Big Sur



Point Piedras Blancas Light at San Simeon

We departed San Simeon at 6am on June 3^rd for our 10-12 hour push along the Big Sur Coast.  The Big Sur region generally runs between San Simeon and Carmel with no place to hide from the weather until Monterey Bay.  As we made our early morning departure, we noticed that two fishing boats which had anchored in the bay with us that previous night had already left.  

We upped anchor and headed out of the bay, passing Point Piedras Blancas Light, encountering 5-6 foot ocean swells with occasional 7-8 foot swells.  

A Gentle Giant

Further out at sea, the average swell was between 4 and 9 feet with occasional 10 and 11 foot swells spaced at 10 seconds.  Giant swells can seem intimidating at first; but when spaced far enough apart, the boat simply rides over the top and settles back down in the valley.  I call them “gentle giants,” left over from earlier storms that have since passed.  

Avoiding the Fishing Nets

After two-hours of motoring, we came upon a fishing boat from our San Simeon anchorage; we had to head further out to sea in order to avoid the long fishing nets which put us into some 12-foot swells.  Fortunately the winds were insignificant and the seas subsided somewhat before reaching Point Sur.  As to be expected, the swells grew once again around the Point, adding to the challenge of taking swells at an angle in order to make our turn towards shore.  After passing the Point, the winds picked up to 16 knots and shifted direction, coming from the south.  We entered Monterey Bay around 4pm in choppy, windy conditions but managed to maneuver the boat into our assigned slip and get her securely tied to the dock.  Thanks again Got d’ Fever for another job well done!


Point Sur



Big Sur Coastline

Heading into Monterey Marina