03/29/2002 - 04/04/2002
Whisper At Anchor in Half Moon Bay
Sunshine kissed the decks of Whisper once we settled in to the anchorage. The exhilaration of our trip down from San Francisco and the warmth of the sun resulted in much laziness for the remainder of the day. Informing Jim and Catherine of the surprise conditions we encountered as well as a forecast for more of the same changed their plans to join us for the weekend. The order of business on Friday focused on acquiring crab and fresh fish. With the number of crab pots dotting our course down here, there must be lots of crab still available.
Our taxi to carry us from Whisper at anchor to shore is an Avon inflatable we named Shout. We puttered around the harbor and found a place to tie up Shout. In Pillar Point Harbor, you buy fresh seafood either directly from the fishing boats docked in the marina or from the fish shops. Cooking live crab is not a task either of us envisioned occurring on Whisper. Princeton Seafood sells cooked and cracked crab. Much more our style. A couple pounds of crab and a pound of halibut, please. Cooking and eating crab au gratin satiated the need for a decadent meal.
With the crab au gratin safely adding a few pounds of fat to our bodies, exercise and exploration called our names. A coast side trail allowed us to walk to the town of Half Moon Bay without needing to dodge cars on US 1. The walk from the harbor to town is approximately 5-6 miles. Checking out galleries, eating lunch and picking up a few groceries chipped away at the remainder of the day. Only one challenge. How do we get back to Whisper? Options included walking back the 6 miles with groceries or trying to find public transportation. We pursued taxi and bus options. Guess what, we could not find a taxi in Half Moon Bay. Bus stops and bus schedules are not obvious in most places. This is the case in Half Moon Bay as well. Standing on the corner of US1 and Hwy 92 looking for any sign of a bus provoked an interesting conversation. "Do you think anyone we know will drive by and pick us up?" "If someone we don't know stops and offers a ride, would you accept the ride?" "Do you think we should start walking" "Are there any bed and breakfasts you'd like to stay at in Half Moon Bay?" "Where is the Ritz?" "Wait, I think I just saw a bus turn in to that parking lot?" We looked like the Keystone cops as we scurried to find the bus only to discover the next bus going our way arrives in an hour an a half. Eventually, the bus arrived and carried us back to the harbor. Next time, we'll figure out how to get home a little earlier in the day.
Our new favorite place - Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Reading, hiking and discovering restaurants consumed most of our time during the week. On our walk to dinner at Mezzaluna, we discovered a great outdoor seating area at the Half Moon Bay Brewing company. Fire pits, ocean views, live music and micro brews combined for a great restaurant and bar scene. We visited the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company more than once. Our friends, Marge and Dave, drove over from San Jose to join us for dinner one night. Sitting around the fire pit listening to a couple of guys who brought their guitars capped off a wonderful dinner.
Whisper and her neighbors
On Tuesday, we left the anchorage and headed into the marina. Pumping out, filling up on fuel, replenishing water filled the morning and obtaining a slip filled the morning. Monterey is the next stop on our journey. We're looking for a day of winds from the north/northwest to head to Monterey. Initially, it sounded like Wednesday would be the day. The forecasts changed to make Saturday look like a better day. There are still things we want to do in this area, so waiting until Saturday sounds fine to us.
Check Out The Coast
Tea at the Ritz Carlton made us realize we are still withdrawing from our dual income habits. Arriving at the Ritz via public transportation shows the dichotomy of our ways. The Ritz is just south of Half Moon Bay. The grounds and hotel looked like something you'd see on the coast of Scotland. A coastal trail along side the golf course leads to a beautiful beach. Too bad it is not warm and sunny. The spa at the hotel looks inviting. We better get out of here before we spend too much money.
Thanks for checking in on us. See you in Monterey.
Fishing Boats means fresh fish
Taxi to shore