Morro Bay

[SayGudday]

Sailing from Monterey to Morro Bay, any tips from those that have done it before?

[stacy]

Haven't sailed in there for 15 yrs but I doubt it's changed much. Wonderful place to visit. Morro Bay Yacht club was great. Good moorings. Big tides with alot of current. The entrance can be very dangerous if there is a sea running. San Simeon anchorage just north is also a very nice place to stop

[Randyonr3]

Call ahead to find a place to stay as it being the time of year when folks head south, I've seen the docks at the yacht club stack up two and three deep... Its also a good, to plan a long days sail.. We've left Montereyy in the early morningonly to reach Morro Bay late in the evening after dark..
If I were going to make the trip, I'd almost leave monterey lat in the evening to arrive at Morro Bay durring daylight hours

[imagine2frolic]

Time the tides well. They can spin your boat if you're not aware when entering the harbor........i2f

[Sand crab]

Morro Bay has one of the most dangerous harbor entrances in the county. We windsurfed there in 25' surf and we all almost died. But I was young and invincible then. Now I'm old and decrepit. Some pics and a link.
Surfer Rescued From 25-foot Waves Speaks About Coast Guard | Sidetracked

[Capt Phil]

Good advice from all above. I'm in full agreement with Randyonr3... best to arrive in daylight with lots of time to assess the entrance conditions. not a place you want to enter at night without local knowledge. I've been in and out a number of times on deliveries but only once at night... not an evening I'd like to repeat. Good luck, Capt Phil

[sww914]

We're heading out fro SF today for Morro Bay. I'm from there and I've been in & out of the harbor entrance on kayaks, beach cats, and surfboards as well as boats. It is dangerous if a big swell is running but the Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol know the entrance well and can advise you. If it's too crappy you can head a few miles further south to Port San Luis which is nice unless the winds are from the south.
I'm not afraid of the Morro Bay harbor mouth but my wife did serve in the USCG there on small boats and has run the entrance in 30-35 foot breaking waves many times so she knows the drill.
That said, the Navy Seals couldn't handle it the first time they tried, destroyed their boat and had to be rescued by a 22 year old girl. They didn't like that. (I have pictures)

There is nothing resembling a chandlery there so don't expect it to be easy to get parts if you need them, get them in Monterey or farther south.

[Charlie]

Also be aware of fog conditions. I was within 1/4 mile of the approach buoy when a fog rolled in so thick I couldn't see my crew on the foredeck. It didn't clear so we went to Port San Luis instead.

[Randyonr3]

If you use Port San Luis as a second option.. oddly enough, the fog seems to break out past the break wall so the harbor uasally stays clear..
Right inside the wall, you can pick up a morring ball on the left..
If anchoring, go to the right of the morring field near the long docks.. bottom is sand with good holding.....

[Bash]

I once was heading for Morro Bay when the CG was airing an advisory on VHF 16 that the bar was breaking and the harbor was closed. I'd just sailed down from Monterey in two days of Force 8, so we were bummed to have to continue on to Port San Louis. We arrived at 0200h and, just as Randyonr3 said, the fog broke right when we got to the harbor entrance, and we could see stars above us for the first time in three days.

Be aware that the Morro Rock will shield VHF broadcasts along a cone radiating from the harbor office. That zone is marked on some charts.

The folks at MBYC are cruiser friendly, and have moorings available for boats from reciprocal clubs. It's an all-volunteer club, so don't expect regular restaurant service, et cetera. I've gotten land-sick dizzy in their shower a couple times, so be forewarned.

Three boats ago we ran out of CNG shortly after departing Santa Barbara, so we pulled into MB to pick up a bottle, since it's such a busy fishing port. We were shocked to discover that CNG wasn't available there. (Which is why the two boats since that one have run propane.)

[cruisingkyra]

Hey there, we liked Morro Bay - anchoring is fine with good amount of scope (strong current), only thing is, we got our anchor chain wrapped in with an old abandoned mooring chain - had to get a diver to set us free, the approximate location was:
N 35 degrees 22.118 and W 120 degrees 51.382

Loved this little town. You can take your dinghy to any of the public docks for up to 3 hours, but nobody cares if you stay longer.