Commander #155 'Mephisto Cat'

[Rico]

We had a great last sail yesterday and last night. Our course took us about 20 miles offshore as we rounded Point Sur. The rounding took place at sun-up this morning, and due to the nice conditions, we decided to pass on Monterrey and came directly to Santa Cruz which lies about 25 miles North of Monterey.

The decision to skip Monterey made for a Looong leg - the longest non-stop boat ride I've had on the 'Mephisto Cat'; about 150 miles... but it also saved us a bit of distance overall as Monterey sits a bit inside Monterrey Bay.

It was just Carol & I on the stretch from Morro Bay to Santa Cruz and I am happy to say that we managed quite well double-handling aided by beautiful conditions.

The seas became a bit choppy at the Northern end of Monterrey Bay which made for an uncomfortable motor into Santa Cruz once the winds died in the mid afternoon.

I think we would have enjoyed a stay in Monterey, but we felt we should keep going as we still have a bit more than 100 miles to go and the weather forecasts seem a bit more unsettled.

As they say - It was worth the wait... Once the weather cleared towards the North; we set off from Morro Bay in the early morning and had a beautiful day's sail in calm seas. We also had the most amazing night... Carol took the first watch to allow me an ealy evening nap with the intention of letting Carol sleep through to the next morning.

When I awoke around midnight, I was amazed at thow calm and clear it was. The stars were clearly putting on a show for us! The sea was so calm that the stars reflected off the still seas and made for a pretty amazing sight. Carol was wide awake enjoying the whole thing and she was not that eager to go to sleep. We both enjoyed the incredible sights for at least an hour or two before Carol finally went to sleep...

We had a few visiting dolfins who stayed with us for quite a long time. We had bright luminescence once again, and the ribbons of light that the dolphins weaved underneath the boat were even more impressive than before as this time we had very still seas.

The overnight temperatures were so warm that I was wearing less then than during the previous day!

My biggest concern for starting this trip during this time of the year was that the weather would turn COLD before we arrived in San Francisco Bay.

I definitely decided to take the trip a bit late in the year, but we clearly lucked out with the weather on the trip overall.

Part of the incentive to do the trip diring this time of the year in spite of the potential cold & storms is that the predominant NW winds are much lighter in the winter than during the warmer months.

We were fortunate to have the flexibility to wait for suitable weather, and were only delayed for about 7 days in Morro bay while two weather systems passed. We did spend a couple of very pleasant days in Morro bay waiting for weather, but once we realized that it would be a while, we caught a ride up to San Francisco where we spent a few days. All the other legs went like clockwork...



- In the first picture you can see us sailing in the middle of Monterey Bay towards Santa Cruz.
- The following Picture (Taken a moment later) shows the Monterey peninsula behind us.
- Finally, at the dock in Santa Cruz. We arrived just in time to sort ourselves out and then watch the x-mas boat parade. And then to sleep... I really enjoy sleeping on the boat after a good sail.

Ed,
I am at the end of Q Dock in the small craft harbor.

We are currently planning on taking off tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice. Hopefully we can meet. I've e-mailed my Ph number ...

We'll be roaming around town and the boardwalk in the course of today. It is beautiful out.

[Ed Ekers]

Rico, Glad to hear you made it to Santa Cruz. I don’t find an e-mail with you number. I did swing by the harbor around 1100 today (Mon.) and did see your boat. I will drop by again in the afternoon and see if I can find you. Feel free to give me a call my number is in the book. ………. Ed Ekers