Monterey – June 2023

Originally, I planned to do a trip to Santa Barbara and back, but life rarely goes as planned. First, there were some issues with Grace that made me less than confident about such a long trip. Secondly, my wife, Saday, decided to join me for this sail. Since she is still learning, I decided it best we play it safe and enjoy the Monterey Bay instead.

Our first day from Santa Cruz to Moss Landing was a very direct broad reach in ideal sea conditions. There were few boats out, but it appeared for a good while that we shared the same course as another sailboat. In the middle of our journey, we caught up to them and sailed side-by-side until it was clear we were moving a bit faster. Pulling into Moss Landing, we had a less than warm greeting from the harbor master. I’m really not sure what had put them in such a foul mood, but I’ll probably avoid Moss Landing in the future.

After a family paddle on Elkhorn Slough, Saday and I set sail for Monterey. As we left the harbor, I made the mistake of handing the tiller over to Saday without sufficient instructions. I turned my back for an instant to kill the outboard and pull it out of the water. As soon as I turned back around, I realized Saday had us headed straight for the breakwater. After a brief verbal exchange, I had the tiller back in hand and steered us clear of danger. It was a close call and thankfully we came away unscathed.

Once on our way, we hugged the coast until reaching Monterey. It was a beautiful sail, but unfortunately Saday felt unwell and rested down below for most of it. Even though my GPS recorded average and max speeds similar to other legs, the boat’s tachometer registered higher speeds than usual. Grace seemed to move more efficiently through the water due to the mild conditions and consistent winds at a beam reach.

Saday and I took a day off the water in Monterey. I paddled along the coastline, observing the kelp beds and sea otters. It was also a chance for me to fix a slow leak in the Airmar multi-sensor thru-hull. All it took to fix was lubricating the o-ring with petroleum jelly. My folks also met with us in Monterey, and we went for a walk and had some nice meals together.

Saday decided to go back to Santa Cruz by car with my folks, and I sailed solo for this last leg of the trip. I made good time returning to Santa Cruz. After a morning paddle, the winds were already picking up. There was a small craft advisory predicted for the late afternoon. I hoped to make it across most of the Monterey Bay before conditions worsened. It was smooth sailing until perhaps the last two hours. Winds picked up dramatically and the sea became more turbulent. I made the decision to keep my class jib up as I sailed mostly close hauled with a single then double reef in the main. The wind was gusty and I kept having to let the mainsheet out to avoid being overpowered. As soon as I reached about 1.5 miles from shore, the winds died down considerably. Other sailboats were probably completely unaware of how intense conditions were just a bit further out from shore. Even though I was perfectly lined up for sailing into the harbor, the winds calmed so much close to the harbor mouth that I decided to douse my sails and motor the remaining distance back to my slip.