-
A Pilgrimage to Painted Cave; Circumnavigating Santa Cruz Island
End of October 2021 The sun climbed through a foggy haze as we pulled up anchor and got underway. Our time in Prisoners Harbor had been memorable but too short, and we hoped that ‘future-us’ would be able to spend more time here, maybe go ashore and explore some of the smaller trails, check out […]
-
A Daily Dose of Dolphins? Don’t mind if I do!
October 28th 2021 Our rolly nights in Santa Barbara’s bouncy anchorage had now combined with the toll taken during our harrowing flight from weather a few days prior, resulting in a thoroughly exhausted and sleep-deprived crew. Our excitement from our dolphin encounter upon our arrival to Santa Cruz Island had temporarily energized us and electrified […]
-
An Escort to Santa Cruz Island
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 Well, so much for second chances. As it turned out our third night in Santa Barbara’s anchorage would be our last. Another sleepless and bouncy night made our decision easy so we hauled up anchor, setting our course for Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. We had a few things to […]
-
Waltzing with Weather, and Dolphins, and Whales
“Holy Mother of God, we made it”, is the only entry in our journal for October 23, 2021. The day began as most of ours do, at anchor, this time in Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel Island. We were still riding high from our dinghy landing the previous day, the sky having cleared enough to […]
-
Pygmy Mammoth and Elephant Seals
Friday, October 22, 2021 We were startled awake by the sounds of our vhf radio crackling to life. Clear, blue skies shone through the hatch windows over our heads, it looked like a glorious day. The radio crackled again, we were being hailed by someone in the anchorage. “Sailing vessel Magick Express, this is Valiente, […]
-
Port San Luis to San Miguel Island
Late Mid October 2021 We left the protection of Morro Bay and did a quick and leisurely sail south before tucking around the corner into Port San Luis. We would spend the next two nights here, our last in central California. This was a good place for us to ready the boat for passage, transforming […]
-
Ready to Launch from Morro Bay
Mid October 2021 Our last week in Morro Bay was a mix of preparation and play. As we stocked up on food and supplies for our next passage we also enjoyed our last moments in this lovely little town. Morro Bay had welcomed and nurtured us, taken us into its comforting embrace, and had calmed […]
-
The Kids are Here! Same Boat, Different Bay.
Mid October 2021 Morro Bay, California It was the Friday before the October long weekend (Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly known as Columbus Day) and Charles and I had a long day ahead of us. We were headed to Oakland to pick up the kids and would be taking care of a trail of unfinished business […]
-
Finding our Footing in Morro Bay
End of September – mid October 2021. Our first full day in Morro Bay started early with a dinghy ride to shore and a twenty minute walk uphill to the bus stop. We were headed back to Monterey using public transit to pick up our car, having left it in the chain-link fenced lot at […]
-
Sailing Big Sur and Beyond
The sound of our engine starting roused me slightly, my brain orienting itself in the darkness. Charles was outside untying us from the fuel dock, getting us underway before the sun had even begun to appear on the horizon. It was 4:30am and I smiled, realizing I didn’t need to get up yet and snuggled […]