San Simeon, Morro Bay, Cojo, and Santa Barbara

I have to apologize for my terrible blogging lately, the cruising lifestyle has really taken hold. Sitting here with a drink in hand looking at the Santa Barbara sunset, I had to force myself to catch up on my blogging duty. The last six days or so have been wonderful, and the whole crew is really beginning to get into the swing of things (although all of us could use some more sailing, 4 knots of wind just isn't cutting it).

We spent the night in San Simeon with a view of Hearst Castle lighting up the hillside. We woke up to soupy fog, but suprisingly warm weather. We pulled down the kayaks and dad dropped me off on shore to head off on a run. While I ran (and got kicked off of Hearst property by security), my parents took a paddle through the fog, into zero visibility and a world of their own. Our perfect timing put me back at the beach right as they pulled on to take a walk. Unfortunately I missed my dads not so graceful ride in on the swell, but I was witness to his sopping wet shorts and shoes. Getting back to the boat was a bit of a task with two kayaks and three people. Kat had given dad a lesson on kayak manuevers, so she opted to drop him off at the boat and come back with his kayak for me. Well, perhaps she spoke too soon, because as she rode in the swell, her kayak tipped and sent her all the way in, and she got nailed in the back with kayak 2. Being her, she laughed til she peed (well, I'm going to say she did, we couldn't tell because she was already soaked). We finally got back, rinsed off, and took off to Morro Bay in the fog.

Because of two days of thick fog and low visibility, I have zero wildlife stories. Morro Bay was as dramatic of an entry as you can have with the towering rock welcoming you in. We spent some time with Viva and SueBee, and I FINALLY got some kid time thanks to Nathan who came up to dinner and grocery shop. We pulled out of Morro Bay at the crack of dawn, we think, again it was too foggy to tell. The low winds and reasonable swells around the dreaded Point Conception made the most eventful part of our "scary leg" the sun finally coming out. Cojo was a wonderful anchorage and we got yet another sunset for the books.

Santa Barbara has been gorgeous. We arrived friday and have spent the weekend with sun and land. I've gotten lots of kid time, Todd has been kind enough to let me tag along and has shown me around SB nightlife. He was even a good sport while he spent his day off showing us to boat supply and hardware stores. We've gotten tons of fresh seafood and all the insider tips on the Channel Islands, our next stop. Maybe we'll even be able to catch some Lobster of our own (I'll let my dad do that, theres sharks down there!).

I'll try and get better about my updates, but I'm not promising anything!

Monterey- Stillwater Cove- and the infamous Big Sur Coast...

Our last day in Monterey was filled with foggy skies and mundane chores. I took a cab into town to find the nearest laundramat and explored the less touristy side of Monterey (which was MUCH better than organizing and reorganizing the "garage"). I was pleasantly surprised to return to company; Joan, Andy, and fam had come by to say hello, seranade us with the "pony on my boat" song, and give us an update on our beloved Hobie. Dad had decided to cook up some of his famous clams for dinner, so we enjoyed our fresh seafood dinner with the Raders.

One of the biggest questions we got before leaving on our trip was "what are you going to do all day on the boat?" I won't pretend that this isn't something I wondered myself, but after a week I'm discovering that there is never enough time. Monday was a rush as I scrambled to fit in my morning coffee, a kayak with my mom through the sea lion giants, and a run all before our noon departure. I couldn't believe that my 7:30am wake-up call would still be cutting things close. We did, however, leave right on time and had a gorgeous 4 hour sail to Stillwater Cove.

Weeding our way through the seaweed forests into the cove nestled right off the Pebble Beach golf course wasn't as scary as Sue had heard. We eased in and anchored within driving distance of the 17th hole (so it was a good thing there were good golfers on the green). The sunset was picturesque. Our fresh red snapper was delctable. All in all it was one of those evenings that made me think I could do this forever.

We pulled out of Stillwater at sunrise to glassy water dancing with pink highlights. It was easily the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen (and no, it wasn't my first). I pulled a CJ and easily snapped 50 photos. Within an hour I had seen my first Humpback whale wave his tale, and soon after a school of dophins rode our bow. Halfway through the day another humpback spouted less than 20 yds off our starboard side, heading right into our path. My mom was screaming back to my dad to "stop the boat!" while my dad merrily ate his lunch and calmly informed her that the whale not only knew how to swim, but also knew how to avoid getting hit by a boat. We had our first potential overboard attempt, but after the evil eye from my mom and a nervous laugh from dad, all settled. The rest of the day we spent watching more dolphins, sea otters, and millions of jelly fish lead us into San Simeon.

We're all still here, safe, and happy (although maybe feeling a little bit crowded). More soon.

JK&K

Day 5: Monterey

I believe that everyone on board the Katdenrie has officially fallen for Monterey. Of course, we have had perfect weather, plenty of adventure, and it helps that we have our friends aboard the Suebee to share in our fun.

Yesterday we attended the "world famous" Monterey Jazz festival... Perhaps I should preface my critique with the fact that no one in our group would classify themselves as a Jazz fan. So now that we have that straight, I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a little lacking. Where was all the music?? It was a good thing that we scalped arena tickets, otherwise the only live music we would have heard would have been from over a fence (actually, that was the BEST music we heard). Lets just say it was more of a shopping affair, and none of us wanted to shop. I think mom probably enjoyed it most, but she is a musician, so she has that artist appreciation thing going. I am glad we went and had the experience, but as our new friends would say, "Been there. Done that. Not doing it again." Good thing they served beer.

The rest of the day was lovely. After our 3 mile trek home (ok, maybe a little dramatic), we rested up, had some wine, and walked along the wharf to a fantastic dinner. We were feeling bad about having eaten all three meals out, at least until the food came. We walked home where I found a not so little seal looking to use the deck on the stern of our boat to sleep. I had to inform him he was just too big, but he could come back and visit anytime. Telling a 400 lb. animal "no" when he is within arm reach is not exactly something I wanted to do, but he was pretty understanding.

So far, so good. We have one more day here, then we're off. I think I am safe for today, if anyone is getting tossed off, I think it's going to be the captain for his finagling performance on the wharf last night. Hey, at least he is ready for Mexico, we'll just have to keep him away from the vendors until then.

K &JK

Monterey- Day 4

Our sail to Monterey was the best sailing we have had so far: sunny, warm, and 20 knots of wind. Pulling out of the Santa Cruz harbor, we put the boat at a beam reach and made a straight shot to the Monterey Marina. In fact, it was such an easy sail, I went up to the bow and found BOTH the captain and co-captain asleep. I guess they weren't too worried about leaving the swaby (sp?) in charge. Captain Jay did wake up in time to pull us into our slip (thank god). We met up with the Raders who cooked us a fantastic dinner and introduced us to some lifelong sailers with fantastic stories (they are our new neighbors until Sunday). Another fairytale day at sea.

We woke up late this morning, well I woke up late, and were blessed with sunny skies once again. We drank coffee, witnessed the sea lions play king of the morring ball, and watched a mamma otter with her pup. I went for a run along the beach and then went to the aquarium with mom. For those of you who have never been, it really is magical. And as mom pointed out, a perfect way to prepare for living on the ocean. Dad went with Scott to Macys home center... yes, really. They even walked half an hour to get there, by themselves (no girls and no excuses). Scott bought a red frying pan, dad admired the placemats, and both Sue and mom decided that maybe dad and scott shouldn't be allowed to spend so much, uh, quality time together.

Mom and I got back just in time for a charming visit from a Gene Grillo. We got to visit while cooking our first meal on the boat. I even did most of the cooking (although dad is the ultimate BBQer). The picture above is a sardine fishboat which headed out at about 8 pm... I'm not looking forward to their return and unloading at 4am tomorrow morning. (And the half picture of dad showcases my photography talent as well) We're in Monterey until Monday, at least thats the plan as of now. The Jazz festival is this weekend, so we're looking forward to a festivity filled weekend.

Still no overboards or attempts... I guess we still like each other. :). More later...

JK&K

Day 2-3

We slipped away in the darkness from Half Moon Bay at 6 bells. We had about 50 miles to Santa Cruz and planned to meet family around 4. We motor sailed then cut the engine and really sailed the last 5 miles. The weather in Santa Cruz was as good as it gets. It is wonderful to have family that shares our excitement for this great adventure and the Watt and Barrett clans showed up to "send us off".

Day 3
We just had morning coffee, some guitar playing and wild life watching. Life aboard is good. We are off to Monterey this afternoon when the winds pick up. We are meeting up with Scott and Sue on SueBee. Kensey would like to see the Aquarium and I wouldn't mind Kayaking with the Sea Otters.

Jay just invited me to go for a paddle, I'm off!

Day One

So there we were, six forty-five in the morning with everything packed and ready to go. We spent Monday packing in the six new cartloads we had brought from home- all the last minute necessities (we were all supposedly completely packed). Everything was set for our 7 o'clock departure, and then I realized I had forgotten to bring my toothbrush. Yes, I had planned on buying a new one for the boat, but that had yet to happen. After a quick store run (and I mean quick, the captain had threatened leaving me behind), we were back on track and casted off by the Stouffers.

The sail down to Half Moon Bay was incredible. Kathryn called the wildlife in our direction with her flute skills; we saw dolphins, seal lions, a million birds, and even heard the call about a dead body floating under the bridge. Well, they were "pretty sure" it was a dead body. After ample animal watching, we took turns cat napping, reading, relaxing and transitioning to our life at sea. We moored early enough in the afternoon to allow for a beautiful beach run/walk and caught an early dinner at a local watering hole. With another early morning tomorrow, we're all ready to call it a night (of course, after pops gets us all to watch Captain Ron).

All in all, the whole crew is excited about the rest of our adveture. With such an amazing day behind us, we can only hope to have many more like it.

End day one:

crew count: 3

overboards: 0

attempted overboards: 0

And to all those who bet I wouldn't make Half Moon Bay... pay up.

The final packing and scrambling has begun. We will leave Alameda between the 15th and the 20th of this month. We have the luxury of waiting for a weather window. We are really excited and hope that you will all enjoy the adventure with us through our blog. JK&K