Night lightshow

Night-time...still sailing from Morro Bay towards Santa Catalina (USA). Jordan noticed that the phosphorescence made the breaking waves very visible and we saw streaks of it moving through the water like erratic torpedoes and realized it was dolphins (N34°19.20' W120°36.85')! It was the most spectacular phenomenon that left 23-metre illuminated trails, and as about a dozen dolphins then played on our bow wave, the luminescence was so bright you could clearly make out their bodies, tails, and fins - crisscrossing, coming in pairs, jumping out of the water!

We watched in awe for about 1/2 an hour when we rounded Point Conception at 04:00 in very favourable conditions, and being escorted by these magical dolphins. Wish we could have captured it on film and shared the amazing sights with you.

The wind died out after rounding the Point and we began to motorsail. At about noon, we had another dozen dolphins playing in our bow wave again. As it was daylight, we took several pictures, and a video that is in our Photo Gallery in the folder entitled Past San Francisco.

Even without night-time phosphorescence, it was still an awesome sight!

This time, they were escorting us into Fry's Harbor (N34°03.235' W119°45.265'). The Channel Islands consist of the north islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa - and the south islands: Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente.

Fry's Harbor is located on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island where we anchored at 13:30 for a short break after travelling all night - the water was so clear that we could see the anchor 11 metres below. We had the area to ourselves, and after lunch, Jordan put the dinghy in the water and we explored some more neat caves.

Coming out of one of the caves in the dinghy

We saw an abundance of orange starfish, purple sea urchins, clams and mussels, seals or sea lions, and schools of fish. And crab buoys everywhere...we hope our friend Max is getting a lot of use with the crab trap we left in Victoria!

We left at 16:45 to continue south to Santa Catalina Island, with thoughts of what a glorious day it had been - had a great sail through the night and early morning, experienced dolphins not once but twice, stopped at a desolate anchorage, made an awesome supper under sail, and laid back and watched the falling stars with warm wind on our faces.

We motorsailed, but at 22:00 raised the main as wind had picked up. Beautiful warm evening with bright stars but no moon again tonight. A couple of hours later, the wind completely died once again...back to motorsailing.

"They" say that after rounding Point Conception there is a change where temperature is warmer and the colder north climate is gone. We have found this to be true!

Leaving Morro Bay

We did a weather check once again before leaving Morro Bay at 13:30 on November 14th and found favourable conditions for bypassing Point Conception, which can be very hazardous due to unusually strong winds and large seas.

We sailed at 6.5 knots in strong NW winds all through the night - after so much motoring it was enjoyable to finally have a great sail.

Two hours out of Morro Bay, we passed by the nuclear plant (N35°13.15' W120°56.15' - GPS co-ordinates from the boat) at Diablo Canyon which was clearly visible on shore with its 2 distinctive round dome buildings.

Enjoying Morro Bay

When crossing the sandbar and coming into Morro Bay on November 11th from San Simeon (California USA), we passed the landmarks of the huge dacite rock and the 3 tall stacks that supply power. The rock, a volcanic rock similar to granite, provided building materials for several breakwaters but is now an Ecological and Natural Preserve.

Sea Turtle IV in the centre in front of Morro Rock

Dredging the channel in front of the 3 stacks

We spent the first night tied up at the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock and then anchored for the rest of our stay at this beautiful town. There are very strong currents in the Bay so one day Jordan towed the motorless dinghy of Rick and Rosie of SV Abraham (they are from San Francisco and heading for Hawaii). They very kindly reciprocated by inviting us for homemade spaghetti!

We had been told by previous sailors to Morro Bay to visit the Yacht Club because of the great hospitality, so on Friday evening, we went in for Happy Hour. And they were right - the hospitality, free appetizers, and liquid refreshments were all great. Their bar is made to look like the hull of a particular boat (but we cannot remember which boat) and is very unusual - never seen a bar like it.

Morro Bay has many eclectic shops and galleries and is a very active boating community, getting 300+ transient boats each year.

Jordan's creative side

I Am Drawn

(written by Jordan)

I'm drawn with every beat. Is it blood or is salt?
With every ebb a yonder callng, I'm drawn, it's not my fault.
I'm drawn.

Who's there? What's there? Is it a swirling current that draws to the beyond?
Or is it the moon, I've noticed the urge in the quiet shone?
I'm drawn.

On shore steadfast I can stand against the wind from the brine.
But why do I bend and sway when the wind then comes from behind?
I'm drawn.

I must, for best or worst, ride the mighty crests from dawn to dawn.
I relent and set sail for the unknown to realize the imagined,
for I am drawn.

Copyright 2009 Jordan, SV Sea Turtle IV

On to Morro Bay

We left at noon on November 9th for an overnighter from Monterey Bay to San Simeon (N35°38.382' W121°11.449'), and arrived at 07:10 the next morning. Under sunny skies, we headed off to see the Hearst Castle. Views from the Castle were fantastic - looking over grassy, rolling hills down to beautiful views of ocean. Apparently, William Randolph Hearst loved to buy things, and the castles and grounds are filled with his many varied purchases from all over the world, including a 3,500 year old statue from Egypt.

View of Hearst Castle on top of the hill taken from Sea Turtle (note the surf)

When we returned to Sea Turtle in the dinghy, we were swamped by the surf and got absolutely soaked from head to foot...good thing we were heading back to the boat instead of going to the Castle!

The next morning we took the dinghy through some caves in the windward shore, then pulled anchor at 11:15 for an approximate 5-hour voyage to our next destination of Morro Bay (N35°21.766' W120°51.173'), arriving at 17:00 on November 11th.

At Monterey Bay

We left Sausalito (California USA) at 16:30 and motored all night and day as wind was on the nose; some fog. Arrived at Santa Cruz the next morning at 08:00 (N36°57.33' W122°00.14'). It was not as warm as San Francisco. We took a bus to Capitola, a quaint little village by the ocean and about 15 minutes away from Santa Cruz.

After spending the day in Capitola, we then left Santa Cruz and once again motored all the way to Monterey Bay (N36°36.34' W121°53.50') as there was next to no wind. On the way, we encountered hundreds of jellyfish! Arrived in the dark and anchored out. There are hundreds of seals and sea lions all around the boats feasting on the influx of sardines.

The next day we walked to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and spent about 3 hours viewing all the sights. The aquarium was awesome! Our favourites were all the sea horse and jellyfish displays. The sea horse exhibitions only just opened in April of this year. We saw marine species that we did not even know existed, such as the sea dragons (check out video in Photo Gallery).

Translucent jellyfish...

...and coloured jellyfish.

Not a feather pen, but a sea pen that emits a bright greenish light when touched...

Beautiful, amazing sea dragon!

We will be spending the next couple of nights at the marina as there are 15 to 20-foot swells with 3 to 4-foot waves predicted which would be a very uncomfortable anchorage.

Too bad we spent so many dollars to buy a dinghy - we could have built ourselves one just like this little beauty...

Another day, we took a bus to Carmel and viewed the sights - found it to be a rather pretty but very expensive town.

Still hanging out

We are back in Sausalito (California USA) after a fruitful excursion to Victoria (British Columbia Canada) - time went by too fast and not able to see everyone and do everything.

We spent the last couple of days with friends from Victoria as they were in San Francisco on a short holiday. We drove out to Sonoma and Napa Valley with them to do a bit of wine tasting. Fun times, hot weather, and great friends.

We are now awaiting a part for the outboard motor which should arrive tomorrow. Spent the day in the hot 26°C sun (80°F) running errands and Jordan made further adjustments to the RVG. Planning on heading out tomorrow after the impeller arrives.

Following days

We set anchor in Sausalito, California (N37°52.09' W122°29.315') and spent the last several days contacting family, catching up on things, doing laundry, meeting new friends, and being tourists.

We caught the ferry into San Francisco one day and walked along Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, walked up to Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), rode a cable car, and had a bite to eat in Chinatown.

Arriving by ferry...

I wonder where the boats dock on Pier 39??

Looking down on Lombard - crookedest street in the world

Taking a cable car...

Transamerica Pyramid - 105th tallest building in the world

Dusk at San Francisco with Alcatraz Island on the left

When we came back to the boat that evening, we decided to move Sea Turtle to a more protected spot as a southerly blow was forecasted to be coming into the Bay area. We had winds from 60 to 70 mph but our anchor held. Wild. Unfortunately, a couple of others didn't and one unattended sailboat ended up on the rocks. All was calm the next day.

Another day, we caught a bus to San Rafael to stock up on supplies for our watermaker. We need to pickle it as we are flying back to Victoria for awhile to finish up things that we couldn't get done before leaving.

FYI: Pickle is a slang term for the process of flushing the watermaker membrane with a chemical used to inhibit biological growth during extended periods of non-use.

Golden Gate Bridge

Cloudy skies, calm seas. 4 days, 3 nights...8 more hours to go, ETA 17:00. Jordan put the fishing rod out once again but no luck this time. We are now nearing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and the bells are ringing. Seriously. The buoys are ringing from the wave action and the seals are sunning themselves on them.

Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge

We're here! Under the Golden Gate Bridge at 15:48, N37°49.292' W122°28.722' with the sun shining. We approached San Francisco close to shore and did not use the main shipping channel.

Passing under the Bridge

The Blue Angels were practicing above us for an upcoming airshow on the weekend as we entered the Bay. Very impressive.

The following was taken by a web cam (after we went under the bridge) which Aaron, Jordan's son, graciously emailed it to us. That small speck at the lower left circled in red is Sea Turtle with San Francisco and Alcatraz in the background:

Celebrated with a glass (or two) of champagne, a gift for this momentous occasion from dear friends.

Dropped the anchor at 17:05 next to the only other Canadian boat. Time for another glass of champagne...we have to finish the bottle as the cork blew off and into the water beneath the bridge!

From Victoria to San Francisco, Sea Turtle's performance has been outstanding and she has proven that she is worthy of all the confidence that we have in her. Cheers to Sea Turtle, her Captain, and the First Mate!

Almost there

It's been 3 days and 2 nights without stepping on land. No moon or stars, large dark clouds. Waves building and winds forming. Early in the morning, it was quite calm and we crossed the infamous Cape of Mendocino off the coast of California. No high waves or noticeable turbulence. One more day and night and we should be in San Francisco!

No stopping

We made good time yesterday so decided not to stop in Crescent City as originally planned. We left Oregon behind and are offshore from California (but still close in). As long as the weather holds, we will continue on until we reach San Francisco. We have had a very calm passing of the feared Cape Mendocino up to this point and the temperature feels warmer than on previous nights.

The bus heater fan quit today. This is the unit that kicks out a lot of heat into the boat cabin when the motor is running. Jordan will check it out later. In the meantime, we still have our propane heater and our Aladdin lamp which also emits a lot of heat (and light) when lit. As we did not have time for a 'sea trial' before we left Victoria, we are now getting all the 'bugs' out of the systems.

I have been taking shifts alone at the helm and Jordan is teaching me how to plot our course on the charts. He will make a sailor out of me one of these days!

Tired Jordan at the charts

Almost a full moon, bright stars.

Onward

The toilet in Sea Turtle got plugged from all the scum and seaweed around our boat at the Charleston marina (South Carolina USA). But we left Charleston at 10:30, and shortly afterwards, Jordan got it unplugged, good as new. So nice to be with such a handyman - another reason I love him so much!

Spotted 2 spouting whales - no tour guide involved.

All systems are now working! If we don't want to hand steer at the helm (especially at night), we can depend on our RVG which follows a course that Jordan sets when we are sailing.

Or we can use our tiller-pilot that Jordan has adapted to connect to the RVG which then follows a course that Jordan sets when we are motoring.

And in certain conditions, we can do a combo of motoring with the main sail reefed and having the RVG attached to the tiller-pilot.

We plan on sailing and/or motoring all day and night and then stop in Crescent City...

Bad news

Beautiful day in Coos Bay...but I got some bad news today. My Mom was injured right after we left Victoria and is in the hospital. Omigod Dad, Jordan wants to know if you pushed Mom down the stairs again? JUST KIDDING!!! It's good to laugh when things aren't going so great. LOL. Wishing you a very speedy recovery and sending you lots of love. Our thoughts are with you both.

Here's a picture when Mom and Dad joined us on Sea Turtle when we were still in Victoria - Mom doesn't like sailing very much and was glad to be back on shore!

Weather looks good...leaving today for Charleston (1.5 to 2 hours from Coos Bay) and then through the entrance back to the Pacific Ocean.

Taking a tour

We all wanted a long hot shower after 2 days at sea - badly enough that we paid $5 each for a shower at the downtown gym!

Today Aaron left us as he needed to return to Victoria (Canada) and we will stay at Coos Bay (USA) till we get a good weather window before continuing south. His help has been invaluable and very much appreciated. Travelling in rough seas and cold weather isn't something that a lot of people will volunteer to do, enjoy the trip, and be sad to be departing before reaching San Francisco. Thanks Aaron!

An up-and-coming future sailor

Rob, the Coos Bay Harbour Master, offered us a ride to Charleston to pick up some marine parts and then took us on a tour of the beaches and points of interest. One being the Simpson Reef where there were Northern Elephant Seals, Harbour Seals, Stellar Sea Lions, California Sea Lions, and frequented all year by Gray Whales. Very loud! Too bad we didn't take a camera with us today.

Coos Bay is a great marina that is right downtown with easy access to shopping, theatre, provisioning, restaurants, laundromat, and free internet access. By this time next year, the marina is expected to have showers, a "fisherman's wharf", and a number of other amenities. To thank Rob for his great tour, we invited him over for dinner. Jordan cooked up some of his freshly caught tuna which tasted absolutely delicious.

A display of the bounty

Coos Bay

Continued into Coos Bay, Oregon (N43°22.003' W124°12.706') with an uneventful sandbar crossing and a 10-mile motor up the channel to the downtown Coos Bay City wharfs. Stepped ashore at 13:00 after 2 days on the seas. Time for a rest.

Slow progress

We sailed all night last night from Astoria (Oregon USA) but didn't make too much distance southerly as we were tacking into a 10-knot south wind. So we turned on the motor at 07:30.

The guys (Jordan and Aaron) saw a group of porpoises cavorting all around the boat and playing in the bow wave. Also passed right beside 2 humpback whales and California sea lions. Unfortunately, I was down below sleeping with all my clothes on and several blankets and missed it all!

Sleeping beauty!

The weather was damp and cool but cleared up at noon. We are staying closer to shore, 10-15 miles, in case we have anymore boat problems. Motor-sailed all day with 5-knot winds on the nose. Continued to motor-sail into the night on glassy smooth seas with 5-foot swells and HAND steering as our tiller-pilot is not working. It should auto-steer when motoring, just as our RVG auto-steers when sailing.

Mixed bag

Boat repairs done so it was time to cross over the Astoria sand bar again, but in daylight this time. There were bar warnings and restrictions to vessels 30' and under. Once in the bar, experienced 16' breaking steep waves over 45' in depth.

Restrictions were issued to all non-commercial vessels as we were crossing but we couldn't turn back (would have been more dangerous to turn around than to keep going). 3-knot outflow ebb and river current against NW swells and SW winds made for a treacherous crossing. We were burying the bow sprit deep into the trough and next wave face.

It would have made a fabulous video but all cameras were down below and it was too rough to attempt to retrieve one.

We made it safely out of the most dangerous sand bar in the world and motored into 10-knot SW winds on the nose and NW swells on the side (10' swells average). We raised sails late in the afternoon and left full head sail and one reefed main throughout the night.

The RVG thankfully performed great after repairs!

A little close for comfort

Yikes! Almost hit by a cruise ship! Okay, not really - it pulled in 30 metres off our berth at the Port of Astoria in Oregon (USA).


Continued repairs today on our RVG and navigation lights, etc. Weather was a mix of heavy rain, showers, and sunny breaks. Not the best for doing outside repairs. Here is Jordan up the mast.


Heard tsunami warnings for the Oregon coastline for 22:00 after an 8+ earthquake in the West Pacific. The tsunami warning ended up being false.

Have been eating a lot of fabulous tasting tuna.

Major repairs

Went out to a well deserved brunch at the "Pig & Pancake" in Astoria, Oregon of the USA (N46°11.44' W123°51.379'). Great food. Between rain showers, Jordan and Aaron dismantled our RVG (auto-steering windvane) and performed reconstruction and repairs on it.

Aaron and I have been taking Stugeron to prevent seasickness throughout our voyage whenever at sea. For me, it has worked great. No problems at all. Aaron never experienced nausea but did yuck-it-up once or twice but felt great right afterwards. And he can't go below the cockpit for more than a few minutes unless it's to sleep only. Jordan has taken no meds and is not seasick at all. Lucky guy.

Two firsts

With Sea Turtle's RVG dislodged, steering continued to be difficult and exhausting. We were about 60 miles offshore of the continental USA and decided to head into Astoria for repairs.

Jordan decided to test out the great fishing rod that Mark and Alana of Victoria BC had given him and caught our first fish - a 15+ lb Albacore tuna - it took about one hour for the guys to land it!

Jordan displaying the prize catch

Continuing on with 1.5 to 2-hour shifts at the helm for Jordan and Aaron, we arrived at the entrance of the channel to cross our first sand bar. Vessels under 25 feet were restricted from crossing and warnings were issued for other vessels.

Crossing sand bars can be very dangerous in daylight and it was now very dark at 22:00. Jordan notified the Coast Guard of our steering problems about 20 miles out and they monitored our progress every 30 minutes. Using GPS and MaxSea electronic charts, it was a 3-hour trip up the channel.

Wet and wild bar crossing

At 01:00, we arrived safe, but exhausted, at the Port of Astoria (Oregon USA).