While Deb took a nap, Gregg took the kayak around the marina
for a few photos:
This beautiful 45 foot Hunter Legend is for sale . . .
This is Sisu of San Francisco, a lovely Hans Christian boat.
One of the interesting elements of life in Monterey is the
Beach Gang. This is a diverse group of
people all fishing for sardines from the public wharf by the marina. Two of them are 50 year old males with thick
beards and a slightly unwashed look.
Near them you may recognize a whiff of Mary Jane, if you know what
that’s like. There is a 30 year old male,
always alone and an independent thinker.
The others tend to bunch together at mid-wharf but this guy opts for the
deeper water near the end and usually has it all to himself. There are a couple of families that park cars
on the pier. Mom and one or two kids
under the age of seven sit in the car while dad is a few steps away fishing
from the rail. There are usually several tourists walking out or back with
their cameras but they don’t stay long.
Some of the other characters spend long hours on the wharf every day. The tourists speak Spanish, German, French or
English. The locals speak English,
Spanish, Tagalog, Cantonese, Mandarin or Vietnamese.
Everyone fishes with light spinning tackle and the most
popular lure is a series of about five light flies and a lead weight to make
them easy to cast. I saw one lucky guy haul in three sardines on one cast. Everyone gets a little agitated when a school
of sardines passes by. Sometimes there
are half a dozen dolphins and flocks of pelicans and gulls in hot pursuit. Sometimes half a dozen folks haul fish in at
the same time. Yes the fish are small
compared to Alaska, but the weather is more pleasant in Monterey.
The view from the wharf is a wide expanse of Monterey Bay. I wrote a description of it twice and threw it
out twice. Then I noticed the following
in “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck: “There is a beautiful view from the Carmel
grade, the curving bay with the waves creaming on the sand, the dune country
around Seaside and right at the bottom of the hill, the warm intimacy of the
town.” Well done!
