We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends

Big Sur, California

To me, cruising always meant quiet reflection and independence. In the most remote parts of British Columbia and Alaska, Dave and I would often go days without seeing other humans. As an introvert, I didn't mind. Quiet was my paradise away from the bustle of a big city and a social career.

But we knew the California Coast would be different. Here, sailboats often meet up and explore ports together. And while Dave was excited about the social opportunities, I was a little hesitant. What if anchorages feel crowded? What if we don't find our people? What if it doesn't feel like cruising? Change is hard. We are from the land of the Seattle Freeze after all, and that freeze comforts frozen people like me.

But here's the thing: the sailing-cruising community is rad. And bear with me because of course I'm generalizing. Sailors are welcoming. They're open to new experiences with new friends. Most seem to get into cruising to live authentically with authentic people. They're eager to push through small talk to really get to know the people they meet, yet they can talk about boats for hours without getting bored.

A cruising community is a resource. Sailing with others means crowdsourcing questions, sympathizing about the hard repairs, discussing weather windows, sharing tips about ports, and laughing about shared blunders. And let's face it, the Pacific Ocean is a big, scary place; it's comforting to know there are others around with similar anxieties. It's nice not to feel alone out here.

This proved especially important when hiking with new friends Lori and Greg on SV Palomita on Santa Rosa Island's Black Mountain. While traversing down an incline, I slipped and fell forward on a sharp rock. Blood quickly pooled, and after we stopped the bleeding, we noticed a deep laceration on my knee. We washed it with as much water as we had and used our basic hiking first aid kit to clean and bandage it. We still had a good four miles down the mountain, but the extra hands and distracting voices were invaluable. They flagged down a ranger who could drive me the last mile to the pier and wait with me until Dave caught up.

At the beach, Lori and Greg found Danielle, nurse extraordinaire of SV Harmattan. We knew she and her family were on the island since they stopped by De Novo when we arrived, and her husband Rohan taught us how to launch our dinghies on Santa Rosa's big surf (a crucial lesson as we sail south to big surfing beaches) the day before.

Rohan brought our dinghy to the pier so I wouldn't get saltwater in the wound, and Danielle came over to De Novo to take a better look. After I took two shots of gin to help numb the pain, she scraped out dirt and sand with a sterilized needle and cleaned it with saline and an iodine solution before adding wound closures and a bandage. Infection at sea is no joke so thank goodness she was there! Lori and Greg stopped by with homemade, delicious food so we wouldn't have to cook during the drama and checked in with us again the following day. How did we go about this with just the two of us for so long?

Bottom line: community is good.

We then stopped in Ventura Harbor to visit my cousins, Kelly and Laura, and my best childhood friend, Kasey. I was close to them when I grew up here, and I wanted Dave to get to know them as I did. Unfortunately, we didn't stay as close when I moved to Washington decades ago. These visits reinforced how much I miss them and need them in my life. If this trip has reminded me anything so far, it's that good friendships are worth nurturing.

Now officially in Southern California, we're sailing through the land of palm trees and flip flops, heading south to even warmer waters this winter. It'll feel good to not freeze this season.

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So Many Photos!

On the gondola at the Oakland Zoo

View from gondola

Once the bison are weaned at the Oakland Zoo, they are sent to Montana to live on the plains among the Blackfeet Tribe where they belong. That's pretty cool.

This wallaby had some serious Jeff Goldblum energy.
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Alcatraz

The view from the anchorage in Aquatic Park

Dave enjoying the anchorage

We shared the cove with the 1886 256 ft. three masted ship Balclutha, among other cool historic ships.

To give you a sense of the scale, this was the bilge pump.

De Novo, historic tall ships, Alcatraz, Angel Island.
It doesn't get better than this.

More Aquatic Park

The view from the anchorage at night. This anchorage was rad.

SF's Chinatown

The cutest grocer ever

When in Rome, do what the Romans do. Or in this case, when in Chinatown, attend a free
K-Pop dance seminar. I'm the clueless white girl in the back.
Dave didn't join. Next time.

Lombard Street

"The Spire" sculpture in Presidio Park

Presidio Park

Saying goodbye to San Francisco

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On the way to Monterey, happy to have fixed our whisker pole

Monterey has many sea lions.

The day after that picture was taken, the Port of Monterey placed construction cones on the dock to deter them. But as you can see, the cones are no match for Monterey sea lions.