Name Change

Hi everyone, We have decided to change the name of our blog to a more generic, "Our Sailing Adventure". Since leaving it has become clear that you can't always get to where you want to be in a sailboat. One reoccuring statement we hear from local boaters is "gee, it's not usually this bad here this time of year." We're in Ventura Harbour right now and met a fellow Canadian family who bought a sailboat in San Diego and are sailing it home to Richmond BC. There are 5 of them, the youngest looks to be about 8. They are doing it for the experience. They have no plans on keeping the boat and they will sell it when they get home. That's an adventure! I can't imagine heading back INTO the wind and waves that we sailed down on let alone with three kids and in a boat I only just bought.

Channel Islands

We said goodbye to Santa Barbara after a two week visit. By normal holiday standards that would have been a long vacation and I doubt I would ever budget that much time into a visit to Santa Barbara. Somehow time seems to go by quicker while cruising. There are all the usual domestic chores that need to be done plus because we have no car and rely on walking or public transit everything takes a little bit longer. No complaints though we all feel much healthier for it. In short we saw the butterfly exhibit, took in the Grossology exhibit at the Natural History Museum (yes you can smell armpit odor or learn how people vomit), rented a surrey (four wheeled covered pedal car), went to public library, went snorkeling and swimming, music festival, Harry Potter party, had a new windlass pump mount made, had new glasses made (lost them while dinghying in Morro Bay).

We headed for Santa Rosa Island on the west side of the northern group of Channel Islands. Unfortunately it was too windy to launch or land a dinghy. The island looked very interesting and everyone was disappointed. It blew fairly hard through the night and with no let up seen in the forecast we departed for a more sheltered anchorage on Santa Cruz. It was one of those nights sailors hate, having to wake every couple of hours and check the anchor hoping you won't need to do a midnight departure because of a dragging anchor (30kt + winds). The sail past the west side of Santa Cruz is very scenic. The island has steep sides and was shrouded in fog. Pictures to follow. Nadia and I are going fishing this morning, always an adventure.

Nadia's Notes: To Grandma, when you put lipstick on your lips your are really putting algae on your lips. I saw a sunfish on our trip to Santa Cruz Island.

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Starry Days

Nadia wrestles in a big star fish.

Anemone

The enemy of my anemone is my friend??

Santa Barbara Beach

With our boaters friends, Steve and Kathy.

Butterflly Exhibit

Our trip to the Natural History Museum

Hello From Santa Barbara

It's happening, you now hear us complaining about the heat. Not the worst thing that's happened to us so far. Today we spent several hours playing in the surf. Nadia loved it. I suspect it won't be our last time. I've been catching up with the boat maintenance. Oil changes, dinghy repair, paint touch-up etc. It's a lot of work keeping these things floating.

Nadia's Notes: I saw five octopi, one sting ray, five starfish, three crabs (probably more), lots of mussels, limpets and nudibranch and their eggs, they had blue bodies and orange sticks, sticking out of their blue bodies (all in the wild). At a butterfly exhibit I saw, monarchs, zebra longwings, morning cloaks and lots more. I saw 4 great blue herons, one with a wound on it's wing that I named Heather Jean.

In Warm Santa Barbara

Dolphins riding by our boat on the way into Santa Barbara Channel

Blue skies and palm trees, a welcome sight

Nadia enjoying a day of fishing off the pier in Santa Barbara.

They were right, the difference in weather once around Point Conception is remarkable. The last 40 miles into Santa Barbara were so calm we didn't even raise the sails. We have stowed our down sleeping bags and dug out the shorts. Santa Barbara is as California is supposed to be. Warm and sunny. The marina here is huge by most standards I'm used to. The city is geared for vacationers with long sandy beaches and so much to do it's impossible to decide where to start. Brenda's mom and dad are planning a visit in a couple of weeks.

Pete

Out and About

Climbing a ladder to get onto the pier at Port San Luis.

Life Aboard

Hearst Castle

South of Point Conception

We're only about three miles past Point Conception but we are past it. It was another very calm day. I believe we are officially in Southern California. It was another very good day for wildlife sightings. Whales and hundreds of dolphins. Many times we had very large groups of dolphins around the boat. At one point I'm sure there was in excess of 100 dolphins jumping around us. We are currently anchored in Cojo anchorage. A temporary stop for us slowpokes who can't make the next stop before nightfall.
We were heading to the Channel Islands tomorrow but our windlass motor mount broke again. I should be able to get the anchor up tomorrow but doubt it will last long. It was fixed in San Francisco most recently. We need to go to Santa Barbara to have it repaired.

Port San Luis

Morro Bay is part of a wet lands area that supports many different shore birds. We rented kayaks a couple of times and went exploring the shallow waters around the bay. There is a large cormorant, night egret, great blue heron and vulture rookery on one side of the bay that is very interesting.

We left Morro Bay this morning. Although we only covered 25 miles it was the calmest 25 miles of the trip. The sails didn't even go up. There were quit a few sea lions in the open water along the way. They porpoise through the water much like a dolphin does. We saw three whales in the shallow waters of San Luis Bay. I found this unusual as the bay is only about 20 to 30 feet deep. There is a shark warning on the beach of all things. They sighted a great white here about a week ago. I think I'll just wade into the water up to my waist and clean a few fish.

We haven't talked to a sailor from California who hasn't said that conditions change dramatically for the better once you go around Point Conception. Tomorrow we should do just that.

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Morro Bay

We've been in Morro Bay a few days. The sail from San Simeon was very easy for a change. A bit of fog in Morro Bay but not too bad. Morro Bay is an interesting little town with lots of small shops along the waterfront. We met up with Kathy and Steve of S/V Psyche, a couple we met earler in Monterey Bay. They borrowed a car from a nephew they have here in Morro Bay and we tagged along with them to Hearst Castle. There is no doubt the Hearst Family made a lot of money. The castle is much larger and elobarate than I would have expected. 65 bathrooms, 4 pools 3 guest houses, zoo, etc etc. Very ornate.

Nadia

Songline

Songline at Pebble Beach, anchored off Hole 17

Family Photo

Driving Lessons

Nadia trying her hand a riding a Harley and honing her skills as a dinghy boater.

Don't Throw Out Fishing Line

This poor guy was sitting on a mooring buoy, apparantly the local wildlife rescue folks knew about it but were having a hard time getting the sea lion to cooperate.

Surfin' Safari

Yesterday we went to the beach on San Simeon Bay. It's a nice sandy beach and Nadia had a lot of fun doing the usual beach things. Brenda and I took walks and enjoyed views of the Pacific and the hills behind us. Hearst Castle looks huge even from where we were. The dinghy landing involved riding a gentle surf but it was straight forward. The exit was little more exciting when a wave hit then me slipping and bonking my eyebrow against the end of the oar while Brenda tried to paddle us of shore. Not
being ones that learn easily we decided to go to Hearst Castle this morning. The surf didn't look that bad until we were surfing along with it. Just as we were about to hit shore Brenda stepped off and was knocked over. We got things under control, Brenda standing there soaking wet, covered with sand, looking not that happy. It was difficult to continue on to Hearst Castle. The idea that we had to now re-launch the dinghy back to the boat was very unappealing. Waves go through cycles, first you
get some little ones then you get some big ones. The big ones were much too big to consider launching in while the smaller ones would have been OK. It was very difficult trying to figure out when the right time to go would be. We stayed there for 4 hours watching the waves. Finally I figured out that by watching the water on the edge of the bay where the waves came around you could predict when a lull would occur. We got away unscathed and happy to be back at the boat. While we were waiting and watching
the waves an elephant seal swam by. They don't call them elephant seals for nothing.
We may be here for several days. The winds are howling out on the open water right now.

A word from Nadia,

I saw 8 or 9 lizards on the beach. Not to say the ones I saw at Point Lobos. I saw a bunch of Monarchs, I saw a pretty yellow butterfly with little white spots on all four of it's wings.