Mini Post & New Video!
Finally! Finally! Finally! -We finally have enough Wi-Fi to put up another blog & get another video out! No, we didn’t get Starlink yet but we found a temporary solution for a few days. Which means, this will be another short post. It’s also going to be a post that takes a detour from our tour & we are officially reviewing where we stopped in California so other cruisers can know what they are in for before making the leap to do the same, silly thing as us.
Monterey:
Cost- I think it was around $50 per night for our boat. -30 feet.
Convenience- Walk to restaurants, Aquarium, Old Wharf.
Service- Office friendly but office hours can be tricky.
Facilities/Amenities- Showers -decent condition, water & fuel dock.
Comfort- Well sheltered.
Pros- Decent cost, cell service, beach for dogs to run on.
Cons- No market close by.
Monterey Bay Marina - super clear water! Although, it’s pretty damn cold!
San Simeon:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Really only place to stop between Monterey & Morro Bay.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be calm & can be rolly.
Pros- Cell service.
Cons- Lots of flies, kelp, pretty hard to get to shore.
San Simeon. Picturesque but not approachable by dinghy.
Morro Bay:
Cost- $1 per foot per night if on the dock. So we paid $30 per night.
Convenience- Walkability to everything Morro Bay has to offer.
Service- Super friendly yacht club. Very helpful.
Facilities/Amenities- Very nice. Restroom & showers seem to be updated fairly
recently. Super clean. Laundry right there. Only one washer & one dryer but
inexpensive. Pump out & water right by the dock.
Comfort- Very secure. Protected.
Pros- Everything!
Cons- Nothing. (Unfortunately Morro Bay doesn’t have a chandlery. So not a great
place to get supplies for your boat or any boat work done.)
Morro Bay. Serene with beautiful sunsets.
Cojo Anchorage:
Cost- Free Anchorage.
Convenience- Best place to stop south of Point Conception.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be a bit rolly. Just depends on swell & wind.
Pros- Pretty spot.
Cons- No cell service, some kelp.
Sunrise at Cojo Anchorage.
Santa Barbara:
Cost- It was $2.50 per foot per night plus tax.
Convenience- Some restaurants around but you’ll need to walk a ways to even find a
small market.
Service- Very friendly office staff!
Facilities/Amenities- Decent restrooms & showers. Secured docks. Carts. Laundry is
a little dated & some machines may not work well. Can be a far walk depending
where you are docked. Gas dock & pump out right there.
Comfort- Very protected.
Pros- Small West Marine. Sushi GoGo! -yum! A bit of a walk to downtown but still
close enough.
Cons- No markets close by. Cell service is touchy. -Depending what part of the harbor
you are at.
Evening glow at Santa Barbara Harbor.
Ventura:
Cost- $2 per foot per night.
Convenience- Quite a lot of restaurants right in harbor. Something for almost
everyone. No walkable markets. Gas dock close enough.
Service- Super friendly staff! They couldn’t be more accommodating!
Facilities/Amenities- Top of the line! Patio with a grill & nice seating. Spa-like
bathrooms. Clean laundry room. 4 washers & 4 dryers. Amazon lockers. Trash even
well kept. Lawn area. Carts. My favorite marina on the west coast that I’ve been to!
Comfort- Super protected.
Pros- Almost everything! Great cell service.
Cons- No market close by.
Ventura Harbor. Always fun!
Malibu:
Cost- Free anchorage.
Convenience- Nice place to stop before crossing to Emerald Bay in Catalina.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Super rolly. We’ve been there 3 times. Always rolly.
Pros- Pleasant scenery.
Cons- Rolliness. Spotty cell service.
The Bu! -Malibu that is.
Marina Del Rey:
Cost- $1per foot per night plus tax.
Convenience- Very convenient. Trader Joe’s is a five minute walk to get to. I was told
there is actually a dinghy dock there.
Service- Nice enough staff.
Facilities/Amenities- Showers. Park.
Comfort- A little surgy.
Pros- Good cell service. Walkable to different restaurants & even a chandlery!
Cons- A lot of bird poop!
Marina Del Rey. Convenient -even for the birds.
Emerald Bay:
Cost- Depends on what mooring ball you get. I think we paid $60 per night.
Convenience- Great snorkeling there.
Service- N/A.
Facilities/Amenities- None.
Comfort- Can be very rolly.
Pros- Beautiful, snorkeling, mooring balls.
Cons- No cell service, rolly.
Emerald Bay. So pretty & pretty rolly.
Avalon:
Cost- $2.25 per foot plus tax.
Convenience- After parking at the dinghy dock, everything is very close by.
Service- I’m keeping my mouth shut on this one.
Facilities/Amenities- I’m actually not sure if there were showers there. Dinghy dock.
Comfort- Super surge. Boats a little close for comfort.
Pros- Avalon is a fun town with lots to do. Beautiful.
Cons- Gas dock takes some skill to pull up to with the surge. Dinghy dock can be
crowded. Interesting process of getting a mooring ball.
Avalon. Historic, beautiful & the surgiest of anchorages.
Dana Point:
Cost- $3 per foot per night.
Convenience- A long walk to anything. You need a car if you want anything more than
a restaurant.
Service- Very friendly staff!
Facilities/Amenities- Laundry. Showers. Pump out.
Comfort- Very protected.
Pros- Really pretty.
Cons- Not close to market or chandlery.
Returning to my childhood harbor of Dana Point!
Oceanside:
Cost- $1 per foot per night plus tax.
Convenience- Close to a great marine store/chandlery. Close to a lot of restaurants.
Service- Friendly staff.
Facilities/Amenities- Showers. Dock is not locked.
Comfort- Almost no surge.
Pros- Close to a lot of necessities.
Cons- No market close by.
Oceanside. Pleasantly surprised when we realized we had to stay here 5 nights instead of 1.
It’s here! I’ve been trying for a month to get this video uploaded & it’s finally happened! Watch it & get mesmerized by all of the dolphins!
Click on photo above to watch our latest video!
Yes, I made a playlist for when we left our home dock in Santa Cruz. No, it’s not all we’ve been listening to. But it’s been one of our favorite playlists. And yes, I do still buy music. I love it so much that I want to be able to play it whenever/wherever. -Plus, I have an iPod Nano -which I treasure because it’s tiny & allows me to listen to music & other stuff in all sorts of circumstances. So take a listen for yourselves.
Our Bon Voyage Playlist:
Awoo by Sofi Tucker & Betta Lemme PLAY
Honey by Maneskin PLAY
Thief In the Night by HIRIE PLAY
Gloria by Jain PLAY
California by Brewfish PLAY
The News by Paramore PLAY
Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver PLAY
Malibu by Hole PLAY
my god by Trevor Hall PLAY
Run the Road by Santigold PLAY
C’est que du bonheur by Stromae PLAY
Bambola by Betta Lemme PLAY
Aphrodisiac by Bow Wow Wow PLAY
Happy Ending by The Strokes PLAY
Bronco by Orville Peck PLAY
She’s Kerosene by The Interrupters PLAY
Jacare by Sofi Tukker PLAY
Candy Girl by Parov Stelar PLAY
Rompelo by Cimefunk PLAY
Hey Baby by Stephen Marley PLAY
So that’s our little blog of the week. We’re glad to be back. And we’re excited to catch you all up on the tales of what’s been going on with us.
Our little fluff muffin turned 10 last week! Happy Birthday Zephyr! We adore & love you!
Thanks for reading! Thanks for being patient on the lack of resources we’ve had to get the blog & videos up. Pretty sure there will at least be a new blog post next Wednesday. Stay tuned….
