The Charm of Fort Bragg

Narrow Rocky Entrance

Passing Under Hwy 1 Bridge

We left Eureka at 6:45am to take advantage of the good weather window for our 13 hour cruise to Fort Bragg, not the one in Virginia of course.  We encountered 7-8 foot swells over the Humboldt Bar as we departed Eureka and 4-5 foot swells outside the bar.  The notorious Cape Mendocino and Punta Gorda turned out to be a non-event with only 2-foot seas.  To our delight, Dall Porpoises appeared and rode the waves alongside our bow, checking out the boat as if to prove they could swim faster than our strange man-made contraption.  By the time I got my camera out, they were gone.  As we passed Point Delgada and Shelter Cove, the winds shifted direction and we had “following seas” with 6-7 foot swells and 20 knot winds.  The boat handled the conditions well but we knew it would be tricky getting into Fort Bragg with waves pushing us from behind.  The entrance at Fort Bragg into Noyo River is very narrow with rocks lying on both sides of the small opening – it took our full attention to watch the channel ahead, keep an eye on the charts, and hands on the wheel.  Once through this narrow entrance, we passed under the Hwy 1 bridge then made a sharp turn to starboard and continued down the narrow channel, winding our way to the Noyo Mooring Basin.  Cafes, restaurants, and work sheds line both sides of the channel up to the mooring basin – it’s absolutely charming and looks more like a village in Alaska than a town in California.  No wonder Hollywood shot scenes here for the movie “Overboard.”  We recognized several of the buildings and had to watch the movie again that night.  The bridge has been replaced since the movie was made but the town is much the same.  It was an interesting day, including our encounter with Pat and Lisa, the sailboat couple we had met in Eureka.  They too had made the weather window for their cruise south and moored at Noyo Basin.  They came over to our boat to say hello and we had a great visit with them over coffee and cake.  As it turns out, they are headed for Mexico as well and we hope to meet up with them again.

Charming Fort Bragg and the Noyo River

Looking out to the Pacific

Aerial View of Fort Bragg and Noyo River