Julian and I tried hard to get to Monterey last week, where we were to meet Lee and then sail back north to Berkeley. Stops were planned in Santa Cruz, Moss Landing and Half Moon Bay.
Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, and after a nice motor sail to Half Moon Bay last Wednesday, we tried to head for Monterey Bay on Thursday. The forecast was for rain (50 % chance) and a southerly wind, the approaching front was a late season winter storm. We departed from Half Moon Bay just as the rain started, and about 3 hours later we were just 6 miles south of Half Moon Bay. That gave us an average of 2 knots per hour towards our destination of Santa Cruz, and a quick calculation, along with an assessment of how tired we were after just a few hours of sailing, made us turn back to San Francisco Bay. Pearl got pretty beaten up, we were using maximum foul weather gear, and we were still pretty soaked. It was an easy decision to turn back.
As far as I'm concerned, any day of sailing is a good one if you get to use jack lines, a harness and tether, and need radar. And I'll admit to always having wanted to see what the ocean was like in a good storm. Okay, it's good for a bit, until you can't find the cabin sole any more because of everything that's fallen in the boat, and the little bit of cabin sole showing has to be covered with towels to soak up the water coming in.......
No problem (except for Lee, who was looking forward to his first ocean sail). We immediately created plan B, and decided to spend the night in marinas where neither of has been.
Our first stop was the Corinthian Yacht Club in TIburon. I'd been there several times for lunch and for seminars, but had never spent the night there. We ate dinner in the bar, chatted with some of the club members, and admired the view, which was crystal clear after the storm had come through. I also got invited into one of their storage/workshops, which had a view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate. There are 50 of them, it looks like less than half had that view. I'd join that yacht club in a heartbeat if I could have one of those little workshops. I'd probably just sleep there, and polish my tools every day, while enjoying the gorgeous view. There were several sisterships to yellowboat, all Gordie Nash built Whitehalls.
Next stop was the Vallejo Municipal Marina, not quite as nice as the Corinthian, but fine for a "first" visit for us. We had a cocktail at the Vallejo Yacht Club, dinner out, went to bed early, and then got up at the crack of dawn to motor and sail back to Berkeley. I think we had as much as four knots or more of current pushing us, at one point we were showing no speed at all through the water, the wind had died, and the boat had no steerage since there was no water moving over the rudder, but the GPS had us chugging along at 4.5 knots over the ground! That put us back in the marina mid-morning.
I made Julian a breakfast of soft boiled eggs (love that gimbaled stove!) and he told me about toast "soldiers" or strips of toast to dip in the egg. Eggs, soldiers, fresh berries and fresh orange juice made a perfect early morning breakfast for heading home. The best part was when Julian asked me if I had egg cups on board, and I had a "what would Martha do" moment. A little blue masking tape is good for a lot of things!
