Half Moon Bay

Back in January I had a quick weekend overnighter down to Half Moon Bay. It was a bit rushed because I had kid-related activities on Saturday morning, and had to be back by Sunday afternoon for more kid-related activities.

Genoa set flying to make the most of the very light wind

Little Cat ran out under the Golden Gate with a 4 knot tide around mid-day. The winds were very light from the SE and we motor sailed all the way to Pillar Point. We saw many harbor porpoises, but they are very hard to photograph.

Channel Buoy with Pt San Pablo behind

Approaching Pillar Point

Sunset

We arrived in Pillar Point Harbor after dark. What a great overnight spot! The harbor is completely protected in all conditions. Little Cat was anchored close to the ocean-side break water, and I could here the small surf breaking just outside. The point is also called “Mavericks” by surfers, and is the site of some of the biggest surfable waves in the world when it is working.

Snug in Pillar Point Harbor for the night

Had to get up early to get back by the afternoon, and by 6AM we were following the fishing boats out of the harbor in the dark. A nasty cold North – North Easterly set in (on the nose), so it was motor-sailing again, into the wind this time. The wind was gusty and extremely cold and the sea was choppy, but we still made good time (the new extra-long-shaft outboard chugged away at 4-5 knots regardless of waves and wind). We got stuck on a crab pot around the port rudder during a squall off San Pablo Point, and had to push it off with the broom (the boat hook was ashore). It was very cold and I huddled in the port cabin behind the half-opened hatch most of the way back. At the Golden Gate channel, the tide was running out, so we hugged the south shore to get some reverse tide in. 58 nautical miles for this trip.