Total travel time: 34 hrs. 11 minutes
Total Distance: 159 nautical miles. A long day!
0700: Left Newport Beach
Winds WNW but nothing to speak of.
Skies are cloudy with a little bit of rain at the dock - just enough to make everything wet.
Rain stopped as we passed through the jetties with blue skies in the north - should be coming our way.
Pelicans came out to guide us again and the sea lions were hanging out on the buoys to wave us on our way.
We were able to put the Genoa up and sail for about 3 hours but then the winds died and the motor was turned back on.
1200: lunch was served. Roast chicken sandwiches with cranberries, lettuce and mayo. Wherever possible buy one of those roast chickens at the grocery store. Not only are they cheap - usually cheaper than the raw one - but they provide endless possibilities for meals. This one provided us with chicken quesadillas, sandwiches and chicken broda (Italian chicken soup with tortellini & asiago cheese) If you want something to warm you up that is the soup to make!
1305: abeam of Cape Perpetua. Captain has gone to bed and BA has stripped down to a T-shirt and leggings.
1448: abeam Heceta Head Lighthouse and averaging 6.6 knots with the motor. I will have to talk to Dave about naming our motor also has he has been doing an awesome job and being used more than we had wanted him to be.
The coastline is very clear, unusual for this part of the coast. It is quite spectacular with forested hills, rock outcroppings and many lovely beaches.
There is one lonely commercial fisherman and us.
For most of the journey we are keeping within the three nautical mile limit.
1615: abeam Florence, a possibility for a stop but decided against it. Bar was closed to vessels less than 30 feet due to the swells and the fog.
1715: sighted a humpback whale about 2 miles off our starboard side frolicking in the water. Close enough to see but not close enough to get a picture.
1924: Sun has set.
Moon is up at 86%
2027: abeam the Yaquima bar at Coos Bay. Lots of commercial fishing boats on the horizon
2134: abeam Ten Mile Creek. Had to adjust the course a little to avoid Cape Aragon light. But for the most part we are steering a course due south, give or take 10 degrees.
2350: David relieved me at the helm. He commented that it was a nice night, full moon but no wind.
0000: one mile abeam the safe water buoy that marks the start of the channel into Coos Bay, David checked the weather report again. Winds were light and continued to be northerly so he made the decision to press on to Brookings and make up for the extra days that we had to spend at Ilwaco.
0557: abeam Cape Blanco and BA is back at the helm.
0611: watched the orange moon set. Orion looked as if he had shined his belt buckle, he was so bright.
0701: watched the sun rise. There is something magical about watching the sun set, the moon rise, the moon set and the sun rise again as you pass from one day into the next.
0724: Mr Humpback whale came by to wish me a good day. He blew and raised his tail. He was just off the port side, quite close this time. I think I may actually have woken him up!
1023: abeam Rogue River Reef. Me and the Dixie Chicks -"Taking the Long Way Around".
I thought of putting on the GoPro but I did not want to wake up David. But imagine me and my iPod dancing away in the cockpit to Dixie Chicks and Phil Collins and Elton John - well I kind of looked like a crazy person with a smile from ear to ear. No I am not a crazy person, just thought I would get some aerobic exercise!
Sitting in the cockpit taking it all in and listening to my music. I actually forgot how much I love just listening to music. During ones normal day to day activities music is often part of it but it serves more as a background. Out here you really hear the music - Jessie Cook's guitar and Ackerman's piano never sounded so pure!
1200: grabbed a few hours sleep. David raised the Genoa and we basically sailed all the rest of the way to Brookings.
Beautiful end to a long run.
1711: tied up at the transient dock . Hours on motor 2559.4
Total distance travelled: 159 nautical miles.
Total time : 34 hours
4 day visit at Brookings: due to weather. Can't really say that this is an exciting place. We spent it reading (I finished 3 books), making stew and sandwiches for our next run, which could be a long one.
David did an adjustment on the steering, it was a little too tight causing the autopilot to chatter. The water tanks have been filled, all batteries and electronic devices charged, lee cloth rigged and provisions topped up. We had hoped to rent a car and check out the giant redwoods - no major car rental agency - just a used car salesman. In order to rent us a car we needed a copy of our ICBC insurance. Well, iI no longer have a car and consequently do not have insurance. And all of David's papers are in his truck in Victoria. By the time we could get Carolyn to fax us a copy we would have lost most of the day. Oh we'll - just as well as it poured rain for most of the afternoon and it would not have been pleasant.
We were hoping to get away today, being Monday, but the bar was closed. It is deceiving because it feels quite calm at the marina. But the entrance is not very wide and a 4 foot swell seems bigger. Below are a couple of pictures of the surf!
The entrance is that small opening between the pointy rock and the cement marker. Not a lot of wiggle room.
And more surf ...
We finally left Brookings on Tuesday. After 5 days we were just itching to get back on the water.
One interesting bit of information about Brookings. Brookings and Crescent Beach (27 miles further south) were in the news a couple of years ago when the earthquake hit Japan. This was part of the west coast that was hardest hit by the tsunami. In fact the tidal surge came right into this marina and wiped it out.
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