Do you know the way to Monterey?

We spent four cold days and nights at anchor in Half Moon Bay.  Our friends Catie and David made the trip down from Alameda with Scott and Julie on Ciao Bella and it was great to hang out with them before heading south.  The sun didn’t make an appearance until our last day there.

David, Trisha and Catie at the Half Moon Bay Brewery

We called Monterey Harbor and confirmed that open slips would be made available on a first come first serve basis.  They also told us that nine boats were scheduled to arrive on Tuesday so getting a slip may be tough.  We estimated that it would take ten to twelve hours to sail the 60 miles to Monterey depending on the wind.  We would need to get going early if we were going to get a slip.

On Tuesday morning, we bundled up in foul weather gear, raised the anchor and were on our way by 0500.  The northwest swell put the waves on our beam and the trip was foggy, dark, and generally uncomfortable until we made the turn at Pigeon Point.  The seas were then on our stern and the wind piped up to 15 to 20 knots, blowing us to Monterey.  Customarily, we got the fishing line wet and regularly cleaned off the seaweed it snagged.   Thanks to the wind for speed, the fog for dissuading the other sailors from making the trip, and the early hour of departure we were tucked snuggly into a slip by 1600 in time to check out the Monterey Farmers Market.