Sausilito - San Francisco

We're finally settled in Sausilito...on the north shore of the Golden Gate Bridge on San Francisco Bay. We'll be at the Clipper Yacht Harbour for the next month. I'll stay here while John goes back for a two week shift at work. We're close to all major services, a West Marine, banks, grocery store, and the ferry to San Fran is a short walk away.

Unfortunately, we don't have internet on the boat, but there is a kinkos just up the street, so we'll be able to keep in touch. We're off to explore.

The Golden Gate Bridge!

We left Bodega Bay early and set a course for the Golden Gate Bridge. Passing beneath the bridge was unbelievable! Once inside the Bay, there were lots of sailboats, enjoying the breeze. Rumour has it that most of the cruising boats tend to stay around Sausilito, so we investigated the local yacht clubs in an effort to find a reciprocal slip for the night. (Because we're members of Campbell River Yacht Club, most yacht clubs will offer one night at no or low cost to visiting yacht club members). We found a well-priced slip at the fancy Corinthian Yacht Club. And we celebrated completing the first leg our our journey by a night out at a fabulous Mexican restaurant - Guyamas.

Bodega Bay

We left Newport on Sunday with several other boats, and had excellent winds pushing us down the coast. On Monday, the winds increased and we sailed in strong north-westerly winds, and fairly big swell and chop. Of course, the boat did well, and we made good time, but we had a hard time sleeping with the confused waves. On Tuesday...the wind died and we motored for the next 24 hours in a flat calm. After three nights at sea, we decided to take a break and investigate some new noises coming from our steering pedestal. We stopped in to Bodega Bay for a well-deserved rest, and to disassemble our steering system. We found a few worn pins that we'll be able to replace in San Fran. This was a great spot that we would have liked to explore more – a small community of about 900 people, but we were pretty anxious to keep moving and get settled in San Francisco.

Leaving Bodega Bay in the fog:

Curious Whale

Today was a no-wind day. We motored for over 24 hours. Around mid-day, I saw a group of humpback whales. They seemed to be coming in our direction, so I turned off the motor, so they could pass in front of us, undisturbed. They cruised by without incident. There were some adults, and a couple of young ones. But one whale took an interest in the boat. He/she came right up to the boat and surfaced beside us, dove under us, blew at us, and generally scoped us out. Luckily, he/she didn't take offense to our lack of a daily shower.

Still in Newport

We're here with about 10 other sailboats, awaiting a shift in the winds to push us towards San Francisco. We're all hoping that tomorrow is the magic day!! But in the meantime, we're enjoying exploring Newport...there is a lively waterfront district here, beautiful sandy beaches, and a farmers market! We've also been chatting with the other cruisers...mostly about weather, but also comparing notes on San Fran and Mexico.

We even walked out to the point to see the historic Yaquina Lighthouse, and walked back across the bridge to the marina.

And...oddly enough, we bumped into a couple whose blog I've been following: SV Zephyr. They managed to run aground on the entrance into the marina this morning...which is very easy to do. We've seen a couple boats do this. There is a negative tide here at times. Crazy.

We've also met other cruisers here:

George and Celeste on SV Nereid

Peter and Josh on SV Delphis (I think)

Yvonne and Bruno on MoMo

Newport Oregon

We've managed another overnight passage into Newport ,Oregon. Once again the wind was on our nose, and we were forced to motor most of the way. We did enjoy some sailing, but had to tack way off course, and back in again. In the end we decided to come into port, and await a better wind forecast.

Saw humpback whales and a moonfish...John thinks...maybe it is a sun fish.

But the best part of this journey was John "chumming" over the side!!! he thinks he has the flu!! :) Sorry, no pictures.

Happy birthday Dad!!

Hope you had a great day

Junkys

This place deserves a post of its own. It is a marine store...with everything created for the marine industry from the last 50 years or so. It is a treasure trove. We found amazing odds and ends in here. And the best part...was the attic. Upstairs, Virgil has a collection of incredible antiques, several old cars, and an incredible inventory. You need a flashlight, because there are no lights, but John was even able to find his much-loved salmon plug "131". In fact he found several boxes of these. This is him looking for the plug.

But the most amazing find in the attic was the Delorian. I don't know much about these things, but I guess it is a big deal. I think Marty and Doc would have been impressed.

A New Map of Our Position

Amy has created a Google map of our position reports. You can click to it, with the link on the right hand side. There is also a link to our SPOT location - this one is similar, it will be updated sooner, but only shows the last 7 days.

Our First Night Sail!

After spending a day in Schooner Cove to install a secondary mast track for our storm sail, we started heading south again on Thursday. Upon arrival in Victoria at Oak Bay, Pat and Noah popped by to join us for dinner, and supply us with a few critical lures for our tuna fishing adventures. And, Jo came down to the boat to send us off.

Following a restful night, on Friday we took off again, but this time for the USA border. We arrived in Port Angeles to check in with customs and were issued a one-year cruising permit. We then headed out the Juan de Fuca Straight, towards open ocean. We stopped for the night in a small bay where the constant rolling ensured a terrible sleep. Saturday, we continued to Neah Bay - the last point of shelter before heading around the corner to the outside, unprotected waters. Neah Bay is a small first nations community with few services, but we were able to buy a few extra groceries, and finish the preparations for heading offshore.

On Sunday morning, we started up ol' Perk (our engine), and spent most of the day motoring away from land. We've chosen to take the express route (a few stops along the way) as opposed to the bluewater route (no stops between here and San fran). This makes it easier for us to run into port if we have any trouble, or if the weather changes. Here is Cape Flattery - the last point of land, before heading out towards the open ocean:

Our first overnight was fabulous. We set the sails just before dinner, and sailed all through the night. We took turns being on watch for 3-4 hour periods. During my watch, the sky was clear, and the stars were stunning. And surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as freaky as I had imagined. In fact, after about 15 minutes, I was able to relax, and enjoy the ride.

By morning, we were just outside Grays Harbour, so we decided to duck in, get some internet tasks done, and get a full nights rest before pushing on. We've finally found wi-fi (which has been much more difficult than I expected). Although I'm sitting in the Mermaid Cafe, and I suspect they want their table back for new customers. And...the lovely staff at the marina drove me into town so i could dropoff a couple packages at the post office. Is that great or what?? And moorage is only $12. A far cry for the almost $50 we paid at Schooner Cove.

I even had a chance to do some sewing - sail ties, winch covers, and John's jeans.

Be sure to click on the link at the top right of the page to see our current position.