SV Luna Moth

After a long sail to Monterey, on which the autopilot broke, and a rough night at anchor, we settled into Monterey’s municipal marina to recover a little. With Luna Moth secure on an end tie, we decided to not look at our mechanical problems for 24 hours and instead go for a walk around town and relax.

Our first stop was to check out the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, which is located right by the marina. It was to be a regular stopping place for us during our stay. The club was doing lunch, so we went for burgers and fries, a traditional post sail meal for Lisa.

The marina we were in was right next to Fisherman’s Wharf, which we steered past, opting instead for a walk along the shore. The sea lion migration was in full swing and the beaches were completely covered with them. It’s hard to capture the experience fully without audio, imagine very loud disagreements as huge beasts crawled over one another, looking for the best sun and the coziest spot of sand. You can also add a fair amount of sea lion body odor.

A fan of John Steinbeck’s books about Cannery Row, we had to make a stop at Ed Ricketts’s lab, which the people of Monterey have been able to preserve amidst the tourist restaurants and t-shirt shops. Ricketts, a marine biologist was the inspiration for Steinbeck’s “Doc” character and his companion on his adventures to the Sea of Cortez, which was documented in their book, “Log From the Sea of Cortez”.

The next day we dug into our autopilot issue and found that indeed, the pin had sheered, a common point of failure. Unfortunately, whoever put in this particular pin failed Marine Mechanic’s 101 and put a stainless steel pin in a hole in an aluminum plate without using any kind of anti-corrosion barrier. It took us four days of soaking the pin in very chemicals and a helping hand from the nearby boatyard to extract the pin.

While we thought that we had a spare for the part, it was quickly apparent that what was installed didn’t match what we had. Lesson learned: When getting a spare, install it and keep the existing part as the spare. This makes sure that what you have is actually what you need, you have the tools needed to install it, and you know how to do it.

After a long call with a helpful rep at Outbound Yachts, we determined that our pin was different from any used by the company and different from any used by Raymarine, the manufacturer of the autopilot. Another mystery of Luna Moth. Fortunately there’s a good machinist in Monterey who had time to take on the job, though it would take a little over a week as he had to get materials and coordinate with another shop.

While waiting, we did a few other projects, and generally enjoyed being in a town we love. We had great neighbors who gave us helpful tips, a Trader Joe’s and a library a short walk away, and good restaurants to visit. Friends from S/V Horizon stopped by with their charming grandchildren and we took a day to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

With the autopilot pin replaced, and three more as spares, we said our goodbyes and started preparations to head further south along the California Coast…