The Santa Barbara Channel Islands

I visited the Channel Islands in May. For me, a trip like this should include lots of good sailing hours and it’s a game to see if I can avoid motor use. Heading south with a forecast of NW15-25 you can fly although its not uncommon to have light wind (no wind) in the early AM for the first 6 miles from Morro Bay to Pt. Buchon. This was my third time to the islands so I was a little familiar with where I was going. From Cojo south to San Miguel Island is 24 miles and there is a very secure anchorage at Cuyler Harbor. Secure is necessary because this is the strong-wind end of the island chain. Last time I was here it blew 34 knots while I was anchored but the water inside the harbor stays smooth.
There was a nice breeze the next AM allowing me to reach Johnson’s Lee behind South Point on Santa Rosa Island. This was my first visit here. There is lots of room (lots of kelp too) and the water was surprisingly smooth considering that it is fully exposed in the SE direction.
The following day I sailed around the east end of Santa Rosa, across the channel to Santa Cruz Island, and then beat 7 miles upwind to the anchorage at Becher’s Bay on Santa Rosa. The wind was a bit unreliable when south of the island (in its lee) but was perfect strength (12 knots) once in the Santa Cruz Channel.
The next objective was to view the famous sea caves on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. I sailed slowly along the cliffs, saw many caves, but never quite knew which one was the famous “Painted Cave”. At 1430 the wind got stronger (20+ knots) and we hurried on to the next anchorage at Fry’s Harbor, just beyond Diablo Point. Fry’s is narrow and very protected resulting in perfectly smooth water. Three years ago I spent a night here while a near-gale blew outside. Sunup in Fry’s was beautiful!

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I visited Pelican Bay next. Pelican is just a few miles further east of Fry’s but since I had never been there I wanted to see it. It’s the most popular anchorage at Santa Cruz but on a Thursday night in early May I had the place to myself. This bay is quite exposed to the NE but by 1800 the wind outside had died down and the water in the bay was smooth and free of swells.
Santa Barbara is 22 miles north across the Channel and we were in the harbor by 1430. This visit was mainly to reload the ice box but channel-crossing is also excellent sailing. After one night at the dock we re-crossed the channel to Smuggler’s Cove at the east end of Santa Cruz Island. Actually, I think that Smuggler’s may be the most popular anchorage because I have seen many other boats here. It can be reached more easily from the east end of the Channel (Oxnard, Ventura) than Pelican or Fry’s. My arrival at Smuggler’s was funny. There had been perfect wind in the Channel but when we rounded the east end of the island (San Pedro Point) the wind completely died and I had to motor the last mile to the cove. It’s not always calm here and I have read that 30 knot winds can blow down from the hills. There always seems to be small swells to rock the boat when in Smuggler’s.
Now came the most significant motoring of the trip. Possible gale winds were expected in 24 hours so we motored for 6 hours along the south shore of Santa Cruz (in protected waters) to get back to Becher’s Bay. Becher’s usually isn’t affected by swells to the same extent as Smuggler’s and would be a better place to wait during a gale. By 1700 the wind reached 25 knots but we had avoided problems by traveling in the AM before the wind got going.
Actually, it was “the gale that failed.” The front with the strongest wind passed through in the evening, not the next day as the forecasters expected. At 0800 I listened to the radio and found reasonable wind at all the nearby weather buoys (and it wasn’t increasing). If I could get across “Windy Lane” before the PM wind arrived I might be able to escape. We left at 0850, well reefed in 18 knots of wind (expecting stronger wind ahead) but once north of Carrington Point (Becher’s Bay) the wind began to decrease. By 1000 we were at full sail and close-hauled in 13 knots apparent wind. The sky was blue, visibility was great (first time this trip), and the sea wasn’t especially rough (considering it blew last night). You should know that I was quite nervous about leaving with a forecast of “NW25-35 gusting 40 knots” for an upwind sail in Windy Lane but it turned out to be the best sailing day of the trip. Glad I wasn’t chicken this time. The photo shows us sailing north in perfect conditions and making 4.9 knots (fast for upwind sailing in Evening Tide).

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It would have been nice to reach Cojo but the primary objective was to cross the Channel where the northern shore might protect us if a gale actually developed. Instead of Cojo we anchored at Sacate Cove, 7 miles further east. The chart shows our routes leaving Cojo and returning to Cojo 10 days later.

The next AM we sailed over to Cojo in light breezes, making the slowest passage of the trip (2.3 knots). I anchored briefly but then turned on the radio and found excellent wind ahead. Good wind? Sunny day? Can’t Stay! Besides, I always wanted to try sailing upwind around Conception and things would never be better than now. Leaving Cojo at 1430 meant we would see the strongest PM winds but the maximum true wind was 20 knots when we were 5 miles east of Pt. Arguello and the wind waves (in the lee of this point) were only 4 feet. We then sailed a long leg west between the oil platforms and out to the edge of the ship lane. The swells here were 8 feet but the wind stayed between 15 and 19 knots (apparent). These conditions call for the staysail and full mainsail with the jib down and secured on the front deck. As darkness came on we beat north and continued until 0300 when lighter wind and large waves made sailing under autopilot impossible. We were north of oil platform “Irene” and 10 miles NW of Pt. Arguello. With more sail up we could have continued on but at this point I was ready for some rest so the motor was started and a direct course was set for Pt. Buchon, 35 miles ahead.
We got to sail 10 more miles next AM but once north of Pt. Buchon we hit calm conditions and motored the last 7 miles. When home port is in sight (and I know that I’m in an infamous wind-hole) my desire to always sail is diminished.
What a fine trip, don’t you think? When I counted up the miles I found that we had sailed 80% of the distance and the only windless day was when I actually planned to motor. There had only been a little fog (although not much bright sunshine either) and Windy Lane had treated us to perfect wind. We even sailed 50% of the distance from Cojo north to Morro Bay and I never expect to do this well again.

Point Conception

“The Cape Horn of California.” If you sail on the West Coast you hear about Pt. Conception. The first time I visited Catalina Island people there asked me, “How did you come around Pt. Conception?” I was a brand new sailor then and certainly couldn’t give any advice.
This place has had a reputation for a long time. In “Two Years Before the Mast”, William Henry Dana wrote (in 1840) about sailing north from Santa Barbara. I don’t have an exact quote but when they reached the point their ship (carrying full sail) was suddenly knocked down on its beam ends as the crew furiously tried to douse the sails that were being torn to shreds. I think this best sums up Pt. Conception; it is when approaching from the south that the Cape displays its viciousness.
Returning from my first Catalina visit I tasted a little of this flavor. We motored from Santa Barbara in light wind with patchy fog and overcast. Arriving at Cojo (the anchorage just east of Conception) at 1330 it was sunny, calm and warm. I decided to continue on while the conditions were good rather than staying overnight at Cojo (the wind at the point is supposed to be lightest in the early AM). Well, one hour later we were crashing into 6 foot waves with 25 knot winds. We motored into the waves, tacking so we could cross the crests at a more comfortable angle. The wind meter read 33 knots in the gusts. At least it was sunny (it was May) and this made it more endurable. We passed oil platform “Irene”, 5 miles north of Pt. Arguello, at 2000 and continued on to Pt. Buchon into apparent winds of 18-20 knots.
When approaching from the north the Pt. Conception area (that actually extends 12 miles north to Pt. Arguello) is not much different than the other points along the Central Coast. The wind is accelerated as it funnels around the point and the waves naturally rise along with the wind. In early May I sailed from Morro Bay to Cojo with a weather forecast of “NW15-20, NW swells 5-7 feet”. We passed Pt. Arguello at 1505 and then entered a strong-wind area for the next 4 miles. The true wind gusted to 27 knots and our speed was back up to 5.7 knots for the 12 mile leg down to Pt. Conception. Because we were east of Arguello the waves were smaller in spite of the stronger wind. As we approached Pt. Conception the sun broke through and we had a pretty view of the lighthouse on the point. We were sailing with one reef in the main and no headsail. The autopilot had no difficulty steering. This is typical for a late afternoon passage.
In September 2006 I made a somewhat different passage. We left Morro Bay at 1120 so there would be wind and I wouldn’t have to start the trip motoring which is normal in the early AM. The intention was to hove-to for some sleep a little north of Irene and then continue on to Cuyler Harbor at San Miguel Island. Today’s forecast was “NW15-25, NW swells 3-6 feet” and there had been gale warnings the previous day. We arrived at the hove-to spot at 2130 and it was quite smooth in a 15 knot breeze. We slowly drifted south and by 0230 the wind was 19 knots. I felt awake enough now that I wanted to continue sailing. We only needed the reefed main to make more than 5 knots. There were scattered clouds (no fog) with nice stars between them but no moon. When we passed Pt. Arguello the true wind was 25 knots but I think the seas were only 4 to 5 feet (couldn’t see them in the dark). The wind is often strongest near the West Santa Barbara Channel weather buoy (right on our route to San Miguel Island). I thought we already had enough wind so I chickened out and headed for Cojo. This required a little chart work to be sure we would miss all the little buoys near the oil platforms and then we headed for a waypoint at Government Point, just south of Conception. Except for a few waves slapping the side of the boat it was an uneventful and fast sail through the dark. The sky to the east above the mountains began to glow as we approached Government Point and the sun appeared just as I dropped the anchor at Cojo. In the anchorage there was a 2 knot east breeze.

As you can see the wind and water conditions near Conception were not exceptional, certainly not dangerous. I have seen just as much wind rounding other points further north. My personal speed records were set (twice) sailing from Pigeon Point to Santa Cruz in Monterey Bay. The wind was gusting above 30 knots. The 7 mile stretch from Pt. Sur south to Pfeiffer Point always seems to have especially strong wind. I have seen true winds above 30 knots there too (and the waves/swells were 8-10 feet for lots of good surfing!).
To me Pt. Conception has one bad aspect. I must go north (upwind) around it to get home to Morro Bay. A rough passage at the end of a trip (where I visited the nice waters further south) is not appreciated. At least Cojo is a pretty place to be stuck while you wait for a good weather window.

Whales at Morro Bay

Estero Bay and other nearby coastal areas are great places to see whales. I spend lots of time out on the water so I have had many whale encounters since I began ocean sailing in 2002.
During my first 3 sailing years I kept a count of whales. I saw more than 100 within ½ mile of the boat, close enough to easily see the blow and hear it on days when the wind wasn’t blowing strongly. About 20 times the whale was within 100 yards and 3 passed less than 20 feet away.
The funniest encounter was when I looked down into the water next to the boat and saw a baby Gray Whale emerge from just below the keel. I looked him in the eye and he looked me in the eye. Just as soon as he was clear of the boat he exploded into a frenzy of tail flapping trying to get away, like some huge dolphin swimming fast.
Another time I looked off to the starboard side and saw a Humpback (40 feet away) rolling over to dive and headed directly towards us. I held on and watched as it passed directly under the boat, perhaps 10 feet below the keel.
The most aggressive encounter was with another Humpback. This time I saw “whale footprints” on the water surface headed towards us, then a blast of bubbles from under water, and then the whale (a full size whale, let me tell you!) broke the water about 20 feet behind the stern. The whale’s back was there for 2 seconds (almost within petting distance) and then it was gone from sight.
Another time up by Pt. Piedras Blancas I saw a whale some distance away. I got my camera but the photos at this distance didn’t show much. The whale disappeared and I put the camera away. Then 3 minutes later the whale surfaced about 50 yards away and was swimming parallel with the boat. Then her baby surfaced between her and the boat. Obviously mother had brought baby over to have a look at the sailboat!
One day I was nearly becalmed and Humpbacks swam all around me, some passing within 50 yards.

On another day a whale put on a tail-slapping display. I should mention that my camera is not suited for taking action pictures (there is a long shutter delay) so these photos are some of the few that I tried to take that actually showed a whale.

Whale Watching!

If you want to go whale watching I recommend the boat from Marina Square (where I keep Evening Tide). Their catamaran gives a smoothride and you are close to the water (and to the whales!). Kevin always seems to find whales and gives the passengers a close look.

Winter Sailing

Usually I sail every month of the year but not this January! It was a month of storms. Of course, Central California storms aren’t really too serious but they were enough to keep me in port. The first photo shows the waves on the beach just north of Morro Rock. The town of Cayucos can be seen in the distance. If you look close in the center of the photo you can see a tiny surfer on one of the waves.
We often get winter swells of 20 to 25 feet so conditions like this are not unexpected in January. There is a 35 knot southeast wind blowing the tops off the breakers and this makes them look especially awesome.

When the swells are less than 10 feet it is safe to leave the harbor mouth. (Our harbor entrance is said to be dangerous but its really not so bad most of the time.) It isn’t cold if the sun is shining so why not get some practice in moderate wind?

Coming back (downwind) in 25 knots isn’t bad but I wouldn’t want to be going the other direction right now! Its hard to get a photo to really show the size of waves. These are 6 feet and whitecaps are everywhere. Fun!

Don’t get the impression that its always rough sailing here. Some mornings (in summer) its like a lake.

Introduction

Hello fellow sailors (and others). Here's my little boat, Evening Tide at the dock at Morro Bay. This is a beautiful home port. Our ocean has plenty of wind and a little fog too. When the weather is right and I have no other commitments I go sailing. Since I am new to blogging I will just make random entries about my sailing activities this year.