Oregon has been exciting, now it’s California sun – here we come. But first there is fog, all the way to Eureka, and again, on another overnighter from Eureka to Bodega Bay, only this time it came with very confusing seas. We arrived early afternoon in this quaint little town, famous since Alfred Hitchcock chose the place to film “The Birds’ here in 1963. The director picked Bodega Bay area for the foggy weather, and what can I say: we experienced it exactly as portrait in the movie, minus the birds – and the killing, of course. We loved it!
After three delightful days, we took off in the middle of the night for our next big milestone: San Francisco! It’s probably on every sailor’s bucket list to cross under the Golden Gate Bridge, entering the windy bay. We were greeted by sunshine, a very welcomed change to the last few days. and docked the boat in a gusty 23 knots wind at beautiful South Beach Harbor.
Golden Gate Bridge
South Beach Harbour
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz cell
We spent a week exploring the city again and rented a car to venture into Napa and Sonoma Valley. We overindulged on the wine, naturally. Our mathematical formula included x bottles of red (for the cooler days), plus an unnamed number of whites, minus the days on the water before arriving in Mexico. Well, I don’t know what we were thinking, but the next boat definitely needs a separate wine fridge – enough said.
I flew to Germany to be with the family for a while. Life doesn’t always go as planned. And it’s more than once these days that Lee Ann Womack’s (and Sons of the Desert) song is on my mind:
… may you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance,
and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
…I hope you dance.
Point Reyes, Cypress Tree Tunnel
Bodega Bay
We keep moving! Stops in Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, and Monterey provided safe shelter on our way south. We are now pushing for larger stretches with lesser stops, honing our sailing skills and focusing on all of our senses needed to brace the ocean.
We met wonderful people on our journey, were greeted with incredible kindness, and have been shown unconditional help in the most unexpected ways.
Despite all the craziness, I still think the good things outweigh the bad. So, when you get a chance to sit it out or dance … I hope you dance!
Windy ride on the cable car
2 Comments
Kathy Reeves
It looks like you two are having a wonderful time. Your photos are amazing; so beautiful. Ron & I are renting a house in San Diego for Jan/Feb, so we will be following in your boat steps soon. Congrats on your Canadian citizenships and have a great sail down to Mexico.
Steffi
Apologies for the late reply, Karhy. You guys are having a great time wherever you go.