The bay can be enjoyed so many ways—via ridgetop trail, oceanside deck or wetsuit exploration. But one of the best ways goes by the name Bella on the Bay Monterey (818-822-2390).A small band of buddies and I boarded the 47-foot Italian sailing cruiser on a Saturday for sunset and were met immediately by the charming Christian Hestness (above), who took advantage of a potentially gnarly recession-bred situation (losing his job running Victory Toyota in Seaside) to live and work on his cherry racer and tour people around our off-shore sanctuary.
Soon after we cleared the Coast Guard breakwater, the collaboration of camaraderie, beauty and conditions already felt cosmic enough, then our captain broke out the cracked crab, fresher than Bill Clinton at an intern job fair—he had pulled it from pots on the previous tour. We grinningly grazed on as the sun dove toward Del Monte Forest, pitching shells into the surprisingly still seas and chasing it with Coronas and Edna Valley Chardonnay.
These days Bella's doing 1-3pm and 5-7pm tours for $69 a person (it fits seven comfortably). He also rents by the hour, day or week. On top of birthdays and anniversaries, he also elevates everything from weddings to midnight moonlight cruises to bachelorette parties.All told, it's a great thing to get wind of.
