Making progress south

We are now in Santa Cruz which is warmer than San Francisco but still cool and foggy in the morning.  I now have a better appreciation of summers in Vancouver.  

After a few days at the fishermen / hippy dock in Berkeley, we sailed back under the Golden Gate bridge in 15 - 25 knots.   This time I had the honours at the helm.    It was an 7 hour trip to Pillar Point with a wicked few hours of tacking into the wind as we got closer.   It was very good that our first sail with just the 2 of us was uneventful and without drama.   We were lucky to see 5-6 humpback whales on the way.  Pillar Point is a serious fishing community which gets inundated with tourists on the weekends.  Three playful sea lions in the harbour were getting lots of attention.

Our next sail was 55 miles to Santa Cruz.   There was not much wind and a bit of fog.  It was great to see the coastline and the cars on Highway 1 as there was nothing else to do for 8 hours.  We still find it too uncomfortable to really read on the boat.   We sailed close to a pod of 10 smallish whales.   We started passing what we thought was plastic garbage floating just under the surface, and then realized it was sun fish.   They would just lie there on their sides and lazily flip upright as we passed.   If we had a net we could have scooped them out of the water.

Santa Cruz is a great place for wait for a UPS shipment of more boat parts.   The weather is slightly better though we still bring a jacket everywhere.  The beaches, bars, shops are in walking distance.  Greg is starting to relax a little and did a little sketching for the first time since I have known him. The Santa Cruz Yacht Club has welcomed us as guests so we will join them today for the Wednesday Night Race BBQ.   Life is good!

Berkeley Marina.

Met 4 young Aussie lads on Out of Africa sailing their Grandpa's boat from Canada to Australia.

Fishermen, fish, and sea gulls.

Met a lovely old lady who lived aboard her boat at Berkeley Marina for the past 19 years.  This is her boat garden.

Berkeley Kite Festival.

Leaving San Francisco.

At the helm going under the Golden Gate Bridge. Hanging on tight!

Pillar Point Harbour

Sea lions.

Finally, in shorts and a T-shirt.

Sea lions on the gas dock at Pillar Point.

Whale photos never turn out.

She is keeping me away at night with barking every 30 minutes.

 Greg took a short break from boat chores to do this sketch.