We had a leisurely sail from Santa Cruz to Monterey on a broad reach under the Code 0 only. In 15-20 knots true, we effortlessly kept up a steady 6-7 knots. (For a decent explanation of what a Code 0 sail is click here.) After motoring in light winds for an hour, it was simply unfurl the Code 0, set the autopilot and 22 miles later, we were tied at the dock in Monterey Marina.Once in Monterey, the main objective was to get my mail forwarding service going. I'm using St. Brendan's Isle as my mail forwarding agent. They will receive my mail, scan the outside of my mail so that I can view it online and tell them what to do with it. They can hold it, forward it, scan the contents or shred it. I had to get a document notarized to allow them to do this. A bit of effort when you don't have a car. By the time I was done, I had walked about three miles; no complaints as I needed the exercise after being on the boat for several days.
Fortunately a good portion of the walk was along the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was amazed by how clear and clean the water is and how much wildlife is present in such a developed area. Even in the marina, I watched two aquatic birds feast on a school of bait fish that had formed themselves into a dense ball. The water is crystal clear and I can see the bottom 15 feet below the dock. I saw plenty of seals, pelicans and other sea birds and a sea otter napping on its back.
The weather forecast is looking better for our long sail on Sunday.
