Alameda to Angel Island - While in Alameda we had the prop pulled, tuned and balanced. We also ordered a part for the head (toilet for you land lubbers) that I threw in the bay at Eureka. UPS didn't deliver on time but to our amazement a guy I met on the dock had the same head and the rebuild kit I ordered. He offered to trade me for the one I was waiting for so that we could leave. It saved us from having to pay $30 for another night and besides we were waiting since morning and ready to go. (Dino, if you read this, again thanks a lot.) It is amazing how many nice, helpful people we are meeting.

Speaking of people reading the blog we want to thank everyone for their comments. It helps us stay connected and fill close to all of you.

The trip to Angel Island, 8+ miles, was supposed to be easy. Had we left before 5:30 in the evening it might have been. However, we lacked the local knowledge about the famous "Slot" between Treasure and Angel Island. When we hit the Slot the wind went from a benign 10 to 12 knots to a roaring 25 knots on our beam and the wind waves were trying their best to give us a bath. We got through the Slot and into the lee of Angel Island without getting too wet. We were rewarded for our efforts when we got to Ayala Cove. It was beautiful and there were deer grazing on the grass near the shore. Being at Ayala Cove put us 3 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge for the next days trip to Half Moon Bay.

Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz - We sailed some of the way to Santa Cruz and made a slight detour to see Ano Nueva Island which has an abandoned lighthouse on it. The island has been taken over by sea lions. There is a story that someone found a sea lion in a second floor bathroom in one of the houses on the island. It was in the bathtub.

The entry to Santa Cruz Harbor was hairy. First of all it was a narrow entrance, then there was the sailboat race that was going on in front of the harbor. As if that weren't enough there were dingys sailing back and forth inside the harbor entrance. Apparently this is normal for the local boaters but it presented a challange for us. To add to the stress, just as we docked we lost stearing. The prop shaft became lose from the transmission. There is always something! Thank goodness Ken is the fix it guy and thank goodness we were at the dock and not out at sea.

The next few days we spent with Paula's sister, Elena, at her retreat center in the mountains, called Windtree. Nine cabins on 6.5 acres. It was very relaxing and Elena took good care of us. On our return to Santa Cruz, we met Paula's brother, Tim, who took us to lunch.

We spent one night on a bouy at Capitola and went across Monterey Bay. We are now in Monterey enjoyng the town. Next major stop will be Santa Barbara to visit another sister, Maggie and exlpore the Channel Islands.

Hi everyone! We left Cresent City on Sunday and traveled 12 hours down the coast to Eureka. The ocean was serene compared to the previous legs.

However, the ride wasn't without excitement. We saw numerous whales feeding, traveling, breaching and etc. At one point everywhere we looked we saw whale spouts.

We did have a minor incident with the boat, the motor stopped running due a clogged fuel filter. Ken bypassed the filter to temporarily solve the problem until we reached port.

The filter is changed an we are waiting on a weather window to go around the notorious Cape Mendecino and Cape Punta Gorda.

Old Eureka is pretty cool. Worth a stop if you're driving through. Our boat is moored in a spot the has a dramatic view westard. Last nights sunset was great.

Eagle at Newport


Mermaid at Cresent City



Flemming, a fellow sailor and kewl guy, at Cresent City



We did get the sail up, for about 45 minutes, on the way to Eureka



The view from our boat in Eureka