Pacific SailWhat’s it like on the Monterey Bay from November through March?
Typically, the winds settle down between storms and we can get the most amazing, sparkling clear days with tranquil sea conditions. It’s actually quite enjoyable, sailing along in light winds, checking out the fall and winter sea life, especially when the California Grey Whales start migrating to Mexico in December. Our first pre-winter storm system…
More »Sailing Quotes
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite…
More »Moorings Charters
Pacific Yachting is a charter broker with the Moorings Charter Company. They charter yachts around the world in some of the most ideal sailing locations. We use the Moorings because they have an excellent reputation. Their prices may be a slightly higher than some of the other foreign charter companies but we figure that if…
More »Docking News
Pacific Yachting & Sailing graduates continue to prove that they are quite proficient at docking in our berthing area. We’ve observed our graduates are really skillful at resolving those conflict- resolution, docking issues. Thank-you for actually following all of those Pacific Yachting & Sailing Instructors, philosophies. “Slow is good, slower is better.” If there’s an…
More »Securing Boats
Most of our charterers are doing a great job of properly securing the boats at the end of the sail. This becomes even more important during the fall and winter months when the harbor can experience strong surge due to storms offshore. The surge really moves the boats around in their slips and puts added…
More »Reefing is Not a City in China
On numerous occasions our Pacific Yachting charter customers & students say: “Do you think the wind is even going to come up?” The answer is yes! If it looks dead out there, please realize that Mother Nature is just taking a breather first thing in the morning. That gives you time to pull the mainsail…
More »Destinations
Capitola Village Capitola is one of our favorite destinations for a day sail or overnight. You can reserve a mooring by calling- 831-462-2208. If you are sailing in, you can call the Capitola Wharf on your vhf on channel 11. They have a shuttle boat that will take you ashore. Capitola…
More »Winter Ocean Swell
There are times when the harbor entrance can have plenty of depth from the continual winter dredging, though we still can get fairly large swells at the harbor entrance. First, there’s a live web cam showing the harbor entrance, 3 weather prediction sites, tides, and swell height prediction. Please do your homework…
More »Spring Lines
Just a reminder-when you secure the boat to the dock, please tie the spring lines around the base of the chain plates, not the stanchions. The stanchions are not meant to sustain the type of lateral loads imposed by the fore and aft movement of the boat. Typing spring lines to the stanchions will cause…
More »ASA Certification – Why Take the Exams?
ASA is a nationally recognized sailing certification and accreditation program. These organizations, which include sailing schools, charter companies, sailing instructors and sailors, set competency standards for both sailing knowledge and on-the-water skills for sailors and instructors from basic to offshore sailing levels. Certification simply means a person has demonstrated a standard of…
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