Eureka to Bodega Bay to Drake's Bay

Leaving Eureka, approaching the bar.

We left Eureka on a slack water tide as crossing the Eureka bar can be somewhat dicey if conditions aren't conducive to crossing.  The channel out to the entrance was deceptively calm and when we reached the entrance we were met with significant swells that provided quite a ride. Leaving the bar behind us, we turned south heading towards Bodega Bay.  This passage included an overnight and it was one of the coldest nights we have encountered since leaving Seattle.  The fog was heavy, the seas were moderate and we ended up motoring the entire way.

Entrance to Bodega Bay.

The entrance to Bodega Bay is also a long channel that leads you to the head of the bay where the Spud Point Marina is located and where we had a marina reservation.  The channel itself is long, narrow and pretty straight so it gave the impression of driving Osprey down a highway.  After we tied up to the marina, Richard and I walked into town and had yet another greasy, fried dinner to add to our "nutrition conscious" eating habits.  The next day, we discovered that our furnace wasn't working so Richard called the manufacturer and set up an appointment for a representative to come to the boat once we got to Sausalito.  That evening, Richard's sister, Liz, and her partner, Kate, came to the boat bearing packages we had delivered to their house (wifi boosters), and fresh vegetables from Liz's garden (much appreciated tomatoes!).  Liz and Kate took us out to dinner and this time we avoided the siren call of fried foods and had a great dinner at Terrapin Creek Cafe.  We returned to the boat and spent some time visiting and then Liz and Kate left.

As it was cold in Bodega Bay, we went over to our buddy boat, Rhythm, and asked them if they had a spare space heater we could borrow, which they did.  Thanks to their generosity, we didn't freeze overnight.

A brief moment of clarity before the fog returned; Point Reyes.

The next morning, we headed out of Bodega Bay towards Drake's Bay which is located right around the corner from Point Reyes near the entrance to San Francisco Bay.  The fog lifted briefly as we motored along the coast towards the anchorage but then returned as we headed into the bay to drop our anchor for the night.  A quick call from Rhythm and the plan for both boats was dinner and an early night in preparation for our early morning departure for Sausalito.  No doubt everyone slept well despite the occasional roar of the elephant seals on shore.