Santa Cruz to Morro Bay - 9/18/98 to 9/28/98

S/V "Mandolin"
Santa Cruz to Morro Bay - 9/18/98 to 9/28/98

(click on a thumbnail below to see the full-size photo)

Friday - 9/18/98

Todd writes: The rest of our time in Santa Cruz consisted of a ride up to UCSC on our bikes. So, out come our Bike Friday collapsible bikes from the depths of out quarter berth. We assemble them, load a lunch in the backpack and are off. Across town and up the long hill to campus only to start up the real hill at the Great Meadow. During our ride across the meadow we saw deer and several hawks. A visit to Crown and Merrill colleges was in order since those are our respective colleges. But we ended up visiting all but one of the colleges since we took classes in each college. "Remember when we took the Marine Bio class here", "This is the field I slept on after the earthquake when the dorms were closed", "Here is where Ellen and I met"... Visiting campus again brought back a lot of wonderful memories. It was strange to be there, since classes didn't start for another two weeks. There was hardly anyone around. We were able to check our email on campus at the library which was a treat. Finally the fun part, riding back down to town. Again through the great meadow, but at a much greater speed as we zoomed down over the hills and valleys to the bottom of campus. On the way back to the boat we stopped by Aqua Safari's, a dive shop, owned by our friends Dave and Deedee Houghton. They have a new son, Luke, and look very happy. Dave was able to get my Scuba regulator serviced by Monday evening instead of the usual six days it takes. Back to the boat after dark. We were beat after such a long day.

The following day we had the Heher's down to the boat for a sail. Their daughter Leah experienced her first time on a boat and was a bit timid, but she did like seeing the seagulls, pelicans, and sea otters with pups. After sailing they took us out to dinner and up to their home in Scott's Valley. Ellen and I got to take a bath in their huge bathtub. It's long enough for both of us to stretch out completely next to each other. What a treat. They even had a full compliment of bath toys including a realistic looking Sea Jelly (Jellyfish). After spending the night on their comfortable futon we went over to Marcus and Sheree's house for breakfast of bagels and homemade waffles. They drove us back to the boat.

Sunday we took Rick and Claire Elliot out for a sail then went to their home in the Santa Cruz mountains for a Salmon BBQ that was delicious. A new experience for us was watching "The X files" show on TV. Since we don't have a TV we are out of touch with shows that people talk about. We spent the night at their home before heading back to the boat just in time to meet up with Bill and Holly who took us out to breakfast. Afterward they drove us to Costco and to West Marine. That evening we met up with Niels, who had just arrived back in town from the Newport boat show, for dinner. We provided an Oriental Cabbage salad to compliment Niels' high garlic content mashed potatoes. No vampires tonight. Our send off present was a bottomless bucket. This is actually a good thing. It looks like a bucket, but the bottom lifts up to allow water to enter from underneath when you put the bottom in the water. As you pull the bucket out of the water the bottom closes to trap the water. This simple invention makes washing down the boat much safer and easier. Thanks Niels.

We wanted to express our sorrow that we were not able to see everyone in Santa Cruz that we hoped to either due to time constraints on our part or us being unable to get in touch. We would love to have stayed months catching up with everyone but the warm waters of Mexico call to us.

Tuesday - 9/22/98

This morning found us scrambling. I assembled Ellen's bike and trailer so she could go shopping and pick up the Scuba regulator. I then readied the boat for our passage. Finally we were off across the Monterey Bay...motoring. A place usually known for its wind was just quiet and flat, not what we expected. Spotted quite a few whales though. As we neared Monterey the wind finally picked up enough for us to sail. Stillwater Cove was our destination. Unfortunately the sun had set and it was starting to get pretty dark when we arrived. Our cruising guide states, "[Stillwater Cove] offers quiet berth in normal summer conditions, but do not enter at night on a first visit, as caution is required in the approaches." Oops... The radar again is our friend. We were able to see where we were in relation to the land and rocks to find where the anchor should get dropped. Just as we got settled two more boats that were milling around confused about how to get into the bay followed us in and anchored. After talking to them the next day we discovered what a help we were.

The next morning I awake to find that we are anchored right in front of the Pebble Beach golf course, more specifically the famous 18th hole. This is the one where you hit the ball over part of the bay if you are really good. Fortunately we were anchored far enough out that getting hit was not a worry. My comment, "Hoity Toity." Ellen's reply, "It doesn't get much more hoity toity than this." Ellen wanted to go for a walk so we took the dinghy off the foredeck and rowed ashore. The water was quiet so the beach landing was easy. Of course we had to go to the clubhouse overlooking the 18th hole and the bay where Mandolin lay at anchor. Nice lodge to stay at. I got a brochure to check prices. Room without a garden view $300/night. Rooms with ocean views ranged up to $1150/night. Oh, that doesn't include 10.5% tax and $15 gratuity. Hmmm, think we'll stay aboard Mandolin tonight with the same view, or better, as the nice rooms.

Thursday - 9/24/98

The Big Sur coast is beautiful with the mountains plunging down to the sea. It is also very low population along this coastline. After motoring around Point Lobos the wind filled enough to put up the spinnaker and main. So here we were, sailing around the somewhat dreaded Pt. Sur with our spinnaker. It was beautiful downwind sailing. As our speed reached 7 knots and white caps were building it was time to drop the spinnaker and replace it with the genoa. Our stop this evening was in a small bight just behind Pfeiffer Point, an

anchorage that is very exposed, but works well with the prevailing Northwesterlies. We picked a spot between the kelp and dropped the anchor under sail. Pfeiffer Point is one of a few places that boats can stop on their way up the coast to wait for the wind abate before heading around Pt. Sur. We used it on the way south to break up the trip. A sea otter took a liking to this area and spent most of the evening near the boat eating a frolicking in the nearby kelp. We were also treated with a pod of dolphins peacefully swimming between the boat and shore. A shower felt great before cooking a tasty dinner of curried split pea soup. Just as we were sitting down to eat, the sun set over Pfeiffer Point. A wonderful end to the day. The otter partially wrapped itself in some kelp and decided this was a good place to spend the night as well.

Friday - 9/25/98

Today's trip is to San Simean. After motoring for a few hours and having to hand steer since our electric autopilot broke again, we were finally able to find enough wind to put up the spinnaker. The conditions perfected themselves into one of the best sails we have had yet. Downwind with the spinnaker along the rugged Big Sur coast. We sailed

under spinnaker for seven hours without having to jibe once. The highlight of the day was the large pod of dolphins that changed their northward direction to come over and play with Mandolin for a while. They were very lively as they swam along the bow. After a while they decided to continue north and left as quickly as they arrived. Finally the wind built enough to change down to the jib. Again we were able to sail into the anchorage at San Simeon and drop the anchor under sail.

Saturday - 9/26/98

Playing tourist today. We lower the dinghy into the water and rowed ashore. This time a more exciting beach landing as the waves were larger. We caught a small waved and surfed in until we hit the sand with a sudden stop. We jumped out and dragged our little boat up the beach before walking up to the Hearst Castle Visitors' Center. It was a short walk just across the highway. We took the tour which included a five-mile bus ride up to the castle at the top of

the mountain, then a walking tour. Wonderfully huge swimming pools with marble statues of Mermaids and Mermen made us want to jump in and go for a swim. Unfortunately they wouldn't allow us to. This is a tour that shouldn't be missed. Also got to see the IMAX film "The Living Sea" once back at the visitor's center. This fabulous film showed a lot about different aspects of the ocean from the waves and currents at the Colombia River Bar to research that is being done at the islands of Palau where by a group led by Laura Martin is studying Sea Jellies that live in a saltwater lake with no predators. Looks like a beautiful place that we may need to visit sometime. The footage of Coast Guard Cutters practicing heavy seas rescues on the Columbia River Bar took our breath away. A camera on the back of the boat showed all too vividly the boat blasting into huge breaking waves that would engulf the boat and the camera. This is the same Columbia River Bar where Todd baked cornbread while we crossed as it resembled a lake. Time your Bar crossings well! After a walk back to the beach we prepared for the dinghy ride back to the boat. Through the surf the other direction added some new challenges. Wait for a lull in the waves the paddle for all your worth before a wave crashes into the dinghy. We made it, but it was exciting. Again more dolphins swam by while we were at anchor.

Sunday - 9/27/98

This morning the conditions seemed great for sailing. As Ellen put the main up I lifted the anchor and we sailed away from San Simeon without starting the motor. We get satisfaction out of being able to anchor under sail alone as it requires more skill than dropping the sails and motoring. It was also a bit fun to make Dale and Mariel aboard Camelot V jealous. They arrived that morning after 22 hours of motoring from Monterey, while we just sailed out of the anchorage on our way to Morro Bay. Finally the wind veered enough to put up the spinnaker for the rest of the way. I had a really tough watch for the last three hours: Adjusted the spinnaker twice and changed the direction our Monitor windvane as the wind continued to veer. Read a little, but mostly just watched a beautiful sunny day with perfect sailing conditions. Well, Ok maybe it wasn't that difficult. We arrived in Morro Bay around 5pm and rafted up at Morro Bay Yacht Club with "Sunrise" a Cascade 36 we met in Santa Cruz. This is a good place to stop. $12/night to tie up at the Yacht Club dock or $10/night for a Yacht Club mooring buoy. There are bathrooms, showers and laundry right at the yacht club. The club members are very friendly. When we went to bed, it felt a little weird that the boat wasn't rolling as we had rolled at anchor for the last six nights. The rolling had made Ellen's lower back a bit sore. We soon got used to a still boat.

Todd and Ellen Mandeville
S/V "Mandolin" - Cal 34
svmandolin@hotmail.com
www.aljian.com/mandolin

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