TIME: 2230
DATE:  May 25, 2009

LOCATION:  36 deg 36.52' N
                     121 deg 53.60' W
                     Breakwater Cove Marina
                     Monterey, CA


We left at 0600 - right on time.  No problem getting off.  Started picking up ocean swells about a mile east of the Golden Gate Bridge and by the time we were under the bridge, we were working!   The seas were probably six to eight feet, but they were right on the nose and they were pretty close together.  So, hold on! 

Heading west towards the San Francisco sea buoy (prior to turning south in order go put a little distance between us and the shore), the ride remained rought, but certainly bearable.  Just off our starboard side, somebody rang the breakfast bell because we saw hundreds of dolphins heading east (opposite direction to us) at a rapid clip.  This persisted for several miles - maybe half an hour.  I've never seen so many dolphins at one time. 

Once we finished our westing and turned south, the ride improved considerably.  Still, the waves were more west north west than we'd had on the ride down from Seattle (those waves were more north north west).  This time, they hit us from our starboard quarter.  Most of the time, the boat handles these just fine.  Occasionally, though, a steep one will hit us at just the right angle and the boat does a little jig - stern swings to port, boat rolls (a little) to starboard, autopilot and stabilizers catch up and swing the stern back to starboard and roll the boat back even. 

This pattern persists for about five hours or so, until near Ano Nuevo when we're able to turn more to the south east.  Doing so pretty much squares the waves up behind us and, excepting the odd wave coming at us from the side, the ride smooths out even more. 

I stood watch from 0600 to 1200 and was releived by by mom and Phil from 1200 to 1500.  I did what I normally do when I get off watch - set the alarm clock and went immediately to sleep.  Woke up just ahead of the alarm, did my engineering inspection, and went back on watch ad 1500. 

All day, the wind never exceed 12 knots or so.  Pretty benign.  Swell usually 6 feet with maybe a 1 foot windwave on top.  Sky overcast - visibility about four to five miles.  No problem.

We travel about three to five miles offshore for this short little leg.  We see several dolphins along the way (after the big pod near the Golden Gate bridge).

We spot Monterey at about 1700 - probably six miles or so distant.  On the way in, we see to whale watching boats and, as we watch them, a whale surfaces between them.  Too far away for us to make out any details.

We make an uneventul landing at the Breakwater Cove marina at 1730 - about thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

All in all - a pretty easy, uneventful run.  Very nice to enter Monterey by boat.  When Michelle and I lived in Las Vegas, we rented a vacation home in Monterey and we'd fly our own plane over every chance we got.  When we couldn't fly, we'd drive.  Now, I can say I've come to Monterey by land, sea, and air.  I probably need to do it by rail next.

More to come tomorrow . . .