We left Coos Bay after the wind died down. We motored into light southerly winds for 31 hours. The winds weren’t always as light as forecast and around Cape Blanco we had some unpleasant seas. They were coming from the NW, SW, and SE. Every few minutes they would conspire to form a pit for our boat to crash in to. Finally when Blanco was well astern they calmed down. By morning it was a glassy calm. On the way into Humboldt Bay we were greeted by a Humpback Whale. It warned us of its arrival by causing the surface of the ocean to erupt in bubbles and turbulence, and then just abeam it spouted and flipped its tail at us.

We crossed the bar into Humboldt Bay without incident thanks to the good visibility. The range markers are very good, but would not be visible in any serious fog. There were not many buoys so the range markers were welcome. It could have been as scary as the Coos Bay bar, but instead it was a cake walk, even fighting the 2 knot ebb.

Once tied to the dock in Eureka I felt pretty good. The end goal of our trip is to live in a warmer and drier climate than Portland. The climate changes dramatically just south of the Redwoods, so if we were to go no further and live in Eureka, the trip would be a success. We’ve made it!  Though we still plan to head to San Francisco, its nice to know that weather and mechanical troubles can no longer trap us in a town.

And what a town Eureka is... it reminds me of Astoria though much larger ...it is rotten with grand old Victorian homes. And the plants here speak of the warm climate - Eucalyptus, Tree Fern, Palm... not frost burned and struggling, but thriving. Across the lovely bay lies Arcata, a sister town. They make really good beer here and don’t charge much for it. The grocery stores are stocked with local produce and it is also a bargain. There is a transit system linking the towns and many people bike. It would be a lovely place to live. But then I hear San Francisco is nice too.