Passage across the Monterey Bay

March 31st, 2016

We've sailed all over this bay and today we decided to take the kids over to Moss Landing for lunch at Phil's before they closed (MBARI owns the building and are expanding). Phil's is a local hangout and was featured on one of those food network TV shows. We go there because the kids can eat all the fish, crab, and shrimp they want and Phil's offers that all in one place! The prices aren't too bad either, so feeding this family of 5 won't break the budget there.

We started out around 10 am and had the laziest and warmest sail ever. We didn't even have to tack once! Wildlife abounded! Whales and dolphins were all around us! Sea lions darted playfully around the stern. It was a fun and relaxing couple of hours. Matt even took over as skipper! He did a great job. The sail back was quite the opposite, but I'll get to that later.
Cadence blowing the conch shell as we exit Monterey Harbor.




We radioed ahead to inquire about a slip and secured one pretty close to the entrance to the marina. The kids helped to tie up the boat and within a few minutes, we were off on our adventure. The walk to Phil's is about 10 minutes from the marina and there is lots to see on your way. MBARI is on your right with its research vessels and interesting equipment, tourist shops and restaurants, and general dock traffic. We must have had luck on our side, because no sooner had we stepped up to order, a huge line had formed behind us! Talk about timing!

After lunch, we walked over to the beach to let the kids burn off some energy and then headed back along the marina to the boat. By this time, the wind had picked up and we noticed that things would not be as calm a sail as they were earlier.

After exiting the harbor, the swell was on the beam and we were close-hauled. Not a fun ride. It was bumpy and wet! Zach and Cadence went down below and fell asleep--their way of avoiding sea sickness. Matthew hung out with Jared and I huddled under his dad's jacket. He wasn't spooked though and even asked if he could take over the tiller. We decided that it would be better if he just watched how his dad handled things so he could learn. We left Moss Landing around 2:30 pm and arrived back in Monterey Harbor around 4:45pm. While not as enjoyable, it was a good experience for all of us. We've been in larger swells and a few squalls, but this one was just a different angle and altogether a different experience.

Zach and Cadence napping through the rough ride.

Back home safe and sound!