04/06/2002 - 04/26/2002
Cries of "Help! Help!" alarmed us as we started to walk from the marina to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As we each tried to hone in on the source of the cries, Duncan astutely yelled out "Where are you?" "D dock. Get the harbormaster", the mystery voice replied. At this point, Duncan observed a man on the dock holding another man in the water. Running down the dock with the harbormaster in tow, we found the man on the dock still yelling "Help!" hoping for assistance and holding the belt and waistband of the older gentleman in the water. Duncan and the harbormaster hoisted the man in the water on to the dock. In thick German accented English, the rescued man said "I've fought in three wars and I thought I was going to die in the water of the marina". It turns out he fell into the water from his boat a few slips down the dock about a half an hour earlier. The water temperature in Monterey is 52 degrees. After checking him for signs of hypothermia and any other way of providing assistance, we left him in the care of the harbormaster(s). The sights and sounds of Monterey started out with a bang.
Living Art
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of our favorite places to visit. In April, a new exhibit opened entitled "Jellies: Living Art". The exhibit combines artwork with displays of jellyfish. In concept, the exhibit is an interesting idea. Perhaps the excitement of Duncan saving a man's life (slight exaggeration) tainted our ability to appreciate the abstract aspects of the exhibit. The permanent sea otter exhibit is still our favorite. The next day we discovered a sea otter cruising right behind our boat in the marina. Very cool.
View from the Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium supports and participates in many aspects of ocean research and education. A significant objective of the aquarium is to educate the public on issues related to the ocean. The exhibits at the aquarium are a fun form of education. Another form of education provided through the aquarium are forums and seminars co-sponsored by Moss Landing Marine Institute and the aquarium. We chose to attend a forum called "Whaling and Overfishing: Humans as Predators and Competitors". The forum introduced us to current issues related to whaling and associated over fishing. The Japanese and Norwegians still kill whales and sell the meat. In Japan, whale meat sells for $100 per pound. Another topic of discussion included fisherman and whales competing for salmon in the Pacific Northwest. The forum stimulated several subsequent discussions on fishing, whaling and international treaties.
Rough Life!
"Vroom, GRRUMMMBLE, BRUMMMBLE, BUMMMBBLE" awakens us at 5:30 am as the two charter boats across from Whisper prepare to head over to the pier to pick up people to go fishing. The first few days the sound annoyed us. Since Robin is trying to finish the entire Harry Potter series, she now uses this half hour every morning to read a little Harry Potter and then goes back to sleep after the boats are gone.
"Aarh, Aarh, Aarh" bark the sea lions following in the fishing boats every afternoon. Getting scraps from fishing boats must be the sea lion version of fast food. The marina appears to be the home for at least ten sea lions and an occasional seal pup. When the fishing boats are away, the sea lions either play in the water or sun themselves on the docks. Fortunately none of them seem to like the dock near Whisper.
Apparently, the time changed in April. We invited our friends JR and David to join us at 6 pm for cocktails and hors d'ouevres on the boat. How rude that they show up an hour early! At this point, we realized the "spring forward" time change occurred that day. Yes, perhaps we are getting too relaxed and disconnected.
David encouraged us to attend a festival the next weekend in Pacific Grove called "Good Ole Days" and then come to their house for dinner. Lots of horses, old cars and music paraded down the main street in Pacific Grove. Typical festival booths of artsy-craftsy things, music and food decorated the streets of Pacific Grove. Our neighbor at the marina told us to try the fried calamari from a certain vendor(don't remember the name) because it is the best in Monterey. Not only is it the best in Monterey, it may be the best calamari on the planet.
After enjoying "Good Ole Days" and walking the coast side trail, we proceeded to JR and David's home in Pacific Grove. JR and David live in a gorgeous home overlooking the Pacific and Monterey Bay. A delicious dinner of salmon caught by David topped off a great day in Pacific Grove.
Sunscreen Anyone?
Patriotism Abounds
Squid Boat
Bright lights shine through the hatch in the aft cabin as the squid boats around us head out for the evening. Duncan coined the phrase "Close Encounters of the Squid Kind" to describe the sensation occurring on our boat as the squid boats pass by Whisper at night. The squid boats head out at night into Monterey Bay to catch tons and tons of squid. Some boats catch 40 tons of squid in a night. That's a lot of fried calamari. Concerned about over fishing and boats fishing in Monterey Bay relatively close to shore, we started checking around on the squid fishing industry. First, a "light boat" goes out to find the squid. The lights bring the squid to the surface. Then, the big boats come to where the light boat found the squid and deploy huge nets to scoop us the squid. The light boat heads out to find the next place and the big boats follow after scooping up the squid. All of this seems a bit unfair to the squid. As we talked to conservationists at the aquarium, we learned squid are not being overfished. The life expectancy of a squid is 1.5 years and spawning/reproducing is a quick process. Bring on the fried calamari.
Sitting down below on Whisper one evening, we hear a faint "snap, crackle, pop, snap crackle, pop" on the hull. Listening carefully, the sound is all over the hull of the boat. We are hoping the sound emanates from Rice Krispie shrimp doing a thorough cleaning of the hull. Do you think they can change the zinc on the propeller shaft, too?
Wildlife at our back door
Unlike San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay water is very clear. On good days, we can see the sandy bottom beneath Whisper. Given the clean and clear water, Duncan decided to check out Whisper's bottom to assess the damage from the debris we hit on the way down from Half Moon Bay. "Splash" followed by a quick "Rrrrrr, it's cold in here" started Duncan's snorkeling adventure. A quick inspection revealed no hull or paint damage. The 3 millimeter wetsuit he wore allowed him about five minutes of time in the water. Quickly, he stepped back on the boat to be showered down with hot water from the shower on the aft deck. The bottom line on the damage from hitting the debris is 2 teeny tiny bent screws in the transducer. The hard part is finding someone to sell us the screws to the no longer manufactured transducer purchased 3 years ago. If you know anyone with a transducer for a Simrad IS-11, let us know.
Past visits to Monterey always occurred on the weekend. During the weekend, Monterey becomes laden with tourists. In contrast, Monterey during the week is a relaxed town with lots of great amenities. Three movie theaters, community events, music and museums fill the town with great opportunities for fun. Our new favorite coffee shop, Morgan's, provides FREE wireless high speed internet access. This is not helping us escape our caffeine internet habits. On Tuesday afternoon, the main street in Monterey hosts a Farmer's Market. Fantastic fruits, vegetables, pasta, breads and fish dominate the market. Monterey proves to be a great second stop on our journey.
The sights and sounds of Monterey are keeping us quite amused. The list of things to do in Monterey still contains enough to keep us busy here for a couple more weeks - kayaking, roller blading, friends coming to visit, museums. Furthermore, we cannot leave until Robin finishes the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. With fond memories of the dolphins, coastline and incredible color of the water on the passage down to Monterey, we are starting to prepare for our next passage. Plans for our next stop, San Simeon or Morro Bay, are starting to form and Robin is listening to the weather again. We'll keep you posted.