Friday 14th July 2017 - Happy Quatorze Juillet!!
Stopped at anchor here in pleasant Half Moon Bay rather than continuing on to San Francisco because it looked possible that I'd be trying to enter in the evening on an ebb tide - NOT recommended through or near the Golden Gate due to strong currents resulting from the enormus volume of water involved.
So I'm about to catch up on missing sleep now and I'll leave here around 8.30 a.m. tomorrow, in order the enter the Golden Gate soon after midday when the flood tide will be starting - and well before the expected bad weather sets in later on.
The weather window I originally saw last weekend, that made me hurriedly leave San Diego to head north, didn't quite turn out as forecast - but was good enough for me to get here safely by keeping well inshore, despite strong 'washing machine' conditions between Pts Conception and Arguello and again last night trying to pass Pt Sur.
It feels so much colder than further south - I've been wearing my warm leather seaboots and a warm fleece top for most of the passage. The sea here is 10C/50F.. brrr!!