San Francisco -> Santa Cruz -> Morro Bay-> San Miguel -> Ventura
Hi all!
I have left the Bay Area behind and now find myself only 3 stops away from crossing into Mexico!
My time in the San Francisco Bay was mostly spent in Sausalito with a few days in downtown San Francisco. One of those weeks wasn't quite as enjoyable as the rest. I apparently failed to drink enough water which landed me in the hospital with a a significant kidney infection. I was so fortunate to have met other sailors in the are who were keeping an eye on my girl as she floated at anchor in Richard's Bay in sight of Sausalito. That's the beauty of the sailing community. They tend to be on the ready to come to your aid if necessary.
After a week being cared for at the San Francisco V.H. Hospital I returned to Wahine Toa to find a fridge full of food that had gone off. That was the first task I had to tackle after stepping foot onboard. It was the very next day that I had reservations to anchor downtown San Francisco near the famous Pier 39.
The boat and I made our way over to our new anchorage where the view of the Golden Gate bridge was spectacular! Watching the notorious fog roll in from the sea to engulf the massive bridge and beyond was quite the experience. Going to shore, however, wasn't so impressive. Due to our cute little pandemic San Fran felt like a ghost town. Even the pier was empty of visitors.
One cool thing I did get to see was the set up for a crash scene that was meant to be in the next Marvel movie. I met one young man by the name of Christian who worked as a productions assistant gave me the run down on the scene. If the scene had been filmed on schedule there would have been a chance for Wahine Toa to be in the background. Unfortunately though a crew member had tested positive for COVID which immediately shut down the whole set until the all clear.
Wahine Toa and I spent three nights in Aquatic Cove before bringing on new crew for the next leg of our journey south. Jim, Noah and I sailed out under the Golden Gate bridge heading for Santa Cruz just 72 nautical miles further down the coast.
Sailing from San Fran down has been a stark contrast to what it was like sailing off the Washington and Oregon coasts. More sunshine, less stormy waters and gentler breezes. Since leaving those conditions behind I've been less rushed in my migration towards Mexico.
After spending a couple of days in Santa Cruz where a highlight was meeting up with a friend, Caroline, who had recently moved back, the crew and I continued on to Morrow Bay.
Morrow Bay is a tiny town with a great deal of sweetness to take in, most specifically the residential sea otters. There was at least 20 seen on a daily basis. We even witnessed one mama balancing her baby on her frontside as they dozed. A precious sight, for sure!
One of my new crew, Jim, had family in the area. Jim's sister Mary and her husband Ken came down to the boat for a visit. Mary and Jim left for some sibling time and Ken joined Noah and I for dinner.
Morrow Bay also offered up barely warm enough water for a swim, somewhere around 65 degrees. Jim and I both took the opportunity. Jim endured longer than I as I am still holding out for 70+ degree water however I don't regret taking the plunge.
After Morrow Bay we sailed over to San Miguel Island, the northern most & western most in the Channel Island chain off the California coast. Here we spent one night at anchor in Cuyler Harbor. The sunset was amazing!
During the following day Jim and I took off in the dingy to explore the shore. Waiting for us were soft, sandy beaches and elephant seals! On our way in, as I was making my first attempt at landing on a beach with a wave, I promptly swamped us! There was my next swim out of the way. Luckily it wasn't too bad a swamping and came with a valuable lesson!
San Miguel Island has a few fun facts. One, you can not do a self guided hike on the island due to undetonated ordnances posing a risk. You must hike with one of the rangers (paid rangers and volunteers) that stay on the island and make themselves available. Two, there is an island fox native to 6 out of the 8 Channel Islands, San Miguel being one of them. The National Park Service manages a captive breeding program for these foxes.
Pinnipeds (Elephant Seals) are also studied on San Miguel. One volunteer ranger, Sabine, shared with Jim and I that the elephant seals comes to the island for molting and breeding. An interesting fact about the molting process is that they have what's called 'catastrophic molting' where they loose big patches of hair instead of individual hairs. These patches can be found all along the shore. I think Jim is taking one of those home for his 6 year old daughter, Sierra, to see.
From San Miguel we sailed to Ventura. Up in Anacortes I had met a man and his wife, Gregg & Teresa Kravitz, who had connections to Mobile, Alabama and my mom! (I may have mentioned the story in a previous email). Anyway, he and his wife split their time between Ventura and Bellingham, Wa. They told me to look them up if I stopped in Ventura. That was my only cause to stop, their invitation.
I contacted Gregg letting him know we had arrived and that I hoped I could visit with him and Teresa. Luckily Gregg had just come back to Ventura for some family business and was literally driving into town on the same day we docked. He suggested we meet for a late lunch. Teresa was, unfortunately, still up in Bellingham.
Gregg and I enjoyed a meal together along with a great chat. He then offered to drive me to fill up my propane tanks nearby. Jim had also be out running errands but on foot. We swung by to grab him, saving him from a 3 mile walk back to the boat, then we all went on a driving tour of the city. Gregg was a fantastic guide.
On Friday morning Gregg invited me to a morning stand up paddle throughout the close by 'keys', a channel system running through a nearby neighborhood where Gregg lives. That was a super fun start to my day!
An unknown bonus to my visiting Ventura became clear when I reached out to dear friends Helen and Nizar. Nizar, a long time client turned friend, and Helen, his beautiful wife, had left Portland for San Jose then moved further south. Not too long ago, just prior to the full blown pandemic, I got to see Helen, Nizar, and their daughter Hanna, while they were back up visiting Portland. That's when they told me there were expecting again, this time a boy! I told them that I would see them next when I sailed down the coast and looked forward to meeting their son.
This was a bit of an off the cuff statement as I wasn't certain that it would actually happen since I hadn't solidified each step of the way heading south. However, when I texted telling them I was coming to Ventura, arriving on Thursday, their response was that they were only 30 minutes away and Nizar had Friday off!!! So, two days ago I got to spend hours with one of my favorite families and meet Nolan, their most recent addition (6 months old now). I can't convey to you how fortunate I feel that this all worked out so beautifully!
Now, today being Sunday, after spending three nights here in Safe Harbor Isle Marine, Ventura, Ca. we leave for Catalina Island! We've picked up a new crew member to round off our three man team after one guy, Noah, proved to not be a good fit. Nick, a gregarious charter captain up from San Diego, appears to be the perfect addition!
We will be spending two nights on a mooring bouy in Buttonshell Cove on Catalina. When I lived in L.A. I always wanted to visit Catalina Island. Little did I know at the time when I was super poor and such things were beyond me financially that I would be traveling to Catalina on my own personal yacht! How things have changed!!!
Look for my next update to be sent from San Diego, my last stop prior to crossing the border! Thank you for all of your continued support as this dream of mine unfolds.
Until then, stay well! I miss you all!!!
~ Cheryl ~