Coastal Run - Leg 3: Morro Bay to Cojo Anchorage

Leg 3 is about to begin...

This is a flashback to September 2013
View from Oracle Team USA Catamaran with Bluewater in distance!

[FLASHBACK] Bluewater had a front row sail during LEG 3 of the America's Cup in San Francisco Bay in 2013.  Tom Slingsby was the strategist for the America's Cup-winning Team Oracle USA in 2013. I am still thrilled that we spotted an image of Bluewater when poking around on the internet (back in 2013)!  We viewed the official race photos from a camera onboard the High Performance wing-sail foiling USA racing Catamaran. What a win!!!

But seriously, Lawrence and Mark spent 3 nights in Morro Bay awaiting a weather window AND the arrival of a 3rd crewmember for the upcoming Leg 3...

Monday August 24, 2026

Back on Monday 8/24, the arrival crew in Morro Bay:  Kevin and Katey Mulholland!!!

Bluewater on the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock that 1st night; dinghys on the inside dock

The fog rolled in fairly thick that 1st night in Morro Bay

Tuesday August 25, 2026

Lawrence on Bluewater and a fantastic sunset

Mark on Bluewater with a great view of Morro Rock behind him

Wednesday August 26, 2026

Lawrence doing chores...Bluewater is LOVED 🩷

Lawrence, Dana McClish, Mark

Sailors in a bar telling sea stories...

Another beautiful sunset behind Morro Rock

Thursday August 27, 2026

Photo shoot on the dock

So Mark texted a photo and said "Just the usual morning on Bluewater, waking up to a photo shoot on the dock of tween girls in western wear."

Lawrence doing laundry

Marina laundry facilities 

GLORIA VILCHEZ arrived in the early afternoon!!!  She had flown to San Francisco (recently) and her good friends Bruce and Alicia Santos agreed to drive her from the SF Bay Area to Morro Bay (approx 232 miles one-way, about a 4hr drive one-way). Nice friends to have! They also brought my (Liz's) sponge, a surfboard that Lawrence/Bruce retrieved from Katie Barrish in our (Liz/Mark's) Belmont house earlier this month and has now been donated to Bluewater.

Alicia and Bruce Santos (back on
the 4th of July 2026 on Bluewater in SF Bay)

And Mark enjoyed another meal with Kevin & Katey Mulholland while Alicia fed the Bluewater crowd. Sometimes a professional chef is just what the conditions desire...THANKS Alicia and Bruce! 🍳🍲💗👍

At some point, a trip to the fuel dock was successful! 👍

5:58pm Mark texted:  "We plan to leave in about 1 hour (before 7pm).  Destination is Cojo Anchorage, distance 84 nautical miles.  ETA is 5-11 AM.  3 on board:  Lawrence, Gloria, and Mark.  Forecast waves are 6’, forecast winds 12-22 knots from the NW both at Point Arguello"

6pm Liz asked:  Are the waves a concern?

6:30pm Mark replied:  "Should be fine as they are moderate size, not too short period, and going the same direction we are!"

Thursday August 27, 2026 - DEPARTURE

Morro Bay

Bluewater Coastal Run - Leg 3

Departure Time:  7:11pm local time

Departure from:  Morro Bay Yacht Club, Morro Bay, CA

3 souls aboard

Lawrence Kerver

Gloria Vilchez

Mark Barrish

Destination:  South around Point Conception to Cojo Anchorage

Distance to Destination:  approx 85nm

Estimated Duration:  approx 10-16 hours

Departure from Morro Bay at 7:11pm

Looking back at Morro Rock at 7:50pm

7:20pm Liz asked:  "Who’s on watch? What kind of intervals thru the night? Lemme know when you make a plan. Fair winds!"

7:47pm Mark texted:  "Lawrence will take the first watch 7-10 PM. Three hour watches, so I get 10-1 AM and 4-7. Woohoo—I get sunrise!!!"

Lawrence is on 1st watch, 3 hours on duty, 7-10pm

7:51pm Incredible sunset!

The moon over the Pacific Ocean at 8:01pm 🙄

Moon in Gig Harbor at 9:47pm

And just like Mark told me, it WAS a partial lunar eclipse!!  AND a Blood Moon!

Partial Lunar Eclipse

Blood Moon

10:37pm Mark texted:  "It is a beautiful night with a partial eclipse of the moon and dolphins surrounding the boat. Magical."

Dolphins are swimming along!

10:51pm:  "The picture shows nothing, but when I crouch down in the bow pulpit seat I see 1, 2, or as many as 7 dolphins criss-crossing in front of the boat, zooming and jumping so I am breathing in their breath"

Dolphins!

10:55pm Amanda texted:  "That sounds so awesome!  How does it feel breathing in dolphins breath? Does it smell like fish?"

Moon at 10:58pm

11:11pm Anchovy on the trampoline

11:01pm Mark texted:  "Maybe a little like fish, but somehow more like seaweed. I doubt they are vegetarians, so maybe I am just a little high on dolphin breath"

11:18pm Mark;  "Well my dolphin friends did NOT like being called seaweed eaters. Before they left they tossed an anchovy onto the front trampoline just to prove the point. I miss them and hope they forgive me enough to visit again later"

Liz:  "Get fishing with that anchovy!"

Amanda:  "They left u a gift!!!  U should eat it to show ur thanks"

Mark:  "Fishing with it or eating it are both great suggestions, but I already tossed it back as an offering to the sea gods"

Friday August 28, 2026

Sometime around 4am-ish

Bluewater is making progress toward Cojo Anchorage!

Friday August 28, 2026

Arrived! Cojo Anchorage

Bluewater & Crew checked in Safe & Sound at Cojo Anchorage!

Departure: 7:11pm Thursday August 27 from Morro Bay

Arrival:  7:40am Cojo Anchorage Friday August 28

Distance:  approx 84nm

Duration of Leg 3:  12.5hrs

Gloria and Lawrence

Anchoring takes longer than tying up to a dock but they’re all tucked into a safe spot in Cojo Anchorage in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Mark said:

"We are securely anchored in the beautiful, calm, and warm Cojo Anchorage!  All are well and the crew managed to get some good sleep despite sometimes boisterous and extremely entertaining sailing conditions!"

And

"FYI anchor was fully set at 7:40 in 15 feet of water. Currently seeing 11 knots of offshore breeze and a knee-to-waist high surf swell!"

11:55am Cojo Anchorage

11:55am Mark texted:  "FYI I had a snack, a nice nap and a cup of coffee while chatting with Gloria. Lo is sleeping. Anchor is rock solid and the boat is riding great but the offshore wind was strong enough by the time I woke up that I thought it best to defer my planned surf session."

"All is great here. Boat is quiet as Gloria and Lo are both catching up on sleep. I have been looking at weather for our next leg (Santa Barbara?) and scoping out flights home (Southwest is looking promising) but consulting with Lo on both fronts will be needed."

MEAL TIME

4pm Gloria made a chicken salad with plantain chips - YUM!!

4:10pm Bluewater tucked into Cojo Anchorage

From Mark:

"Wind is offshore and finally looks to be dropping from 20+~ish. Hoping for an afternoon/evening paddle once the salad digests"

Coastal Run - Leg 2: Monterey to Morro Bay

August 2026

New crewmember Mark Barrish flew from Seattle WA to San Jose CA on Saturday August 22, 2026 and visited his parents and niece Katie/Adam in Los Gatos before making his way to Bluewater in Monterey.  He enjoyed hanging out with Lawrence and friends that first night, including Mark/Kim who happen to be anchored in Monterey Bay this weekend on their 57 foot Catamaran.

Sunday August 23, 2026

Hopefully Lawrence slept in on Sunday and recovered somewhat.  Meanwhile, Mark wandered around town and along the beach.

The beach scene Sunday morning around 8:45am

Lawrence said "Thanks for the care package Liz!" I sent Mark with homemade bran muffins w/cherries/walnuts and banana peanut butter muffins w/peanuts/flax seed as well as ginger chews, Fisherman's Friend lozenges, dramamine, Ginger rescue chewable tablets, pink lemonade gum, lemondrop type candy and some spare batteries (for the clocks and kitchen timer).

Care Package

Monterey Bay Aquarium Sunday around noon

Mark said he ended up walking further than he meant to. "Blue sky inland with breeze and overcast and fog offshore. The crowd at the aquarium is not as thick as I remember."

Supplies (and maybe a California Fishing License) were purchased and later in the day, Lawrence oversaw refueling details.

Mark on the bow

New crewmember Mark Barrish hard at work 😀

Arrival at fuel dock about 4pm Sunday

Lawrence at the Fuel Dock

A nighttime departure is approaching based on weather predictions enroute and the desired arrival time...

From Lawrence:  8:49pm Sunday - Wildlife!

9:09pm Mark texted:  "FYI we are checked out of the marina and getting ready to depart soon"

Bluewater on the dock at Monterey Municipal Marina 9:10pm Sunday

Sunday August 23, 2026

Monterey Municipal Marina, Monterey, California

Bluewater Coastal Run - Leg 2

Departure Time:  9:17pm local time

Departure from:  Monterey Municipal Marina, Monterey, CA

2 souls aboard

Lawrence Kerver

Mark Barrish

Destination:  Morro Bay, CA

Distance to Destination:  Somewhere in the vicinity of 95-125nm

Estimated Duration:  approx 15-20 hours or so

9:18pm Mark texted:  "Just departed in a light breeze with gentle seas. Two souls on board"

View looking back toward Monterey and the Marina they just departed
(Lawrence looking forward)

Still looking back while heading away from the city lights

I can see Mark on my iphone tracking and Bluewater on Lawrence's Predict Wind Tracker - and they made good progress through the night!

Monday August 24, 2026

Mark texted a description of their overnight journey:  "We traded 2-hr watches while motor sailing on one engine under a reefed main through a chill foggy night. Whales and birds are working a gray sea this morning. A light breeze from astern and small north swell are helpful, but a small crossing westerly swell and slight chop made me happy to see daylight. Coffee helps too."

3am-ish dragonfly in cabin

"We did have one other wildlife encounter sometime around 3 AM. I thought at first a pterodactyl or flying fish had attacked the cabin, but it turned out to be a dragonfly. May have been prehistoric in origin; the photograph will need to be analyzed to determine the exact species of this demon beast"

9:35am Monday - Whales Spouting!

Whales! You get the idea

4:44am Monday iphone tracking

6:20am Monday iphone tracking

Yes, I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) so I track repeatedly (on both iphone AND Bluewater's Predict Wind Tracker)

Lawrence's Predict Wind Tracker Bluewater Tracker is pretty darn cool. You can see Bluewater's location, speed and course (posted hourly). You can also see the current weather including wind speeds and direction. It's a super useful tool.  If you play with it (to see future predicted weather) you'll know the kind of info they have at their fingertips to make wise planning decisions.

TIPS:

• Refresh to see new data
• Remember that Bluewater's current track is superimposed on Lawrence's previous track (from 2022)
• Remember they are continuing south from destination to destination
• Wind speeds (or other data) are color coded with the scale along the bottom
• You can touch an area of the map and see specific data for that area
• For advanced users:  You can select the weird Layers symbol and select endless data (including Winds, Waves, Current, Air Temp etc etc etc)

Monday morning (approx 10am) tracking:

Bluewater's Predict Wind Tracker

iPhone Tracker - They are getting
closer to Morro Bay!

1:20pm phone call from Mark:

He said the sun is coming out and he took off his jacket about an hour ago. They are sailing downwind with a reefed (shortened) main sail and a jib sail out. They are ambling along with a tiny swell running. They've had fishing lines trailing but no luck yet.

It's been a long slog of a passage but it's been working well. Lawrence is having fun playing with all his new electronics. Mark is getting ready to add fuel to the tanks as they are down to a few gallons in each.

They already talked to Kevin/Katey who called Lawrence and invited the sailors out to dinner tonight.

Lawrence/Mark will be watching the weather closely for a suitable weather window for the next leg. Stay tuned....

3:42pm Mark texted:  "Nice news: the Morro Bay Yacht Club tells us they have room at the dock!  We are probably an hour and a half out from there now"

Monday August 24, 2026

Arrived!  Morro Bay

Bluewater & crew checked in Safe & Sound @ Morro Bay

Departure:  9:17pm Sunday August 23 from Monterey

Arrival:  4:20pm Morro Bay Monday August 24, 2026

Distance:  approx 95-125nm

Duration of Leg 2:  approx 19 hrs

Bluewater at Morro Bay Yacht Club dock