Page 58 - SLO Visitors Guide Summer 2023

Morro Bay
Harnessing the wind in Morro Bay
Wind on the Central Coast brings opportunities to sail, windsurf, fly a kite or find a com- fortable place to watch others brave the wind and water.
Out of the abundance of boats in the Morro Bay harbor, the sailboat is thought of as the most adventurous. Sailing is popular sport on the Central Coast and watching the sailboats is a close sec- ond activity!
For those wanting to learn to sail, the Morro Bay Yacht Club
and Maya Sailing Adventures offer sailing classes. For those who just want to get out on the water, Maya Sailing Adventures also offers whale watching and harbor tours.
Learn more by visiting the websites for the Morro Bay Yacht club at mbyc.net and Maya Sailing Adventures at mayasailingadven- tures.com.
58 SUMMER 2023
slovisitorsguide.com
Advice from a sailor
Jessica Weiss purchased a sail- boat; docked it in the harbor, fixed it up and then took her first sailing lesson. “It was my first time sailing and I felt pretty safe as I was going with an experienced sailor,” she said, “and I had taken a boating safety course.” Weiss
sailed on the boat
“Rosie” with her
former high
school Span-
ish teacher,
Dennis
Bailey.
“One important thing you
might learn
from a sail-
ing course,”
said Weiss, “is
that the boat is
not going to overturn
in the waves. It does lean,
though and might feel somewhat like being on a roller coaster.”
Even when the wind is mild, Weiss advises that anti-nausea medication is a good idea.
Some vessels have an actual wheel to turn the boat and some use a tiller. Weiss said that it’s easier to work the tiller if the sails aren’t too tight. “The tiller moves the boat opposite to what you are used to. Pulling it left makes the boat go to the right and vice versa,” said Weiss.
“I learned that you have more control of the
boat going against the current
because you won’t be
pushed too fast and
can course correct
easier.” Other
surprising things Weiss
learned were that measuring
distance at sea is dif- ficult as everything either
looks really far away or too close and that the wind is quite hectic in the channel by Morro Rock. “The wind changes direction constantly,” she explained. “It was challenging to get anywhere in that wind and current without using the engine.”