The Miss Molly I Adventures - Part 5
|
|
Crescent City to Half Moon Bay
With the NOAA forecast warning of an impending storm with winds from the south, and with the Crescent City harbour anchorage protected from all directions except the south, we upped anchor in the late afternoon of 16th July and motored into the marina there. To be honest, it was a bit of a tatty looking marina, but there were certainly plenty of empty spaces for us to tie up in and get protection from the coming blow. We picked our spot, and as we approached the dock, something that had never happened to us before occurred - a man and a woman appeared and waited to take our lines! This is such a simple thing, but yet such a friendly gesture! We threw them our lines and they made us fast and introduced themselves. She was a silver-haired American lady called Joy, and he, a big barrel-chested man in a rugby shirt called John. John claimed to be a Kiwi, but he had a northern English accent along with his beaming smile, and they both clearly had stories to tell.
After a bit of a chat, Joy told us that she was commodore of the local yacht club (she said this with a laugh that told us straight away that there was some story behind her commodore status) and invited us there for drinks that evening. She said that she'd invited some other visiting boaters as well, so it should be a pleasant evening and a chance to exchange stories. They left us to get settled in, hooked up, etc.
To be honest, we're not normally yacht club sort of people, but this felt different, so we went along that evening. The yacht club was a smallish place with nothing fancy about it. As I remember it, there weren't many people there - it's possible that there were just the 6 of us; Joy and John, an American couple called Barbara and Scott and the two of us. I can't remember if there was food - probably not - but we had a couple of beers and a nice chat with the people there. It turned out that John was also sailing his way down the coast and that we'd actually seen him tied up to the harbour wall in Mosquito Creek marina in Vancouver, Canada. He was sailing alone in a smallish, but very well built Pearson sail boat (28 or 30ft??) called 'Brave Heart'. Barbara and Scott were motor boaters who'd made their way up from south of San Francisco - a trip that not so many people make as it's an 'uphill' journey. It was a very enjoyable evening. Before we left, Barbara and Scott insisted that we come by their boat, 'Lolipop', for breakfast the next morning.
So, the next morning we walked along the dock looking for Lolipop and not quite knowing what to expect. We found her and she turned out to be rather larger than we'd thought - a Bayliner motor boat in the region of 45+ ft in length, with a high flybridge and well equipped for sports fishing. It turned out that this was, in fact, Barbara's boat and that Scott was the owner of a 40+ft Maine Pinky sailboat that they'd left in the marina in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.
Barbara and Scott were waiting for us when we arrived and Barbara had prepared a sumptuous breakfast feast, the likes of which we hadn't seen in a very long time. We ate and chatted and, at some point, we were asked if we fished, or if we had any fishing tackle on board. I had spent quite a bit of time coarse fishing as a child and teenager - I have very happy memories of when, as a young lad, my father used to take me fishing with old bamboo fishing rods to a little pond out the back of Twineham, near where I grew up. After that, I often went 'tiddler bashing' with mates in local ponds and streams and had even joined the local angling club for a few years. I'd had a bedsit in Ramsgate, on the very southeast tip of England, when I had my first job after my uni studies, and, as I'd run up a bit of debt at uni and was living on quite a tight budget, I'd gone fishing off the harbour wall there every weekday evening and fed myself on eel, whiting and whatever roadkill rabbits or pheasant I could pick up on the Sunday evening drives from my hometown back out to Ramsgate. However, my more recent attempts at beachcasting with my mate Shaun had been pretty unsuccessful and our experiences with fish trap baskets in the Med hadn't yielded very much beyond the occasional tiddler that went in the soup pot, so we hadn't bothered arming ourselves with any fishing equipment on Miss Molly I.
Barbara and Scott were shocked - "No fishing equipment!!!". We were immediately taken up to the flybridge. Barbara reached out a custom-made salmon fishing rod with loaded reel afixed and handed it to us. Scott began digging about for lures and weights and hooks and passing them to us. "You'll need one of these" and "one of these" - several plastic squid lures with dangerous looking hooks in them, a spinning flasher to attract the predatory fish, some hefty lead weights and a simple downrigger arrangement to keep it all at the desired depth, lead lines and swivels, etc, etc. By the time they'd finished, there was quite a collection of bits and pieces of fishing kit at our feet or on the bench seat next to us - and they were just giving it to us!!
Another thing. We'd mentioned that we had to fly out for my brother's wedding in about a month from then. Scott said we should come down to Half Moon Bay - he had a mooring in the harbour there that we could use for free while we were away. He and Barbara would keep an eye on Miss Molly I while we were gone. If we were gone longer, he'd bring her in to the marina during the stormy season and then take her back out when the season suited again.
What incredible people! We'd only met them the evening before. And there's a point worth noting here. The US does tend to get a bit of a bad press elsewhere in the world from time to time. I'm even going to go as far as running the risk of upsetting a few Americans here by saying that, like most Europeans, I'm not a big fan of their gun laws. But, think of the lady who gave us a lift with the car battery; think of Anita and her offer to use her shower even though she wasn't home; think of Barbara and Scott and their treatment of us even though we'd only just met; plus many more lovely people we met on the way. There is a warmth, a generosity of spirit and a sense of community in the USA that far exceeds anything I've experienced elsewhere.
After a bit of a chat, Joy told us that she was commodore of the local yacht club (she said this with a laugh that told us straight away that there was some story behind her commodore status) and invited us there for drinks that evening. She said that she'd invited some other visiting boaters as well, so it should be a pleasant evening and a chance to exchange stories. They left us to get settled in, hooked up, etc.
To be honest, we're not normally yacht club sort of people, but this felt different, so we went along that evening. The yacht club was a smallish place with nothing fancy about it. As I remember it, there weren't many people there - it's possible that there were just the 6 of us; Joy and John, an American couple called Barbara and Scott and the two of us. I can't remember if there was food - probably not - but we had a couple of beers and a nice chat with the people there. It turned out that John was also sailing his way down the coast and that we'd actually seen him tied up to the harbour wall in Mosquito Creek marina in Vancouver, Canada. He was sailing alone in a smallish, but very well built Pearson sail boat (28 or 30ft??) called 'Brave Heart'. Barbara and Scott were motor boaters who'd made their way up from south of San Francisco - a trip that not so many people make as it's an 'uphill' journey. It was a very enjoyable evening. Before we left, Barbara and Scott insisted that we come by their boat, 'Lolipop', for breakfast the next morning.
So, the next morning we walked along the dock looking for Lolipop and not quite knowing what to expect. We found her and she turned out to be rather larger than we'd thought - a Bayliner motor boat in the region of 45+ ft in length, with a high flybridge and well equipped for sports fishing. It turned out that this was, in fact, Barbara's boat and that Scott was the owner of a 40+ft Maine Pinky sailboat that they'd left in the marina in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.
Barbara and Scott were waiting for us when we arrived and Barbara had prepared a sumptuous breakfast feast, the likes of which we hadn't seen in a very long time. We ate and chatted and, at some point, we were asked if we fished, or if we had any fishing tackle on board. I had spent quite a bit of time coarse fishing as a child and teenager - I have very happy memories of when, as a young lad, my father used to take me fishing with old bamboo fishing rods to a little pond out the back of Twineham, near where I grew up. After that, I often went 'tiddler bashing' with mates in local ponds and streams and had even joined the local angling club for a few years. I'd had a bedsit in Ramsgate, on the very southeast tip of England, when I had my first job after my uni studies, and, as I'd run up a bit of debt at uni and was living on quite a tight budget, I'd gone fishing off the harbour wall there every weekday evening and fed myself on eel, whiting and whatever roadkill rabbits or pheasant I could pick up on the Sunday evening drives from my hometown back out to Ramsgate. However, my more recent attempts at beachcasting with my mate Shaun had been pretty unsuccessful and our experiences with fish trap baskets in the Med hadn't yielded very much beyond the occasional tiddler that went in the soup pot, so we hadn't bothered arming ourselves with any fishing equipment on Miss Molly I.
Barbara and Scott were shocked - "No fishing equipment!!!". We were immediately taken up to the flybridge. Barbara reached out a custom-made salmon fishing rod with loaded reel afixed and handed it to us. Scott began digging about for lures and weights and hooks and passing them to us. "You'll need one of these" and "one of these" - several plastic squid lures with dangerous looking hooks in them, a spinning flasher to attract the predatory fish, some hefty lead weights and a simple downrigger arrangement to keep it all at the desired depth, lead lines and swivels, etc, etc. By the time they'd finished, there was quite a collection of bits and pieces of fishing kit at our feet or on the bench seat next to us - and they were just giving it to us!!
Another thing. We'd mentioned that we had to fly out for my brother's wedding in about a month from then. Scott said we should come down to Half Moon Bay - he had a mooring in the harbour there that we could use for free while we were away. He and Barbara would keep an eye on Miss Molly I while we were gone. If we were gone longer, he'd bring her in to the marina during the stormy season and then take her back out when the season suited again.
What incredible people! We'd only met them the evening before. And there's a point worth noting here. The US does tend to get a bit of a bad press elsewhere in the world from time to time. I'm even going to go as far as running the risk of upsetting a few Americans here by saying that, like most Europeans, I'm not a big fan of their gun laws. But, think of the lady who gave us a lift with the car battery; think of Anita and her offer to use her shower even though she wasn't home; think of Barbara and Scott and their treatment of us even though we'd only just met; plus many more lovely people we met on the way. There is a warmth, a generosity of spirit and a sense of community in the USA that far exceeds anything I've experienced elsewhere.
Battery Point lighthouse, Crescent City
At 5:00 on the morning of the 18th July, we headed south from Crescent City once again in the direction of Trinidad Head. As John and Joy on 'Brave Heart' were also heading south, we had loosely arranged to meet them in a couple of days at Fort Bragg/Noyo River. It was quite foggy as we left Crescent City and it stayed that way until about 09:00, so we motorsailed southwards in a light southwesterly in a largish swell.
As we neared Trinidad Head at around 16:30, we were approached by a very military-looking US coastguard boat and it was immediately obvious that they wished to contact us. I switched the VHF on and, true enough, they called us and told us that they were going to board us for an inspection. Frankly, the first time this happens to you, it's a bit scary - you really don't know what to expect and, as I said, the US coastguard have very much a military appearance. Anyhow, a group of 5 or 6 coastguard officers came over in an RIB (rigid inflatable). One stayed in the boat and the others boarded us and proceded with their inspection. Whilst this is a bit unnerving to the uninitiated, really it's all fair enough - they check the safety equipment on board - lifevests, fire extinguisher, flares, etc, etc. It's possible that there's an ulterior motive of checking for immigrants or drugs or such like, but it's also possible that it really is all about boaters' safety. Whatever the motive, they were satisfied with their inspection and went on their way, leaving us to motor the last little bit of the way to the anchorage at Trinidad Head and drop the hook.
We'd had no luck with trolling with our new fishing equipment as yet, but when we were anchored and settled in, I tried my luck with a bit of jigging and indeed caught our first fish that very quickly became a part of our evening meal.
As we neared Trinidad Head at around 16:30, we were approached by a very military-looking US coastguard boat and it was immediately obvious that they wished to contact us. I switched the VHF on and, true enough, they called us and told us that they were going to board us for an inspection. Frankly, the first time this happens to you, it's a bit scary - you really don't know what to expect and, as I said, the US coastguard have very much a military appearance. Anyhow, a group of 5 or 6 coastguard officers came over in an RIB (rigid inflatable). One stayed in the boat and the others boarded us and proceded with their inspection. Whilst this is a bit unnerving to the uninitiated, really it's all fair enough - they check the safety equipment on board - lifevests, fire extinguisher, flares, etc, etc. It's possible that there's an ulterior motive of checking for immigrants or drugs or such like, but it's also possible that it really is all about boaters' safety. Whatever the motive, they were satisfied with their inspection and went on their way, leaving us to motor the last little bit of the way to the anchorage at Trinidad Head and drop the hook.
We'd had no luck with trolling with our new fishing equipment as yet, but when we were anchored and settled in, I tried my luck with a bit of jigging and indeed caught our first fish that very quickly became a part of our evening meal.
The anchorage - Trinidad Head
An evening stroll ashore brought our first ever sighting of sea otters, and, just around the corner, a very delightful beach area that I recognise in all sorts of Hollywood movies, but, after a relaxing night and morning, we were underway again about 13:00 the next day, heading for our next anchorage in Shelter Cove. This was a 24 hour passage in absolute flat, calm seas, motoring all the way. It was almost completely overcast with stratos clouds that reflected in the water making everything a uniform grey. Soon after sunrise, a school of porpoises played around our bow - another first - and we sighted numerous other porpoises rising out of the dead flat water during the day. Otherwise it was a long and tiring trip with the noise of the motor the whole way. We did, however, motor for 24 hours on less that 1 small tank (6 US gal.) of diesel.
Making everything a uniform grey
A similar, if shorter (12 hour) passage the next day brought us to the very delightful Noyo River/Fort Bragg, where we took a spot at the Noyo Boat Basin Marina. John and Joy from 'Brave Heart' were expecting us and were waiting with sandwiches prepared, which was delightful, as was the short trip up the Noyo River to the marina - a trip through a very traditional-looking American fishing harbour, which felt somehow like a step back in time.
Noyo River
Looking upstream from the bridge
And looking towards the ocean
Our next overnight sail would take us to Drake's Bay, just north of San Francisco. So, in order to suitably time our arrival, we motored back out of Noyo River at about 16:00 the next day. After about 2 hours of calm, a slight breeze arrived, blowing from the west. We motorsailed on. And then, excitement! Fish on! Something of, by our standards, a good size had taken the lure.
Fish on!!
The hunter :-)
It took a goodly while to reel it in, but when it was there, it was a lovely salmon - the first salmon I had ever caught (a big, big thank you to Barbara and Scott - without them this would never have happened!). I filletted it and marinated almost all of it except for two pieces that we threw in the pan and ate almost straight away. Delicious!!
And then, fortune continued to smile on us. The wind turned to blow from the northwest (for the first time since Crescent City) and built to the ideal sailing breeze. We ran with the wind and waves behind us, making a consistent 7 knots. When night came, it was a beautiful clear night with the sky ablaze with stars. We intended to take turns on watch, but it felt so good flying along under that diamond-encrusted sky in the warm summer air that I let Karin sleep and stayed at the helm all night, absolutely loving it. (After our trying times off the Oregon coast, this was where I refound my love of sailing - Actually, no, that's not quite right. This was the best sail I'd ever had, and it was that night that I came truly to love sailing) (I did wake Karin at one point, just to come out and see how beautiful it was!).
We rounded Point Arena and then Point Reyes around noon on 22nd July (my dad's birthday). With the wind still gradually building, we took in a couple of reefs as we approached Drake's Bay. Finally, we beat up into Drake's Bay and anchored on 2 anchors (navy and danforth) in quite a stiff breeze, at about 14:00. We rowed ashore and went for a stroll, before returning to the boat, where I prepared a salmon dinner and Karin delighted in watching the pelicans (another first) dive-bombing for fish.
And then, fortune continued to smile on us. The wind turned to blow from the northwest (for the first time since Crescent City) and built to the ideal sailing breeze. We ran with the wind and waves behind us, making a consistent 7 knots. When night came, it was a beautiful clear night with the sky ablaze with stars. We intended to take turns on watch, but it felt so good flying along under that diamond-encrusted sky in the warm summer air that I let Karin sleep and stayed at the helm all night, absolutely loving it. (After our trying times off the Oregon coast, this was where I refound my love of sailing - Actually, no, that's not quite right. This was the best sail I'd ever had, and it was that night that I came truly to love sailing) (I did wake Karin at one point, just to come out and see how beautiful it was!).
We rounded Point Arena and then Point Reyes around noon on 22nd July (my dad's birthday). With the wind still gradually building, we took in a couple of reefs as we approached Drake's Bay. Finally, we beat up into Drake's Bay and anchored on 2 anchors (navy and danforth) in quite a stiff breeze, at about 14:00. We rowed ashore and went for a stroll, before returning to the boat, where I prepared a salmon dinner and Karin delighted in watching the pelicans (another first) dive-bombing for fish.
Drake's Bay
Naked ladies!!
Miss Molly I at anchor
A stroll ashore
Dive-bombing pelicans
Our next destination was to be in San Francisco Bay, so a degree of timing was necessary. The tidal waters of the Bay area fill and empty twice a day through the gap spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. This leads to significant currents and tidal rips in the area (one of the reasons why the famous prison of Alcatraz was so difficult to escape from). So, we had to aim to be in the vicinity of the bridge at slack water, at the turn of the tide. There is also a traffic separation zone in operation in the approaches to the bridge, so we'd have to treat that with caution and avoid any larger boats or ships underway in the shipping lanes. According to the regulations, such shipping lanes should either be followed in their respective direction or crossed perpendicularly, avoiding disruption to any traffic in the lanes - you can't just go anywhere you like!
We left Drake's Bay at 14:00 the next day and sailed towards the iconic bridge in a lively breeze, with first one reef and then two reefs in our junk sail. There was quite a swell building as we reached the Bonita Channel, but Miss Molly I handled it all beautifully and we were making about 5 knots. We rounded Point Bonita exactly at slack water and crossed to the southern side of the channel to be in the correct traffic lane, although there was acually no other traffic to be seen. As we approached the bridge, the tide was obviously turning and the water began to boil in tidal rips. To us, as first-timers, this was quite something to behold and we kept a sharp lookout for anything untoward, but we carved our way through without issue. Directly under the bridge, there was quite a set that pushed us out into the middle of the channel, but again, as there was no other traffic about, it wasn't a problem.
Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge is quite a feeling. As I said earlier, it's an iconic bridge and it really felt like an achievement to sail under it. To this day, I'm still proud of having done it! However, once under it, we still had a lovely sailing breeze from abaft, which meant we could sail on nicely, but as the island of Alcatraz was looming, it also meant we now had to make a decision as to our destination in the Bay. We had two possibilities that we'd heard of or read about. One was Richardson's Bay in the vicinity of Sausilito on the northern shore and the other was Aquatic Park, on the southern shore, where the San Francisco Maritime Museum is housed and where we'd heard it was possible to anchor up for up to 3 days without charge. We quickly decided to try for the second of these.
Getting in to the entrance to Aquatic Park wasn't entirely easy - the current was sweeping us into the bay at quite a pace and our first attempt failed so we had to do a go-around and come at it again, this time motoring flat out straight at the upstream harbour wall so that we could veer off at the last moment into the entrance way. However, we made it and were in! We found a spot with swinging room (it wasn't busy) and dropped the navy anchor, which instantly dragged. We hauled it up again, motored forwards and dropped it again. It dragged again. And again the third time! Sod it! No holding! We motored back out of Aquatic Park and began to head for Richardson's Bay. However, we didn't get very far before a (with the wonders of hindsight) very obvious thought struck me - we should try a different anchor! So, we turned around again, bucked the current one more time and reentered Aquatic Park. Once in, I swapped our (up until now) trusty navy anchor for our 22lb Danforth, dropped it and it held perfectly first time. Clearly, the bottom here is a very soft mud that needs a burying-type anchor!
We left Drake's Bay at 14:00 the next day and sailed towards the iconic bridge in a lively breeze, with first one reef and then two reefs in our junk sail. There was quite a swell building as we reached the Bonita Channel, but Miss Molly I handled it all beautifully and we were making about 5 knots. We rounded Point Bonita exactly at slack water and crossed to the southern side of the channel to be in the correct traffic lane, although there was acually no other traffic to be seen. As we approached the bridge, the tide was obviously turning and the water began to boil in tidal rips. To us, as first-timers, this was quite something to behold and we kept a sharp lookout for anything untoward, but we carved our way through without issue. Directly under the bridge, there was quite a set that pushed us out into the middle of the channel, but again, as there was no other traffic about, it wasn't a problem.
Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge is quite a feeling. As I said earlier, it's an iconic bridge and it really felt like an achievement to sail under it. To this day, I'm still proud of having done it! However, once under it, we still had a lovely sailing breeze from abaft, which meant we could sail on nicely, but as the island of Alcatraz was looming, it also meant we now had to make a decision as to our destination in the Bay. We had two possibilities that we'd heard of or read about. One was Richardson's Bay in the vicinity of Sausilito on the northern shore and the other was Aquatic Park, on the southern shore, where the San Francisco Maritime Museum is housed and where we'd heard it was possible to anchor up for up to 3 days without charge. We quickly decided to try for the second of these.
Getting in to the entrance to Aquatic Park wasn't entirely easy - the current was sweeping us into the bay at quite a pace and our first attempt failed so we had to do a go-around and come at it again, this time motoring flat out straight at the upstream harbour wall so that we could veer off at the last moment into the entrance way. However, we made it and were in! We found a spot with swinging room (it wasn't busy) and dropped the navy anchor, which instantly dragged. We hauled it up again, motored forwards and dropped it again. It dragged again. And again the third time! Sod it! No holding! We motored back out of Aquatic Park and began to head for Richardson's Bay. However, we didn't get very far before a (with the wonders of hindsight) very obvious thought struck me - we should try a different anchor! So, we turned around again, bucked the current one more time and reentered Aquatic Park. Once in, I swapped our (up until now) trusty navy anchor for our 22lb Danforth, dropped it and it held perfectly first time. Clearly, the bottom here is a very soft mud that needs a burying-type anchor!
The Golden Gate in sight
The water began to boil
Crossing the shipping lane (without shipping)
Alcatraz
The approach to Aquatic Park
At anchor in Aquatic Park (and holding!!)
We heard that John and Joy on 'Brave Heart' were also in San Francisco and were moored in the Marina Yacht Harbor just a short distance away from Aquatic Park. We decided to go up there and spend an evening or so with them. John came by with Coralea, who he'd met there in the marina and we all took Miss Molly I for a short sail on the Bay. There was a decent breeze and we threw the boat about a bit, enjoying ideal conditions for junk sailing. Unfortunately, I was stupid enough to tow our inflatable dinghy behind the boat (something we never did!), and was even more stupid to leave the cushions and oars in the dinghy. It didn't take long until the dingy flipped over and the cushions and oars were swept away by the current and breeze. We spent the next 30 minutes chasing after them and recovering them with the boathook. After that we started the motor and made our way up to the marina, where we took a transient slip for a couple of nights.
That evening, we contributed what was left of our marinated salmon and we all cooked and ate a delightful tempura-style dinner aboard Brave Heart.
That evening, we contributed what was left of our marinated salmon and we all cooked and ate a delightful tempura-style dinner aboard Brave Heart.
Visiting John and Joy on Brave Heart
Over the next week or so, Karin and I - sometimes with Joy and John and sometimes on our own - walked extensively through the city. Both the marina and Aquatic Park were ideal starting points for exploring San Francisco and we did our best to take in as much as possible. We walked through the downtown area and Chinatown. I remember John being particularly keen to go to the Haight-Ashbury area, so we walked up there one day. To be honest, the other 3 of us weren't so very impressed with it - perhaps it didn't mean as much to us. But generally, San Francisco made a very good impression on us and is a delightfully multi-faceted walking city.
Views of San Francisco
We spent another 5 days or so anchored out in Aquatic Park - it was the perfect place to anchor and have access to the city, but, as time was moving on, we had to think about moving on. We'd contacted Scott and Barbara, who we'd met in Crescent City, and the offer of a mooring buoy in Half Moon Bay harbor was still very much on. We decided that was what we'd do - head down to Half Moon Bay and leave Miss Molly I in Scott's care, while we flew to Europe - England for my brother's wedding, France to do the grape picking and earn some money, and take it from there.
So, on the 2nd August at 4:00 a.m. in order to have a favourable tide, we left Aquatic Park and headed for the Golden Gate. It was dark and very foggy. When we got to within half a mile of the bridge and still couldn't see it, we decided that this wasn't wise, did a 180 degree turn and went back once more to Aquatic Park. We waited on the tide and, at about 11:00, tried our luck again. The fog was still thick, but at least we could see parts of the bridge and, once under, the fog began to clear.
Foggy Gate
It was an uneventful trip down to Half Moon Bay - the wind built enough that we could sail most of the way - and at about 17:00, we entered the harbour and found the mooring buoy that Scott had described to us. Barbara and Scott were marvellously welcoming and looked after us for the couple of days that we had left. In that time, we readied Miss Molly I for our time away and packed our things, before flying out from San Francisco airport to London Heathrow and getting the train down to my home town. Actually, it didn't all go quite that smoothly - our first flight was cancelled due to fog in San Francisco and we had to go back again the next day to fly out. Barbara and Scott had given us a ride to the airport and very kindly picked us up again after our flight was cancelled, and then took us back again the next day.
And that was the end of the first major sailing trip in Miss Molly I. It had begun in mid April in Vancouver B.C.; taken us through the Gulf Islands and to Vancouver Island, through the San Juan Islands, Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and then down the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon and the top half of California; all in a bit under 4 months. Four, active and unforgettable months. We'd seen and done things that would change my life and way of thinking forever. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!
And that was the end of the first major sailing trip in Miss Molly I. It had begun in mid April in Vancouver B.C.; taken us through the Gulf Islands and to Vancouver Island, through the San Juan Islands, Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and then down the Pacific coast of Washington, Oregon and the top half of California; all in a bit under 4 months. Four, active and unforgettable months. We'd seen and done things that would change my life and way of thinking forever. I wouldn't have missed it for the world!
And there we left her.... for a while!
