Monterey and Morro Bay

Since leaving Pillar Point Harbour in Half Moon Bay we have stopped in Santa Cruz, Monterey and are now in Morro Bay.

Our stop in Santa Cruz was pleasant though we just dropped the hook there and didn’t actually go ashore. We used it as a quick stop so we didn’t have to do an overnight sail from Pillar Point to Monterey.

We enjoyed our time in Monterey. We were there over a weekend so there were lots of tourists around and lots of activity. It was the weekend of the famous Monterey Jazz Festival. Unfortunately, tickets were sold out. There was a Greek Festival happening so we walked around the booths. Also, we enjoyed walking through town, stopping at the historic buildings and learning a little of the area’s history.

From Monterey we did an overnight sail to Morro Bay. It was our first overnight since arriving in San Francisco and our first overnight in a long time with just the two of us. We didn’t know if we could still sail overnight without Mike! 🙂

Thankfully, we remembered how to do it. There wasn’t much wind for the first four hours so we had to motor. Eventually the wind built to the point that we could fill the sails and we had a comfortable night arriving in Morro Bay just before noon.

The rock at Morro Bay is the inner core of a very old volcano. We walked out to have a closer look and then walked along the beach. It’s a long beautiful, though windy, beach. Apparently, it is a well-known surf spot. We didn’t see any surfers when we were there. Not being a surfer, I’m not sure how they’d surf the chaotic waves that were crashing onto the beach.

The next big hurdle for us from a sailing perspective is Point Conception. Our cruising guide calls it the “Cape Horn of the Pacific” so we have to treat it with respect. It is known for rough seas and strong winds. We’re watching the weather forecast carefully so as to round the point in conditions that won’t leave us bruised and battered.