28 Days Later...

I've been here nearly a month now, and Cadence is growing a beard of seagrass on her waterline. There's something magnetic about these sleepy little towns on the coast that sucks you in day by day and every time you think you're ready to leave, something or someone happens and gives you a reason to stay. Morro Bay has been great to me, but at long last, I think it's time to move along. The weather was perfect for sailing the last few days and I'd hoped to leave, but it took too long to get the boat ready and now Point Conception doesn't look too fun, with 25-35kts and seas building. But if I don't move along soon, at this rate, I'll probably never leave. In fact, many of the people I've met here were originally passing through just like me, and are still here many years or decades later. Coming back from the coffee shop one night weeks ago, I met Eric the Red incarnate, viking extraordinaire, and his 140lb St. Bernard “Dozer”.

Conversation led to beer, which led to whiskey and more whiskey, which in turn led to debauchery, and 1 month later my wallet's much lighter but I've got stories and scars aplenty to show for it. Originally from Detroit, Eric moved out here and bought a boat after his girlfriend at the time showed no interest in either starting a family or going sailing. He cut ties, took that California trip, got himself a beautiful, sturdy bluewater sailboat in Channel Islands Harbor and set about making preparations to go to Alaska. Unfortunately, Dozer wouldn't go potty on the boat, and after ~30 hours at sea, Eric pulled into Morro Bay and landed a good job, and has been here two months now. I keep telling him he ought to shave that dog and head south to warmer waters, but that big ol' dog would probably expire in the heat regardless. Check out this clip of Kujo, cooling off in his customary fashion:

Everything is stowed away now, and the boat's ready to go. Santa Barbara is ~125 miles away (~24hours) but I have a few other ports I can duck into along the way. Hopefully, I'll be writing the next post in shorts and a T-shirt.