Morro Bay

We made a quick decision to leave Monterey on Monday (that weather window thing again) around 1030 & arrived in Morro Bay about 0830 the next morning. Our overnight trip was full of wind (from the wrong direction) which was hard on the auto pilot. We had to give it a rest & steer but the moon was full & by about 0200 the wind had calmed down enough for us to reengage our auto pilot. Yes, for those of you who are wondering, I did participate in 2 hour watches from the time we left Monterey. That meant Emrick was “down below” getting rest & trying to warm up. I was aaaalll alone up top. Just me, the moon, the very large wind waves & a few intermittent lights on land. No sickness (that is very important to me) & I actually enjoyed steering our course. Funny what you can get use to.
Morro Bay was sunny & warm when we arrived. This bay is known for fog, a nasty bar & a big rock. We did not see any fog, the bar was very gentle & we did see a BIG rock.
We stopped at the fuel dock to fill up & then tied up at the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock. The club is the host to transients (there is that word again) since there is really no marina. What a super place to be. We tied up next to two sailboats heading south & got the “low down” on the place. The restrooms, laundry & shower were about 10 steps up the dock but we would have to travel for internet. Not bad. The sun has been with us since we arrived & it has been warm enough to dry out the boat. That dampness was getting on my nerves.
So, we are planning to leave tomorrow morning but are not sure of the destination. This stretch will take us around the fabled Point Arguello & Point Conception which are known for giving sailors a nasty ride. Our weather reports indicate we should have good weather. We are not sure if we will need to rest at Santa Barbara or decide to just keep on sailing as long as the food holds out. . . .
I have added pics for you all. I hope I can label each of them. One picture I did not take was of a 40ish male with long sandy colored hair, wearing a cowboy hat & speedo, with a body he obviously was proud of, standing on a surf board & paddling by our boat (multiple times) while smiling. The first time I saw him I was sitting in the cockpit with Emrick & Al & all I saw was from the shoulders up “float” by about a foot from the boat. It was so weird looking that I stood up to see how he was able to “float” & was greeted by the site I described above. I was temped to take a pic but after the 6th time he floated by I figured he had gotten enough attention. C

Morro Bay and the Morro Bay Yacht club have been fantastic. Our timing here couldn’t have been better as this place is usually rainy or foggy. We have had nothing but sunshine and temps around mid seventies. Just perfect. It’s been really fun watching the pelicans too. These ungainly, prehistoric looking creatures cruise around and then just drop out of the sky and sort of crash into the water as though they need some practice on their entry. No style points whatsoever, in fact we give high scores to the loudest and biggest splashes.

So tomorrow we’re off to round what is known as the Cape Horn of the Pacific. Point Conception is sort of a line of demarcation between north and south, warm and cool, and quiet and busy. Between the oil rigs and the hundreds of container ships feeding Wal Mart, etc., and thousands of pleasure boats, this next part of the trip should prove to be exciting. We’ll see. E