Flight of the Blue Eagle

C-Hawk · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject:

Hope David and his Dad are ok--- haven't heard from them since their last post. Tried calling but the message box is full, couldn't leave a message.

Sarge · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:04 pm Post subject:

I'm with you on this one, Roger. I hope they are okay, hopefully just pre-occupied.

mailbox101 · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:36 pm Post subject:

Thank you for your concern. We had minor medical issue and decided to put into port. We are both fine now, but in the hecticness of the moment, followed by that of a show I was working on, I am afraid that I lost track of posting our trip. Let me now continue:

We started off early, the sky just beginning to get slightly light as we exited the river into the bay. The cruise from Morro Bay north was as calm as could be. Lots of porpoises, a single whale in the distance, and my father catching up on some well deserved sleep from the day before (He also took an extended shift at the helm so I could catch up on mine as well.) We made such good time that by noon we were at the spot where we could either turn into Morro Bay or continue onward to Pillar Point Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay, or perhaps even make it home. Just as I turned north towards home I happened to notice that my father’s calf was red and swollen. Wasn’t sure if it was something serious or not, but was sure that if it progressed into something more serious I wanted to be somewhere that medical help was minutes away in a car, not hours away by boat or chopper, an so we turned into the harbor and docked at Monterey. The cellulitis was cured with antibiotics and anti-embolism stockings helped the swelling go away.

We are planning on completing the rest of the trip, or at least part of it this weekend. Not too anxious to get the boat back home as that always feels like such a letdown, but we do need to get it back to the bay before wintery storms make coastal cruising difficult.

David

C-Hawk · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 12:17 am Post subject:

David,

Thanks for posting. I wish I had known you were in Monterey--- I was there all week for a conference.
Glad to hear your Dad is doing better.
Have a safe trip home.

------- And keep in touch.

Roger

mailbox101 · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:56 am Post subject:

After a lengthy layover in Monterey, we finally returned to the boat in order to finish our journey. With the recent issue of Boat US featuring El and Bill’s boat on the cover, as well as our being docked right on the main walkway, the boat drew a lot of attention from people curious to talk about C-Dorys. By the time we turned in our key-cards, paid for the slip, rearranged the cabin for travel, and went over to the fuel dock for one last fill-up, it was already past noon.

Finally got out of the harbor and were heading north when we noticed a C-Dory heading into the harbor, so we turned around to say ‘Hi.’ It turned out to be the Albie Back, a 16-footer with three guys on their way back from fishing. As we were running late going out, and they were exhausted from having been out fishing since early in the morning, we just exchanged greetings and then went our mutual ways. By the time we got home later that day though, there was already a note from them waiting in my C-Brat inbox, and we hope to get together in the future.

Leaving once again, we watched the restaurants of cannery row, as well as the Monterey Aquarium glide past to our port. The weather was exceptional for this part of the coast; blue enough skies to make for blue water as well as sea lions sunning themselves. Minimal swell and only minor wind waves allowed us to cruise in the 22 to 24 knot range. This unusually high rate of speed allowed us to make up time, but the throttle controls kept on pulling back to lower speeds as they are not usually left stretched that wide open. This challenge was easily solved with a bit of duct tape and a mental note to investigate it at our next scheduled maintenance.

Blue skies continued, but a strong fog bank was off to our port, ready to move in. Passing the Pigeon Point lighthouse, I noticed that the light was already flashing despite it being daytime, presumably in anticipation of fog. We decided to skip Princeton-by-the-Sea in the interest of time because, if the heavy fog moved in, we would have to slow down to a crawl. Up ahead I saw that the coastline disappeared into the fog, and thought that we would have to do so as well, until I realized that we were looking at the Marin Headlands, which are to the north of the Golden Gate, beyond the point that we would be leaving the ocean behind. I followed the horizon with my eye and noticed that we were in sight of San Pedro Rock, a distinctive triple peaked rock just off the coast of Pacifica, and through the notch between it and the mountain to the right was a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge ahead.

The current was exiting the Gate at over 3 knots, and increasing, when we passed under the bridge at 6:10pm. There was a large sailboat trying unsuccessfully to fight the current, and several others waiting patiently for the tide to turn. Got some great pictures of the waterfront as the sun prepared to set; we could also see the newly suspended main cables for the new section of the Bay Bridge. The water was fairly calm as my father asked if we would be back in our slip before sunset. I replied that we could be, if he was willing be bounced around a bit. He said yes, and tightened his grip on the passenger grab bar, and so the last few miles of our trip were completed at a WOT speed of almost 34 knots.

So we are now safe and sound at home, the boat is secured, and I have finally caught up on my posting here. Thank you to everyone who has written back, or met with us on the journey. In no minor way has the friendship and information provided by other C-Brats made this trip possible. Until our next Grand Adventure, this is Blue Eagle out.

David

Albie Back · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:06 pm Post subject:

It was nice to meet you, and thanks for turning around to say "hi"!! 34knts on twin 90s...WOW!! Sounds like you had a great cruise up the coast. Yes, we were beyond exhausted... 25 miles out for 20 more albies in the 20-30# class. I took some pictures with my phone, but it doesnt do you justice.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67667401@N08/

Be safe.
Nam

Jazzmanic · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 12:19 pm Post subject:

David,

Thanks for sharing your stories with us. I grew up in Cali as a kid and know how rough that coast could be. So glad you and your Dad got to share this time together on such a successful adventure.

Nam,

Thanks for sharing those great pics of those Albies. I'm assuming the water was fairly flat? Way to Go!

mailbox101 · Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 6:03 am Post subject:

Thanks Roger. The boat was in Monterey, but we were at home during the week. We'd like to stay in touch as well.

Nam,
Three of you and 400# to 600# pounds of fish on a 16-footer? Wow. No it's my turn to be impressed. As I recall it was just after noon when we met, so you must have had a busy morning.

Peter,
It was fun sharing the stories, and reading the replies too; almost like having all of you there with us. Smile

An iPhone and the NOAA website helped us avoid the worst of the weather. The key is patience, as both NOAA and the USCG have lost ships along this coastline in recent years. The websites we used were:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/ - Mendocino County thru Monterey County
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/ - San Louis Obispo thru San Diego County

We also used the following apps extensively:
AyeTides (www.ayetides.com) - It is pricey ($9.99), but the tide/current database is built-in so it is not dependent on internet connectivity.
NOAA Buoy and Tide Data (www.veronasolutions.net) - An inexpensive ($1.99) NOAA Buoy Data Reader. Sure the data is free online, but this app makes it easy to find and use it.
Both apps are available through through Apple's App Store.

For backups, we had the Navionics app, the iNavX app, and several free tide apps. It should be noted that as my father and I share an iTunes account the software is on both our phones at no additional fee.

We also carried detailed paper charts for the entire route, as well as basic hand navigation tools.

If any of you are up in the SFO area give me a call, our boat's usually in the water, and we enjoy company.

David and Donald

mailbox101 · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:28 am Post subject:

"Well, we're off.", said my father as we pulled out of the shipyard at 6:24 this morning. Under foggy gray skys we pushed the speed limit to get out of the Oakland Estuary and into the bay. It is a chilly 55 deg. F. here, while the rest of the country is having a record setting heat-wave.

This trip will be different then the others as I have weekday commitments, so we will be doing it one weekend at a time.

So here we go. Treasure Island to our right, San Francisco to our left. We can see the partially-built section of the new, eastern section, of the bay bridge, still with a multitude of temporary support structures, and the beautiful old lighthouse on the island. It is so early in the morning that the light is still on; soon, we will be at sea.

As we enter the part of the bay within sight of the Gate we get our first taste of ocean swell, and reduce speed to 11.5 knots SOG, with an outgoing current of nearly 4 knots.

We pass under the Golden Gate Bridge at 7:24am. All we can see of it are the concrete bases, and the bottom of the towers; the deck of the bridge is hidden in the fog above.

Time to go, for now. We are looking forward to seeing many of you next month, at the Catalina, and we'll try to post more tonight.

David and Donald
Blue Eagle

C-Hawk · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:53 am Post subject:

Have fun and safe cruising.

Morning Star · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 12:00 pm Post subject:

Have a great trip! I'd love to do that run sometime. I'll be following your posts.

starcrafttom · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:05 pm Post subject:

albi back, Nice fish pics. is that a 16 or a 22 in the pictures?

Captains Cat · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:29 pm Post subject:

kmcclish · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:41 pm Post subject:

Hi Donald and David,

Best of luck on your way South! We look forward to seeing you at Catalina.

Wave as you pass the Central Coast.

Kent and Marcia
MARCIA JANE

mailbox101 · Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:00 am Post subject:

Thank you Roger, Jim, Kent, and Marcia. Having your postings come in as we were cruising was almost like having you along.

Perhaps next year we could make this into a C-Brat cruise. Although I would advise against the smaller boats, perhaps those of us with larger boats could share them, with the guests staying overnight in hotels along the way. It would be fun to have more eyes for spotting wildlife, as well as the added conversation.

Anyway, going out the Gate was rough. The swift ebbing current caused large waves just outside of it. Based on past experience with the location, and a good weather report we decided to press on, to see if conditions improved. Had they not, we could always have turned around, as the boat performs better in following waves. Sure enough, once we passed the Cliff House, the chop of the Gate was replaced with the consistent swells of Ocean Beach.

At this point we were able to get back on plane, gradually increasing speed as we traveled and conditions continued to improve. By the time we got to Monterey Bay, not only were we up to 18-20 knots, but the sun had come out, revealing bright blue skies and blue water; not very common for this area in July. Monterey Bay was relatively calm, which was fortunate because when it gets rough, the alternate route involves following closely to the coast, a much longer route. I had to keep the bow up a bit to avoid planting it into a wave after picking up speed surfing down the prior wave (The swell was only 3-4 feet, but of a very low frequency, so we would have a long period of surfing, and picking up speed, before we reached the trough.)

There were numerous seals and sea lions sunning themselves, with one flipper out of the water, as is their custom, as well as a large school of salmon, being closely followed by an armada of fishing boats, just outside the Monterey breakwater. We reached the fuel dock at 3:01pm. When traveling the coast, it is desirable to fuel the boat the afternoon before leaving as many of the fuel docks are open from 9 or 10 until 5 pm. If you do not fuel before they close you'll either have to stay an extra day in town, or get such a late start that you will still be on the open sea after dark.

The Monterey Harbormaster office proved once again to be a cheerful group, and we were soon had the boat secured, and were heading home until next weekend.

David and Donald

Statistics for this leg were as follows:
Total trip from Alameda to Monterey: 8hr. 37 min, 97 nautical/112 statute miles, 35.47 gal. of fuel, Averaging 11.25 knots and 3.15mpg
Fuel price in Alameda $5.70/gal, Monterey $5.40/gal for unleaded