Home to Coos Bay

Saturday, August 16. 2014

While we have enjoyed the rest and our time here in Crescent City, we've been watching the weather reports, trying to decide when to make the jump to home.   It is either now or maybe in a week.  By 16:30 we have paid the moorage fee and are heading out of the harbor.  It is quite foggy for the first two hours.  We give Point St. George a wide berth.  Finally the sun breaks through and we can see the horizon in the west.  The coarse is laid in.  We have a very light dinner and begin our shifts.  We're both wearing scopolamine patches.  We left the storm jib up to help stabilize the boat, which may have been a mistake since the increasing wind is mainly on the nose.  The seas are anything but calm.  We have breaking waves over the bow and salt water is dripping in the cockpit.  There are times when the visibility is very poor.  We hope the radar  keeps working.  During Brad's watch another sailboat comes within a mile, but is never seen.  Not much of an appetite, it is important to keep hydrated although even doing that takes an effort.  The predicted 10 knots of wind turns out to be a consistent 25 with greater gusts approaching 30.  Our normal 6.5 to 7.0 knots speed through the water is slowed to 2.0 to 4.0 knots by the constant pounding of the waves.  Needless to say it is a very rough night.  It might be wishful thinking, but it seems with the morning, the wind calms to 20 knots with a rare 12 seen.  The fog clears enough for us to see the entrance to the Coos Bay Channel.  We share the space with a 3-400 foot dredge that is parked sideways at the bar.  Now at the helm, Brad slows our progress while I scramble on the calmer deck to ready the boat for docking.  Remarkably enough our space in the Charleston Marina is empty.  As Brad eases us up to the dock, we are assisted by a fellow sailor and Mike our crew member from the beginning of the voyage.  The rough weather made our GPH go from 1.2 to 1.75 gallons of diesel per hour and 116 nm/ 43 gallons.  Although we're sad the trip is over, it is good to be home again.  Now the real work begins.  Everything needs to be cleaned, stored, and readied for our next adventure.  Until then .....

Crescent City

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Up before dawn with the fishermen we leave the dock at 6 A.M.  It takes 1/2 hour to navigate back out to the ocean.  At low tide the channel is clearly marked by land and people clamming on both sides.  The shore is dotted with RV parks.  Boats are lined up at the ramps waiting to get in the water.  Out in the ocean there is a mild south wind, a few ripples on the water, and swell at 5-10 seconds.  Traveling at about 3 miles off shore, the sky is overcast, but the visibility is good.  We start our watch schedule, 3 on 3 off, for the approximate 36 hour journey.  At 18:00 it is still calm seas, flat enough to water ski.  The sun is out as we approach evening.  Today we've seen two species of whale, one ship, one sailboat, one large motor yacht, and our local dredge about ten miles out.  The motor yacht, Top Dog, called us on the radio for an AIS check.  It's good to know our radio and AIS are transmitting fine. 

There was a light rain overnight, with calm seas, patchy fog, and few contacts.  We are having a few more whale sightings, some a little too close.  About 33 hours after leaving Bodega Bay, we arrive Crescent City.  Topping off the fuel tank is interesting.  We wait our turn.  Luckily there is little wind or current to move us around.  We only have the fog to worry about, which is encroaching upon the marina.  The fueling station is on a pier.  We snuggle our fenders up to the row of tires and hand off the lines as the cleats are impossible to reach.  After fueling we wind our way through the marina.  Brad eases us backwards into the slip.  The pilings are sturdy, the docks stable concrete, the cleats ample, and the depth consistent.  The facility in Crescent City is being rebuilt after the Tsunami.  It looks great so far.  Looking forward to clean bathrooms and a local laundry not yet completed.  Unfortunately the fish cleaning station is in the same building. 

The first evening we walk to the Chart House for dinner.  It is very busy, efficient, and has good food.  The lights around the marina and the boats with their working lights on, make the night as bright as day.  We have a very good nights sleep.  The next day we walk about 5 miles out to the lighthouse and down the breakwater.  We have a nice early dinner on the walk back to the boat.  On our third day, we walk 3/4 miles into town to use the laundry matt. 



Bodega Bay

Monday, August 11, 2014

Getting an early start to catch the tide, we say good-bye to the Golden Gate Bridge.  Due to the south wind, we change our plans and head north for Bodega Bay instead of the planned  voyage to Half Moon Bay.  It will be an 8 hour journey, some 56 miles from Sausilito.  There is no fog and good seas.  It is a long day.  Brad put a scopolamine patch and I took some boning to ease the motion sickness.  We are both a bit sleepy and looking forward to a quiet and motionless night at the dock.  Bodega Bay is a quiet fishing town with lots of seasonal recreational fishermen.  The channel is well marked.  We ease into an end tie space and don't bother with electrical hookup

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