After sailing through the thickest fog yet we arrived and anchored outside of the Harbor just east of the Moring Balls. We were the only boat anchored and will be the only one there the entire time. The mooring balls had been closed for the season. Recently we found out that during the atmospheric river some of the mooring balls had actually moved or broke. Makes since we couldn’t grab one. That is quite alright however because we do prefer to anchor. It was a bit rolley so we use a stern anchor and that helped stop the side to side motion by keeping our bow into the swell. Can I just say that the Rocna anchor is bad ass.
Every morning we would wake up to the sound of either dolphins or swimmers. The anchorage is right of the beach. You have to swim a long distance to get to the boat but would have been perfect to beach the dinghy on the soft tan sand. You are allowed to but it was open to the public and there were a lot of people there. There also wasn’t a way to secure it so we used the dinghy dock in side the harbor.
To get to the harbor you first must do past the historic pier. There you will find the numbers of seal lions big and small. Seals too. Sunning them selves. They will lazily stare at you as you drive by. Some will slide into the water and follow you into the harbor. You can watch them come up and look at each one of the swim decks as they go by. I can only assume they are trying to find the sunny just right swim deck. Aside from the Sea Lions and Seals there are numbers of Sea Otters. We seen I guess 20 or so. Some of which had babies with them. Mom’s float around with the baby clutched to her chest while she grooms them non stop. They have to groom constantly to keep their thick fur in excellent insulating condition. They are delicate creatures and are protected.
When we got to the dinghy dock I noticed a massive number of jelly fish in the water. Tiny ones and medium ones. Also the sardines! Like glitter in the water you see millions of them swimming around. The water was so clear even tough the sand is still on the darker side. We talked with a couple of divers who told us a little about the sea life and sea plants. They are divers who are doing a study on the sea urchins that are taking over the area. They are thinning the herd as to speak. The sea urchins have been depleting the native sea life in the bay. After talking with them we headed up to the harbor patrol. They were very nice and helpful. They told us where to go for groceries and hardware. We were still in search of the propane solenoid. We ended up talking with them for 30 minutes or so and we decided to go check out the town before we headed back to the boat. Walking around we found the coastal trail, historical markers, the wharf, and signs for Halloween festivities.
There was going to be a car show and parades and costume parties. We felt a little underdressed as everyone was dressed up. The children, parents, store employees. Everyone. The car show was held in a large brick court yard area. Such a great variety of cars. Slightly different than back home. Back home you get muscle cars. There was live music playing and contests going. There were street vendors. Down the historical wharf the pier was all decorated. Every shop employee was handing out candy at the doors to their shops. Kids laughing. There were even Pirate Birds the kids could hold and talk to. Everyone was having a good time. It was a warm bright blue bird day.
We made use of the Coastal Trail and walked through the eucalyptus garden down past the Naval School and to the next city for a Home Depot and a West Marine. No luck at either for what we needed. One day we walked the other direction to get propane and groceries. We found a Trader Joes and although they didn’t have everything we needed their prices weren’t crazy and we were able to fill our fridge and freezer with some fresh food. This is such a treat. There have been more variables than I counted on in getting fresh food in California. You buy small batches often and buy what is available. The best priced stores aren’t very close to marinas and you can only carry so much back to the boat on foot. Trader Joes was located in the historical brick covered streets of Monterey. It was enjoyable walking along the tree lined streets. We missed the farmers market they have every Tuesday and kind of regret not seeing that. We did have a delicious panini and Italian soda at a little Italian shop that left our mouths watering for more.
It was lovely getting to walk as much as we could. After being stuck on the boat for days during the storm and not being able to get off in Santa Cruz our legs were getting restless. Monterey is the best place to walk. So we did and we did again. We had some beautiful clear days with bright blue skies and white puffy clouds and warm enough for t-shirts. We ate well and drank well and then it was time to take off again. We are now preparing to go around Point Conception. This is a point where the cold north and the warmer south meet. Notorious for the wind being windier and the waves being bigger than predicted. So we watch the weather pick our window and wait and review.
Next Stop San Luis Obisbo