Flight of the Blue Eagle

mailbox101 · Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 4:09 am Post subject:

Time flys by and summer is over.

Blue Eagle began our northward migration last evening. An interesting moment came at 10:08:32 pm as our plane flew directly over the marina that we intend to return to, with our boat, sometime in the near future.

Incidentally, the plane that we took to get to the boat was a brand new Boeing 737 that the airline took delivery of in July. If the airlines are starting to buy planes again that should be good news for those of you up in Washington.

Despite the mishap with my fathers elbow we still managed to take five trips in the area. On one of them, just south of LAX, a pod of whales surfaced near us. I cut the engines so we wouldn't hurt or spook them and was rewarded with a close-up viewing, as they stayed near the surface, not far from us for several minutes.

Today we headed up to Santa Barbara. We took the coastal route, instead of cutting directly across the water, and the scenery was fantastic. Not only were we just offshore from Venice, the Santa Monica Pier, and Malibu, but there was a gentle, soft haze on the water which was being converted into thunderstorms way up in the Santa Monica mountains as the humidity was forced to gain altitude and cool off.

We encountered a large pod of porpoises, as well as a small pod of dolphins, one of which was repeatedly breaching! Unfortunately, they were heading south and we are heading north so we didn't get to see them as long as I'd have liked. It also may prove that they are smarter then me.

In Santa Barbara, we finally managed to meet up with Roger and Pat from C-Hawk for dinner and got to trade stories of our coastal trip for some about the Lake Powell adventures, as they had just gotten back.

In the morning we plan to go for it, and run Point Conception from the south, which is against the current. If all goes well my next post will be from Morro Bay, where inclement weather may force us to hole up for a few days; at this point I give us about a 50/50 chance of making Monterey this weekend. Anyway, time to get to bed so I'll be alert in the morning.

David

mailbox101 · Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 2:25 am Post subject:

Woke up late, called the Vandenberg AFB hotline(1-800-648-1039) to make sure they weren't testing any missiles today, and started up the coast from Santa Barbara. There was not as much wildlife as yesterday, particularly once we entered the cooler current from the north.

We did take a detour to see the Point Conception lighthouse; mounted impressively atop a bluff jutting it's way into the Pacific, Coho; the last sheltered anchorage before the point, and of course Point Honda; where the destroyer tragedy occured.

Cutting in close to the coast ended up costing us a lot of time since the waves were much larger and we had to reduce to displacement speed for several hours. There was also an effect from the mixing of the two currents, resulting in wildly varying speed over ground, as we went back and forth from running with the current to running against it several times; sometime reversing itself within a distance of a few hundred yards.

We ended up making it to Morro Bay just before dark, while in 1/10th mile visibility fog, and found mooring through the MB Yacht Club.

Over dinner we saw on the news that earlier today two people were seriously injured, and one died, trying to cross the bar out of Morro Bay in a small aluminum boat. None of them had life jackets on, and the one who drowned was recovered only 1.2 miles away, which in my mind means a life jacket would have saved his life. Let this be a reminder to all of us.

Looks like we're going to be socked in for a few days; 5ft wind waves are expected along Big Sur, and so it might be a while before we continue on to Monterey. I'll keep on posting when we do.

David

Byrdman · Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:55 am Post subject:

Good Read and Thanks. Just now looking in on this link and will have to re-read slower real soon. Basically found this looking for folks in the CA state that may be close to our beloved Don Anderson "SNEAKS".... and your travels in that area just got me here. Later

Byrdman

hardee · Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 7:41 pm Post subject:

Impressive trip. Safe travels. Glad all is well so far, hope you are getting some great photos.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

mailbox101 · Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:23 pm Post subject:

On the road again... well at least the water that is. Thursday night we went back down to Morro Bay, got a few hours sleep on the boat, untied from the mooring, and headed up the coast. The weather was calm, although there was not as much sea life visible as in the other direction.

We took a look at the anchorage at San Simeon. The protected area is very small and only shelters you from the west and northwest. I was glad that we had decided to put into Morro Bay instead.

Continuing north both the wind waves and swells continued to grow. I somehow managed to prepare a lunch of cold cut sandwiches on wheat bread with tomatoes and crushed avocado, potato salad, and a fresh fruit salad; not easy given the weather. Per our usual custom for mealtime in large waves/swells the Martinelli's was replaced with seltzer water as it does not stain when spilled.

As we were eating lunch, my father, who was facing aft, looked like something was bothering him. I asked him what, and he summed it up nicely, "I don't like it when I'm looking down at the engines.". I couldn't agree more.

The boat was still handling well despite the conditions, although we were down to about 3 knots, which was moving our arrival time into very late in the evening or early morning. I did a test turnaround to see how it would handle if we had to return to Morro Bay should conditions deteriorate, and once I was satisfied that downhill (southbound, with the current) would be a piece of cake should we need it, turned back around and continued our passage north.

Shortly after lunch our port prop tangled with some kelp, and I discovered a new use for a dock hook.

As we passed the Bixby Creek Bridge, I decided to go in a bit closer for a better view. Instead of the waves increasing with the shallowness, as I would have expected, the wind waves were greatly reduced, so we were then able to get back on plane and continue on at a more comfortable speed.

We continued to stick close to the shore and much to our relief finally turned the corner into Monterey Bay. From here on in there were lighted buoys to guide us to the harbor as we passed the alluring lights of the waterfront restaurants and cannery row. We finally put in around 10:30p and went by land back to one of the places we'd passed by to have dinner. It was very nice except the street kept swaying; it takes a while to get back ones shore legs.

Overall, it was a good, although challenging, day. Now we are on the homestretch.

David

Hunkydory · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:01 am Post subject:

David

Thanks much for bringing us along. Have been checking out your routes on google map as you go and report and checking coastal weather reports on NOAA. You've taken on one heck of a challenge and are now very close to making it. Hope there is no fog, so you can fully appreciate the sight of the Golden Gate on your now approach from the south and west.

We too have made that turn to see how the boat handles going with the wind and waves before continuing on desired route and at other times decided the better point of valor was just to retreat and try again on a better day. It is good to know you can retreat if needed.

Interesting to hear the waves were better very close to shore. When rounding Cape Ommaney on the southern tip of Baranof Island we were advised by the locals in Port Alexander to do the same thing. Contrary to what I would have done they said the closer we were to shore as we rounded the cape and started north the better the conditions would be. This I think was mainly due to avoiding the worst of the rips and may be what helped you out today.

Agree with your Dad and you about not liking looking down at the engines, but worse to my nervous system is looking up at the big curly wave hanging above the engines when it really gets bad going with the waves.

Jay

hardee · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:19 am Post subject:

Jay said:

C-Hawk · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:54 am Post subject:

Thanks for keeping us up to date. Glad you were able to make it back up to Monterey. Now for a safe trip back to San Francisco.
That is one heck of a run- uphill from here.

Boont Boater · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:38 am Post subject:

Hi David,

What a great trip! Cruising the bay is going to seem awfully tame after this. Maybe we can meet for that BBQ on Angel Island so we can hear the whole story.

Have you been happy with your twin 90's (I think)?

Jeff

kmcclish · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:46 pm Post subject:

Hi David,

Wow, what a trip! You are a braver soul than I! Wink

Marcia and I got a real kick out of your father's comment about not liking to look down at the engines. We all have enjoyed his dry sense of humor and tact, but are you sure his comments weren't inspired by stark terror? Shocked

Seriously, this voyage is truly remarkable and inspires us to expand our cruising plans.

Thanks for sharing CoolSmile

Kent and Marcia
MARCIA JANE

mailbox101 · Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 8:19 pm Post subject:

I'm glad that you guys have been enjoying these postings. I've felt really bad for not replying to each comment in turn, but as often as not, my postings were being done late at night, tired from a long day, and being keyed slowly into my iPhone (it's good, but not nearly as fast as a real keyboard).

Please know that, even when not replied to, each of your postings was read out loud on board (my dad prefers a much larger screen), and the both of us enjoyed a sense of your company, as if everyone was there in the boat with us.

We always enjoy a trip out to Angel Island, as well as the company of other C-Brats. Even if you don't have your boat with you, but happen to be in the area, and want to get together, please email us and we'll see what we can do.

So to continue the journey home...

The next morning we were still too tired to get up early and do a long days trip home. One of the problems with cruising this late in the season and heading north, as well as having layover days due to weather, is that the amount of sunlight in the day decreases even faster. When we started out in Marina del Rey the sun was rising at 6:47am and setting at 6:39pm. Eight days later, in Monterey, that was down to 7:08am and 6:40pm, a loss of 22 minutes of daylight.

We decided to sleep in, and make the hop across Monterey Bay to Santa Cruz. It is only about 22nm, which allowed us to sleep in, lazily get across, still have time to enjoy the boardwalk, and have a nice dinner. It would also give us a head start on the final leg.

About a quarter of the way across it started getting rough, just 2-4 ft wind waves, not with the big waves of the day before, but with enough frequency (2-4 seconds) that we couldn't go above 3-4 knot without serious pounding. We tried getting up on plane without much success. At this speed we wouldn't reach port until after late in the evening, too late to do anything onshore. Finally, thinking how this stretch of water had been rough in the other direction, and remembering the lessons of the day before, we headed in to the shallow water, right up against the coast (40' deep vs. 2000' deep). Sure enough, even though the swells were larger, the wind waves became negligible, we were able to get back to full speed, and we arrived in Santa Cruz shortly thereafter.

Around 3:30pm we dropped anchor in the harbor, in between the pier and the shore, at about 36°57'38" N 122°0'58" W. The water was so smooth that we debated leaving the motor off, and taking the dinghy right up on the shore (human powered vessels are permitted inside the swim area), but decided not to since the shore can go from smooth to waves very fast here. There was also concern about the security of the dinghy in a non-boating environment. In the end we put the motor on and headed for the pier.

The regular dinghy dock had already been pulled for the season, but the college-aged person running the kayak rental was friendly enough, and let us tie-up there as long as we left the dinghy under the pier, and were out of there by 7:30p, when the shop closed. It was great to see the look on both he and his friend's faces as my father (probably about the age of their grandfathers) nimbly scrambled up the 20 feet of partially rusty, barnacle encrusted, ladder with seaweed hanging off it, and, without a pause tossed me down a line to haul up the shore-bags (We prefer to climb first, then toss a line, rather than climbing while holding onto something, whether it is jackets or garbage.)

We really enjoyed the boardwalk today. There is always something special about being able to see the beach and the bay from The Giant Dipper, a really fun, 86 year old wooden roller coaster. Today, as an added bonus, we could see our boat, anchored peacefully in the bay, while we were on the gentle ride to the top. During the ride down I forgot to look.

We headed back to the dinghy and ended up meeting a friendly harbor patrol person on the way. It turned out that it is OK, out of season, to ignore the signs and tie-up to the loading dock, as long as you put the dinghy under the pier, out of the way; so I moved it there and we were able to enjoy a leisurely dinner ashore.

Later that night we checked the weather reports and decided to tie-up at the guest dock inside the harbor for a few days. So we tied up, left the boat in Santa Cruz, and headed home for a few days.

David

mailbox101 · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 10:40 am Post subject:

We made it home safe and sound. The last day of the trip, from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, was remarkably calm and without incident. Seal rock, with it's lighthouse and breaking shoals near the northern point of Monterey Bay was particularly beautiful by dawns early light, and we were able to get fairly close since it was calm outside of the breakers. Even for Santa Cruz I thought it odd that there would be so many surfers that early in the morning and as we got closer I realized that it was a small group of seals (or sea lions) that were having a fun time body surfing. I wonder if this is a natural or a learned behavior (There are many humans that surf the area during the day.). Either way, we were soon enjoying some excellent egg-beater omelets, with the works, since it was the last day of the trip and I had leftover vegetables, eggs, avocados, and cheese to use up. Then, just as we were eating breakfast, the combination of the sun behind us and the early morning haze ahead of us gave us a rainbow with its base ahead of our bow, as if it were showing us the way home.

Unlike the central coast, with its miles of high sandy cliffs and rocky shores, the coastline here offers small coves to explore, as well as onshore landmarks, such as the military radar/communications/electronic intercept post just north of there (not quite sure exactly what it is, but they have a lot of antennas), and a couple long abandoned buildings from the early cold war era NIKE missile defense. We also saw and heard our last whale blow of the trip.

As we got closer to home we also moved in closer to the shoreline, enjoying an ocean side view of our town from just outside the surf line. We discovered that a local landmark, San Pedro Rock, which juts out over 1500 ’ into the Pacific, was missing from the three most zoomed in levels of the chart plotter, even though it is there when you zoom out, and I wonder what else is missing from the data.

We cautiously put into Linda Mar bay, drawing some attention from the surfers as most boats just go past this point on their way up or down the coast. I really wanted to anchor and go get lunch at the Taco Bell there (not for the food, but it is right on the beach and has a great view of the bay and the ocean), but in the end we decided to leave it for a future trip and continued home.

We continued to stay just outside the surf until we passed the Cliff House, a historic old building which is also the westernmost point of mainland San Francisco. At that point we headed north into the channel, as there are several barely submerged rocks along the coast here.

At 12:12:07pm we passed under the Golden Gate bridge, and soon after were safely tied up back in our home port.

The total distance of the trip was about 1,035nm, including touring we did while in Southern California. Ports of call included San Francisco’s Gashouse Cove, Monterey, Morro Bay State Park, Santa Barbara , Marina del Rey, Two Harbors, Avalon , Santa Cruz by the boardwalk, the Port of Santa Cruz, Morro Bay Yacht Club, and The Ramp in San Francisco

On the way down, at the end of June, we waited 16 days for the weather to be just right before leaving, and were able to go all the way in one trip. On the way north, in October, we had to stop and wait for several days, on two occasions, for bad weather to pass. We found the NOAA National Weather Service reports to be vital and correct; sometimes the ETA of a storm or calm might be advanced or retarded from the original prediction, but the information is updated regularly. Swells and wind speed were not significant issues on this trip, but wind wave data should be watched closely. The BuoyData app for the iPhone came in very handy as a way to easily access real-time buoy data, a way to see actual, current, observations at sea, rather than predictions.

This trip reinforces my belief that these boats can handle more then we can. Conditions would surpass anything I would want to be out in long before reaching the safe design limits of the boat.

Thank you to everyone, both those who encouraged us, as well as discouraged us; it helped imbue us with just the right mixture of adventure and caution. I believe that any 22’+ can safely and comfortably do the north to south part of the trip, as long as they check their weather; maybe even a C-Brats cruise. If you are considering or planning a coastal trip and are interested in more details please feel free to email me.

We hope to have some pictures posted soon.

Except for that, until our next Grand Adventure, Blue Eagle out.

C-Hawk · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 12:04 pm Post subject:

WOW- David- what a trip. Glad you guys are home safe.
Enjoyed reading about your adventure. Glad we were able to meet with you and your Dad.

Jazzmanic · Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:12 pm Post subject:

Fascinating stuff David. Yes, I grew up as a kid in Northern/Central Calif and have always loved the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Sounds like you had great fun. Kudos to you and your dad for having the kahones to navigate the west coast of California in your C-Dory. Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you both got home safe and sound.

mailbox101 · Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:41 pm Post subject:

It's been foggy all day, but the sun came out just in time for us to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Catalina once again Smile

The only thing that could make this moment better is if a few other 'Brats were along side. Maybe next year...

David and Donald
Blue Eagle