We left Monterey Bay around noon for our 96 mile journey to San Simeon. The journey was about 19 hours which means we are sailing through the night since there are no harbors to stop at along the way. It started out great with fair winds and sunshine. After dinner we were prepared to watch a beautiful sunset when the fog rolled in. At one point you could not see in any direction. Knowing we were relying solely on our AIS and radar was a little unnerving (to me) but we were already 8-10 NM out in the ocean and commited to the journey. As it became late, Kevin and I traded off on watch. The fog was so dense it was almost raining. It was cold even with foulies on. I was on watch at 3 am curled up in a ball on the seat at the helm harnessed in with a blanket around me sipping tea. It was so dark I couldn’t see very far into the distance but I could hear splashing next to the boat. Not the kind of splashing of water hitting the hull but, splashing of animals in the water. To my surprise there was a dolphin show going on right on the side of the boat. I must have watch the 5 dolphins for over an hour which made my watch go by quickly. They are truly amazing animals the way they glide through the water, under the boat, around the stern and jumping in unison. With the phosphoresence in the water the dolphins were illuminated as they swam. It was an incredible light show and performance by the dolphins.
This reason for stopping here was to tour the Hearst Castle. We can see it from the anchorage but how will be get to it? We decided to take the dinghy through the surf and leave it on the beach, walk down the beach through the state park and up the hill to the visitor center, and take a tour bus up an even steeper hill to the castle. What an amazing castle and stories that go along with it. The photo above is of the Roman Swimming Pool. Oh how I wanted to jump in. This castle is a national histoical landmark managed by the State of CA Parks Dept. If you are ever passing though San Simeon on Hwy.1 it deserves a stop. The views from the top of the hill are breathtaking. We even got a glimpse of our boat anchored in the bay. Once back at the beach we had to figure out how to enter the surf with the dinghy. This was our first attempt since we’ve always had a dock at other places we’ve stop. Well here goes! We timed the breakers and ran with the boat out in the water and hopped in. It worked pretty well although our timing was a little off and a large wave broke over the bow of the boat (we expected this might happen so we had our belongings in a dry bag.) Since the waves didn’t tip the boat over in the surf we’ll call this a win! I’m looking forward to practicing in warmer water. I’m happy to be leaving this anchorage because of the exposure to the ocean the waves are always rocking the boat side-to-side. In the morning we will be sailing to Morro Bay 23 miles down the coast.
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