surf. Smugglers Cove was pleasant, but not somewhere I would return to for a longer stay. The next day we motored 2.5 hours and stayed in Coches Prieto, which was beautiful, smaller and more protected anchorage. We decided to use a stern anchor to keep us pointed into the swells and that worked well. The challenge came the next day in trying to free our stern anchor. We released the bow anchor, turned the boat around and walked the stern anchor line to the windlass and used it to free and raise the anchor. That worked, but next time we will simply use the davit winch off the stern of NuMoon. We knew the weather was beginning to change, so we motored 5.5 hours headed for Santa Barbara. We did not want to cross the channel in bad weather. We spent two days in Santa Barbara and rode our bikes around town. We got caught in a rain shower, so we stopped in a restaurant where we met Isis and her boyfriend. We had a great time talking with her and sharing traveling stories. After many happy hours drinks, the rain finally stopped, we said our good byes, Isis walked to their hotel and we rode our bikes back to the marina. The next day April 8th we started our 11 hour cruise from Santa Barbara to Port San Luis rounding Point Conception. Waiting for decent weather has allowed us to round Point Conception two times and experience wonderful seas and scenery.

We anchored in our usual spot at Port San Luis, and watched the abundance of marine wildlife circle the port.