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| Intermezzo on the dock in Monterey Harbor Marina |
It's bouncy out here this morning, closely spaced 2-4ft steep seas just off the port bow. Bashing Level 2 to start (hopefully) diminishing to BL 1 as we get further off Point Piños. I don't miss not bashing.
The trip to Monterey from Port San Louis (San Louis Obispo) was foggy, cold and lonely. After saying goodbye to Luther in the morning, I slept for a few hours and then slipped the mooring lines at 1pm to head out into the fog. I was soon in contact with a tug with a long tow to negotiate how we would pass by each other in the thick fog. The dodging of other vessels would continue sporadically into and through the night.
The night was foggy, cold and damp and I felt alone and isolated. I balanced staying alert with pacing my self for the long night's passage.
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| Dressed warm after a cold, foggy night's passage |
Just before dawn, the skies cleared and I was treated to a nice warming sunrise as we approached Cypress Point, the fairways of the famous Pebble Beach golf course visible on shore. As we rounded Point Piños, Monterey Harbor came into view like a picture postcard, bright blue sky and sea, welcoming. After friendly harbormaster staff checked us into the marina, I ate a hot breakfast, took a hot shower and laid down to get some rest.
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| A welcome warming sunrise and clear skies nearing Pebble Beach |
My July 4th Independence Day was not much of event. I took a walk around the old town, stopping at an English pub to enjoy a couple of We Forgive You Day beers and to eat lunch along the way. The weather was lovely, sunny, warm in the sun, cool in the shade, a gentle breeze. I headed back to the boat around 8pm with the intention of taking a nap, but ended up falling sound asleep in my clothes for the whole night. Guess I was tired after 21 hours of sailing in the cold fog and the beers hit me!
Yesterday morning I ran along the trail to Pacific Grove, had a nice breakfast at LuLu's on Wharf #2 (not the tourist wharf), then walked to West Marine to pick up a couple of things, returning via the beach. Another day of beautiful weather.
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| The trail to the beach heading back from West Marine |
I enjoyed a family visit in the afternoon, Nicholas, JoAnna and Mikayla were in town to visit the aquarium and have dinner with friends. My main focus was on indoctrinating three year-old Mikayla to the boat, with the hope of her joining on as crew in my elder years of sailing. She explored the boat, tied all my lines into a web of knots, jumped on the trampoline. We took the dinghy out for an excursion to get close up views of sea lions and sea otters, though Mikayla found the feel of the water running through her fingers, the floating kelp (aka "muck"), and guano coating the rocks (aka "smelly bird poop") more interesting and amusing. We had a great time.
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| Mikayla (inverted), Nicholas and me on the tramp |
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| Mikayla's rope work |
I closed out the day with a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant in town, then prepared Intermezzo for departure, adding some diesel from jugs to the fuel tanks, topping off a water tank and securing deck and cabin.
This is the next to last leg of my voyage to San Francisco. We'll overnight in Pilar Point Harbor and then time our departure tomorrow to catch a fair tide through the Golden Gate and into San Francisco Bay.
