Sunday, October 7, 2012


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!
The cyst was removed without complications and Deb returned to the boat after two nights in hospital.  She is on light duty which includes a lot of walking and some sanding on the bow sprit.  She is not as perky as usual, but well on the way to recovery.