We had a very pleasant time in Half Moon Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We were invited to the HMB Yacht Club for a drink, where we were warmly welcomed, and then we went to the grand opening of a Tapas bar in town.  A fun night! Apparently the fishing hasn’t been that good in the area, there weren’t a lot of fish sales happening.

We headed out of HMB at about 6 am on Thursday.  There was a lot of fog, but it was our understanding that it was patchy and would burn off later in the day – this was not to be.  The visibility during the day as we crossed San Francisco Bay was as low as 300 feet at times.  Luckily for us, we have a very reliable radar and chart plotter and we gained some good experience with trusting the set up.  The good part was that we had gentle southwest winds, and we were able to sail for several hours.  It was really lovely – and I saw jellyfish of various sizes and colors; no other wildlife sighting to report.

We did have some excitement, though.  Ralph was on the foredeck and I was at the helm.  We both heard the sound of engine noise that was very swiftly approaching us.  Ralph ran back and asked if I saw anything on the radar.  I hadn’t before, but I saw something closing in on us. We had a moment of fright before we both realized it was a low flying airplane!  I can imagine some pilot getting his kicks scaring boaters.

We decided to stay at Drakes Bay rather than go all the way to Bodega Bay.  Traveling in the fog is fairly stressful, and we needed a break.  As we got close to the bay, the fog lifted!  It was a fantastic feeling and I thanked the powers that be for our patch of sunshine.  There were no other boats in the anchorage and it was very beautiful, with practically no waves and only a little wind.  It was so peaceful and quiet, we relished it and had a great night’s sleep.  After a hearty breakfast, we started to pull up the anchor at about 9:30.  This was a tough job as the chain was covered with sea grass that we (i.e. Ralph) had to pull off by the strand.  The windlass (a motorized device attached to the deck that helps pull up the anchor) was straining to get the anchor up.  Once it was up we saw that there was a big clump of mud attached.  After that, we were on our way in the fog again!  To be continued…..

P.S. You may be surprised that the internet is not accessible everywhere!  So, this post is a little late.

Finally got the anchor up!

Fog in the distance

Sea grass on the anchor chain

Hi Ralph!

Drakes Bay

Looking back at the fog

Fog clearing as we enter Drakes Bay

Sun going down in Drakes Bay

Sailing in the fog – eerie