Solo circumnavigation of the Monterey Bay (part 1)

… by a British guy in a 1986 West Wight Potter 19.

This episode’s itinerary:

Santa Cruz to Moss Landing
Moss Landing and environs
Moss Landing to Monterey

Whatever you do; don’t hit that unlit buoy in the middle of the channel!

Single handed sailing is a tricky business.

That green buoy is the Moss Landing Harbor “recommended track” buoy
As it’s name would suggest, it marks the track vessels should take when approaching the harbor entrance. Vessels are not expected to take this so literally as to nearly hit it. At night this buoy is unlit! This object, the size of a small car could present a major obstacle to navigation. To the unwary mariner, that is!

On day 3, and so we say goodbye to Moss Landing. Hope to see you again in the not too distant future. It’s a good day to try to sail the whole way to Monterey.

The city of Monterey is named after the municipality in the Galicia region of Spain. The coastline is exposed to the full force of the prevailing north-westerly winds that blow for much of the year. These winds regularly reach 20 – 25 kts, with gusts in excess of 30 kts. This, combined with the full fetch of the ocean results in sizeable wind waves being superimposed on the even larger ocean swells coming down from the northern latitudes. As a result, things can get a bit lumpy. But we have no such challenges today.

The water in Monterey Municipal Marina is exceptionally clear.