October 16, 2014 - Monterey CA

Incredible Monterey!  Wow, what an awesome week, and it seems I say this with every new location.  We stay in these port towns for 5-10 days and get to experience so much but still we miss some of the items on our to do lists.  Monterey is a place you should not miss.  With bicycles aboard, we were able to go near and far.  Of course there are bike rentals here that for sure could give the cruisers without a bike a way to go a bit further than walking. Monterey is a town that is excellent with bikes.

We were able to explore much of the town, and waterfront along their excellent bike path that must run at least 20 miles.  We found a grocery store just one block off the trail, and also found a
trader Joe's several blocks away from the marina.  Between those two stores we were able to restock the boat at the tail end of  a couple of bike rides.

We did and saw quite a bit of things here, so we won't cover each one.  The highlights include seeing a friend of Steve's from college and her family.  We had dinner with Heidi and her husband Ken and son Kevin.  Heidi works at the Monterey Bay aquarium and she was able to get us in there for free.  Thanks Heidi!  The aquarium is fantastic.  We also rode out to to the Monarch Butterfly sanctuary where thousands of these butterflies return each year.  We rode our bikes along the coast bike trail well past Lover's Point, and the views were spectacular.  The kids and Steve played on the stairs (on their bikes) in a very nice commons area almost every time we passed it.  Cindy and Kevin are gaining a lot of confidence on their mountain bikes and are now willing to ride down stairs, and even managed to conquer riding up a 3-step challenge.  Good job kids!  We also meandered through the old fisherman's wharf and out the Coast Guard Pier to observe hundreds of sea lions on the breakwater.  We spent some time walking around Cannery Row, the setting for John Steinbeck's famous book "Cannery Row".  We also visitied Dennis the Menace playground, named after the creator of Dennis the Menace who lived in Monterey and donated the park to the town.  We can't forget about some beach time on a lovely sand beach adjacent to our marina where the kids boogie boarded for hours.

The marina was very nice, but like San Francisco the sea lions were quite noisy, and smelly!  There was some wave action in the marina and we were on a mostly commercial dock so at first light the tour boats/fishing boats would get ready for work so we could hear them fire up their big diesels and motor past us before we were ready to get up.

We have put a lot of miles on our bikes so far and they have proven to be a great asset so far.  As a family we like biking and the freedom the bikes give us from tour buses, the public transit system, taxis, and the slow pace of walking.  But we are seriously contemplating how much use they will get once in Mexico, where roads are not as nice and bike paths are likely non-existent.  The kids will enjoy rough paths and trails, but the bikes will be almost useless on a sand beach.  We have heard from a few cruisers that their bikes got almost no use, yet others have told us their bikes were in use a lot.  So, maybe it depends on if you were a biker before you went cruising, or not?  If that is the case, our bikes will continue to see use, as we got out biking quite a bit back home before we became full-time cruisers.  Cindy and Kevin have been enjoying the "urban jungles" they have been conquering; riding over curbs, riding off the cement paths into the dirt, skidding and sliding almost constantly, riding up and down stairs and even off some substantial ledges.  They certainly want to keep the bikes onboard.  They consume precious space on deck, and make getting to our kayaks all but impossible.  Perhaps if we change their storage location once we are done with coastal cruising (and the need to have everything extremely lashed down) we can figure out a better solution.

I (Steve) did some required maintenance changing engine oil and filters while in Monterey.  It's a messy and time taking job, which I really don't like.  The engine oil needs to be warm to get most of it removed, and to make sure the junk is suspended in the oil, not sitting on the bottom of the oil pan ready to mix in with the fresh oil.  So, the engines have to be warm, which means working for hours in a 100 degree engine room.  It's just not very pleasant.  Now it's done and we shouldn't need to do it again until La Paz, Mexico.  I also changed the engine-mounted fuel filters.

Whales off the port bow

A stop at Lover's Point

Sea wall waves and fun

Dennis the Menace Playground - just one of the many things in it!

Beautiful coastline. Point Pinos shoreline

Fixing a flat tire.  Homeschooling isn't just books!

Ken, Heidi, Steve, Kevin, Kevin and Cindy on our way out to dinner.  Yes, two Kevin's is correct.

Steve, Cindy, and Kevin at the Kelp Forest tank

The Living Ocean tank at the Aquarium

Cindy and Kevin at one of the Jellyfish tanks

Cindy and Kevin at the Living Ocean tank

Sea Otter Mom and baby in the marina

Sea Otter Mom holding her baby, again in the marina

Monarch Butterfly on a Bottlebrush plant

Hummingbirds also.......

Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Pacific Grove CA for the winter.  It has a perfect climate.

Another Anchor picture at the favorite bike riding place for step practice

October 10, 2014 - San Francisco's Angel Island

We left the noisy marina to head to Angel Island.  Although we were in the heart of it all down there at Pier 39 Marina and all the shops and restaurants, the marina had swells coming in so our dock lines creaked all day and night.  The boat was also rocking around in a very uncomfortable manner as the, dock lines jerked the boat.  There is a lot of wave action in this marina.  This is not to mention the sea lion docks they had right behind us, and the noisy sea lion activity on them.  Still an awesome time and we could have used a day or two more.  Angel Island on the other hand was very quiet.  We had dinghy'ed over on a Sunday and the difference between weekend and weekday is like the difference between night and day.  During the work week there were very few people on the island, the tram tours were not running, the restaurant was empty and the cafe not even open.   We took the bikes to shore and enjoyed a nice ride around the island.

Trip #1 to the Angel Island.  It takes two trips to get 4 bikes
and 4 people to shore.

Flying in formation, just like the Blue Angel's who were scheduled to
practice today right in front of us,  We waited and waited for them but
finally gave up and continued on.

Great views, and a great bike ride around Angel Island.  That's Alcatraz over
Cindy's right shoulder and San Fran in the background.

Spectacular views, and no crowds.

There are virtually no people here mid-week.  We were here on the weekend
and it was packed with people.  

The Blue Angels had a practice scheduled for today, sometime between noon and 5:00.  We had hoped to watch them from one of the great viewpoints.  We waited quite a while but finally decided to leave.  They started their practice when we returned to the dinghy.  Bummer.  We were only able to see two of the planes fly over us in the moorage, in close formation.  They passed over us several times.  They were very close, and very fast.

The weather has been spectacular for our visit with clear skies (after the morning fog burns off) and temps in the 80's.  Several people have told us how lucky we are to be here this week, and it was cold and foggy all last week.

Friday the 11th we are headed over to Sausalito and hope to see their practice from there with the great view.  Saturday morning we leave the Bay area and head to Monterey Bay.

October 6, 2014 - San Francisco

Awesome time touring in San Francisco!  Of course we had some adventure on the way over from Sausalito that are noteworthy.  Check in time for the marina is normally noon but there was no other vessel in the slip we were going to occupy so they told us to come anytime.

Motoring over, the Coast Guard calls us on VHF 16 telling us we are being hailed on VHF 13 (Bridge to Bridge).  Switching, the captain of a large freighter headed out of S.F., asks us of our intentions.  Steve makes the statement we intend cross the channel to S.F. ahead of him (we see him on AIS)  Setting the scene for you, there is some fog, we can still see a distance although this freighter is not visible (900ft in length or so and HUGE!).  Captain Steve makes the right decision and states we will instead let them pass and cross the shipping channel after they pass as we do not have a visual on them.  Just when you think all is fine, it is not, the current is strong and Steve has to hit the throttles hard in order to avoid hitting hitting a channel buoy.  We were being set by the current and drifting right into it, driving forward and also floating sideways.  I would say we missed it by not more than 20 feet.  I was shaking after that. Steve had had a visual on the buoy and was quite far to the port side.  He had to look at the chart plotter, talk to the captain of the freighter, and contend with a huge wake from another freighter.  During that "mess" the buoy got dangerously close, as we were being pushed sideways by the 5 knot current, while moving forward at about 6 knots.  It was a surprising event.

Getting over to the entrance to the Marina at Pier 39, the current is ripping through the marina as there are only pilings surrounding the marina, so current can flow through them.  Needless to say, after the other experience with the wild current , we decided to tour the bay for a couple hours and enter close to slack – not a lot of room to maneuver in the marina!  Plus we will be right in view of a restaurant or two, and a ton of seal lion spectators.  We were moored right behind the famous Pier 39 Sea Lion floats, which has become a major tourist attraction.

Later we enter without issue and get tied up in a very rough marina.  Perfect timing on our return to the marina though, the first military vessel (an aircraft carrier) was coming in with the Police, Coast Guard, and fire boats giving them a formal greeting!  Police kept us far away.  This was our first experience pulling into a slip where both fingers are ours.  These vessels that do it everyday are quick to move and make it into these types of spots.  Captain Steve did a great job of getting us in there!  We had three very rolly (I know this is not a true word but it was reality) and noisy (dock lines groaning from the movement) nights along with the sea lion docks to our stern, but it was well worth it.

Freighter coming out of the fog as we motor to Pier 39 Marina

Military ship coming in for Fleet Week

We walked up Lombard Street, also to Coit Tower, and spent an entire day in the Exploratorium.  My (Kathy) cousin Kristen, partner Stephanie and son Hunter spent an afternoon and evening with us showing us the sights, with China Town as the highlight.  It was great to catch up with them as we had not seen them in maybe 3 years.  Kristen grew up in N.J. so she and I spent quite a few holidays and vacations together as I grew up on Long Island, only a few hours away.

From Coit Tower, Pier 39 Marina (our boat) and Alcatraz.  See it? Blue top catamaran, to the right of it and bow facing us.

Coit Tower (statue of Christopher Columbus too)

Adagio and the Pier 39 West Basin Marina

All of us at the gates to China Town

Kathy's cousin Kristen, Stephanie, Hunter, Kevin and Cindy in China town

Ice cream at Ghirardelli's, yummy!

Zoltar gave us a very appropriate and positive fortune, one for this trip - a keeper!

Yes, Kristen bought this one, looks great on her!

Another military ship coming in for fleet week, from our Pier 39 slip, Sea Lions dock as well...

Kevin and Steve with pedal power at the Exploratorium

Kevin is being silly at the Exploratorium

My infrared family!

We did not have quite enough time to do all the things we wanted but it was Fleet Week so we had to leave and no other marina’s had anything for us near the city.  Next trip, on the way back, we want to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge for sure!  We had our bikes but not enough days.  Alcatraz is also on our return trip to-do list.  Kathy and I have been there before, but the kids need to see it.  There were no tickets available for about 10 days, it's a popular attraction.

The kids had no boat-school for a week and now we are trying to get them back into it!

October 5, 2014 - Golden Gate Bridge and Sausalito

(This post was written days ago but we have had no wifi until now, so it is a delayed post)

Today was a milestone for us.  We passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and entered San Francisco Bay.  What a great feeling to have made it back down the coast, returning Adagio back to her home waters.

 At around 7:00AM we departed Drakes Bay and were greeted by a spouting Whale.   No great picture to show but it was a nice start to our morning.  About 20 minutes later Kathy spotted several spouts.  We counted 4 perhaps 5 whales in this pod.  It was exciting to see so many at once.

 

Two whales diving, leaving Drake's Bay heading for San Francisco

The ride to San Francisco was calm, but there were a ton of fishing boats to contend with.  Sport and charter fishing is alive and well here. We took the inside route through Bonita Channel so we could avoid Potato Patch Shoals.  As we exited Bonita Channel we had our first full view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge!  AWESOME doesn't adequately describe this sight, but is all I can come up with after only one cup of coffee this morning.

 

There it is, the Golden Gate Bridge.

Our first sight of the famous bridge

About to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge

We passed under the bridge and then slowly cruised close to the interesting San Francisco waterfront.  This is going to be a great place to explore.  We will walk the entire waterfront.  We will go up Coit Tower, ride a cable car.  Go to Ghirardelli Square.   Check out Fisherman’s Wharf.  And more......  What a fun stop this is going to be!

After passing Pier 39 we turned and headed toward Alcatraz.  We passed close by and got a good look at the former prison. Then over to Angel Island to take a look at the anchorage to see if we could squeeze in.  No room, all the buoys were taken, the docks are for day use only, and anchoring is not allowed.  So, we headed for our planned destination of Sausalito to drop the anchor with a few hundred other boats.

 

Alcatraz.

We anchored and deployed the flopper stoppers immediately.  There is a lot of boat traffic here (wave generators!) and watching the sailboat masts swinging wildly from side to side is not comforting.  The flopper stoppers help, but they certainly do not eliminate all the rolling motion. 

Flopper stoppers deployed.  There is a device hanging off the end of each pole
that helps reduce the rolling motion of the boat at anchor.

Anchored at Sausalito

The kids spent a lot of time swimming and playing in the 64 degree water.  They had a blast!  Zappa, our kitty even went for a swim.  It was an accident, and is the first time he has ever fallen off the boat.  He timed his jump from the cockpit floor to the top surface of the hull just as a big boat wake sent the boat rocking.  His intended landing surface dropped several inches before he landed, which allowed him to completely overshoot his target and plummet over the side of the boat and into the drink.  Kevin jumped in immediately to save Zappa and only received a small scratch from his desperate claws.   Zappa spent the next several hours cleaning himself.

Swimming in the warm waters,  Well, warm compared to our water back home (in the 50's)

Cindy climbs our "climbing rope" which we hang over the side of the boat

Washing off the salt water after Zappa fell in and went
swimming.  Well, at least we know he can swim.

We ventured into Sausalito several times and walked the entire town.  It’s a nice little waterfront town with tons and tons of shops to peruse.  We were there when a car show was happening in the park.  I was the only one interested in this, and I enjoyed it.  I saw several 1960’s Shelby Cobras, a few Ferrari's, some really rare BMW’s, a fantastic Mini from 1966, and many interesting and gorgeous old cars.  There was even a good rock band playing for the event.  We were treated to a fireworks show over San Francisco after dark.

 

There was a huge kids sailboat race going on when we arrived.  Here, some of the kids
are being towed back to their marina.

Beautiful fireworks show over San Francisco, as seen from Sausalito

We have called a lot of San Fran marinas and slips are hard to come by right now.  Fleet Week starts Thursday and most of the marina’s are full with boats coming to town for the event.  Fleet week is when the Navy ships arrive.  It’s a big party all over this town.  We have secured a slip at Pier 39 right on the heart of town for 3 nights, just before fleet week begins.  It will be perfect for spending time in San Fran, since everything will be just outside our doors.

October 4, 2014 - Drakes Bay CA

We had a great overnight passage from Fort Bragg to Drake's Bay, which is just 20 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.  We wanted a break from all the marina days we have had on the trip so far.  We typically anchor out 95% or more back home in the San Juan's.  So, spending the past month basically in marinas is not our normal boating style.  A day at anchor was in order.

It was a 16 hour trip which meant we would have to do some of the trip after dark.  Since the Noyo River is a tight river, with a bar crossing, we were not to eager to transit this in the dark.  We decided to leave around 3:30 in the afternoon which would put us at Drake's Bay at around 8:00AM.  We left in calm conditions and crossing the bar was easy, although the swell did build as we entered the ocean.  It remained a bit bouncy for the first hour or two until we got offhore a bit and into deeper water.  After that the winds slowly subsided, the swell decreased, and the ride was very nice.  It was  clear evening with a half-moon to guide us.  Kathy and I both commented the next day that night passages are very nice when the conditions are right.  The kids are both asleep and require no attention.  It is relaxing and gives one time to think/contemplate/day-dream without interruption.  This kind of 'free time' is something we don't get enough of in our hectic everyday lives back home.
We neared Point Reyes at daybreak and rounded the corner into Drake's Bay just after sunrise.  We set the anchor between two sailboats.  It was 8:00AM, right on schedule.  This is a very large bay, and it was named after Sir Frances Drake who reportedly spent 5 weeks in this bay repairing his ship after being beat up by the ocean while exploring the west coast.

Sunset on the Pacific Ocean.  Nice seas for motoring all night.

Pt. Reyes lighthouse, just before sunrise.

Sunrise as we are turning the corner into Drakes Bay

We took the dinghy out for a tour of the bay.  We have not been in the dinghy since back in Westport WA.

Drakes Bay is large.  It offers great protection from north winds.

A remnant from days gone by.  Abandoned fishing building.

After lunch we hopped in the dinghy to go the beach.  This will be our first "surf landing".  We almost never have breaking ocean waves on our beaches in the San Juan's or Gulf Islands.  Down in Mexico they we be commonplace.  We picked a spot with minimal surf, although it was still breaking and the waves were a few feet tall.  We waited for a gap in the wave train and headed in.  No real drama getting onto the beach and offloading our stuff.  We turned the boat around at the next big wave and started wading it back out into deeper water.  At the next gap in the waves we pushed it out past the surf line.  But, I had trouble getting the motor down and got broadside by a breaking wave.  Lots of water in the boat but Kevin was with me and grabbed the bailing pump and started pumping.  I never said a word, he did this all by himself.  Great job Kevin!  We each grabbed a paddle and got the boat past the surf line and I tossed our anchor off the bow.  Then Kevin and I waded back to shore. The boat was fine most of the time but a few waves broke early an were very close to the dinghy.  We will have to perfect our dinghy landing procedures, as this was not the smoothest of operations.

Cindy watches as Kevin and Steve get the dinghy past the surf line.

Kevin and Cindy start playing in the surf. The water is about 60 degrees.

Cindy checking out a sea lion on the beach.  We though he was dead as he didn't
move at all, even though we were yelling at him.  He wasn't dead though.  He scampered
back to the water shortly after this picture was taken.

We played on the sandy beach for a few hours.  We all got soaked getting back into the dinghy.  Kathy was wearing her inflatable lifejacket and it deployed after a wave dowsed her.  Ooops.  Another lesson learned; don't wear the inflatable if there is any chance of a surf landing.  Conventional life jackets only.

We played some games after dinner and enjoyed being on the hook again.  Although we were exposed to a SW ocean swell and none of us were used to rolling around after being tied to docks for so long.  Our stabilizer flopper-stoppers were out, but we were still rolling in the seas.  I enjoy it, but the rest of the crew isn't quite so fond of the constant motion.

Next stop.....  San Francisco!

October 2, 2014 - Fort Bragg CA

We spent several days in Fort Bragg waiting for a weather system to pass.  It is an old fishing village and fishing still rules.  Jerry, the harbormaster, is great.  Very friendly and helpful.  The marina is across the Noyo River from town so we got out our trusty bikes and rode over the bridge and into town.  The bridge is new, just built in 2005 when the 50 year old bridge was deemed unsafe in an earthquake.  The new bridge has great pedestrian walkways on each side.  It was very safe.  There were also bike lanes all the way to town, although Cindy and Kevin would rather ride on the sidewalks and jump the little driveway bumps on their bikes.

The Noyo River entrance to Fort Bragg.  Very narrow and interesting.

The "old-town" district has a bunch of cute shops, and places to eat.  We explored for a while and then continued our ride, heading back over the bridge to a nice trail system along the cliffs.  The views were spectacular.  We could also see why we were tied to a dock on the marina.  The winds had kicked up as forecast, and the sea would not have been much fun today.  Small craft advisories had been issued, and on the ocean you take those seriously.

Great Views from the trail atop the ocean cliffs.

The seas were far rougher than when we came in yesterday.  Today the winds are
b;lowing 20+ knots and the seas have grown quite a bit.  This is why we are in Fort Bragg
on our bikes!

Beautiful weather for a bike ride.  Sunny and warm.

There were quite a few deer on the ride along the cliffs and we stopped a few times to look at them.  There is a very nice market at the top of the hill just above the marina we are staying in.  So, we stopped and loaded our backpacks with some necessities.

While at the dock the kids continued home schooling.  We are managing to keep on schedule so far, but at times it is tough.  Being underway can at times make school work very tough.  Cindy is a little prone to motion sickness while reading, something we learned in road trips to Idaho.  Home-school involves a lot of reading.  When the situation allows we try to get a little ahead with home-school so we can spend more of the day out exploring when in a port.

There were several more bike rides during our stay.  On one we headed to a miniature golf place we saw on our first ride.  We had a little trouble finding it, and when we did finally get there we found out that it was their day off.  The place was closed.  Oh well.  We stopped at the market again, and also next door to pick up a few Pappa Murphy's pizzas for dinner.

Riding the cliff-top trail along the coast.

Interesting name for this scenic ocean viewpoint

I (Steve) worked on our bikes, fixing several issues with all 4 bikes.  My new bike is still having trouble shifting the front derailleur, but the rest of it is great.   We are debating if we want to sell the bikes in San Diego, as they may not be of much use in Mexico (compared to the US).  In Mexico there are not the great bike paths we have here, they will be a big target for thieves, and they take up a lot of room on the boat deck, making access to our kayaks very tough.  But, the bikes have been such a benefit so far, we may keep them on-board hoping they continue to get the constant use they have received so far.  They have really made life in port much more interesting.

We have not had internet access in Fort Bragg, other than my AT&T cell phone.  No Verizon signal for our jetpack, and no wifi.  As with most American's these days, we have grown accustomed to having the internet all the time.  When it's gone it seems very strange.  Once in Mexico we will have NO internet access the majority of the time.   So, we need to start getting used to this change.  Blog updates will be far less frequent in Mexico.