Ahoy: The first-ever Morro Bay Maritime Festival drops anchor this fall

THE PACIFIC? We're not telling anyone anything they haven't heard, but the Pacific Ocean is absolutely enormous, utterly epic, and unfathomably large ("unfathomably" here is used mostly poetically, of course). Even in places where it meets the land, such as California, it feels enormous; it seems as though there are almost limitless entrance points. But some ocean-fronting spots do feel a tad more mythical than others. If you are connecting with the Big Blue in Morro Bay, say, and Morro Rock is out in the misty fog looking like a mountain in a Tolkien novel, you're going to suddenly feel as if you're half-mermaid (again, this is said mostly poetically). So that a brand-new celebration devoted to Morro Bay's maritime strengths and splendor is sailing into the area makes the mast, er, most sense to us.

THE MORRO BAY MARITIME FESTIVAL... will unfurl, like a grand flag waving from ship, over five festive days in October. You'll want to steer your own helm for the Central Coast hamlet starting Oct. 9 but be sure to check the schedule to ensure you are there for the activities that catch your sailor's fancy. The Zongo Yachting Cup Launch Party, a Family Fun Day, a screening of "Treasure Island," and the Harbor Cup, which stretches over the final two days, are all adding to the briny thrills. The full schedule for the Morro Bay Maritime Festival can be found here.

EVEN KEEL: "With the financial support the last two years from Visit Morro Bay for our Maritime Museum's free Maritime Family Fun Day, plus a benefit event we call Rock the Harborfront held by the Morro Bay Yacht Club, we decided to expand the theme of the maritime-focused activities during October's Maritime Month over several days," shared Kendall Welch, the president of the Morro Bay Maritime Museum. "We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy this year's events." The festival is only one excellent Morro Bay event, of course. To learn what's happening this autumn around the colorful community, including the annual Witches and Warlock Paddle on Oct. 26, paddle by this site now.