Anacapa on the right, while conditions were nice:
As we got into Anacapa passage late in the afternoon they really started to howl, eventually gusting to over 35 knots. The seas got very rocky very fast. We only had about 4 nautical miles to go until our anchorage but we had to slow down our speed to about 3 knots. It took us over 2 hours to cover that distance and it was definitely the biggest seas we've seen on this boat. I'm happy to report the boat handled great and we learned a lot about what to do in those conditions.
I'll jump in here with some details, since this was the heaviest weather we had for the whole trip. Winds picked up to about 20 knots out of the West-NorthWest as we entered Anacapa Passage (which happens to be a notorious shipwreck area from back in the age of sail and steamers). The area is known for strong currents and wind which is exactly what we experienced on our second run through this area (it was relatively calm on our trip down to Catalina). As we rounded Point San Pedro at the far Eastern tip of Santa Cruz Island the seas got really steep and the wind coming around the North end of the island piped up to 25-30 kts. We ended up slogging through short steep head seas of 8-10 feet at 10 seconds or so (our bow rail is about 8 feet off the water). The waves got even steeper around the corner as we worked our way up to what we hoped would be a lee from the wind and waves at Prisoners Harbor. I think the worst we saw was 10 feet at 8 seconds with every few waves breaking, and wind sustained at 30 kts. Not a very fun ride, but the boat handled great for the conditions. We managed to get the stabilizers deployed as we headed into the bigger seas which helped dampen the ride quite a bit. We buried the bow to the anchor every few sets for a while, but the deck stayed surprisingly dry, as did the wheelhouse which is set well back from the bow. Also the autopilot was a champ and steered the boat better than we could. Not having to hand steer through the waves was great- all we had to worry about was modulating the throttle as we dropped off the bigger waves to avoid stuffing the bow too hard into the next one. Overall, the boat felt very solid and very safe- definitely a good test. In retrospect, there was clearly some current running against the wind to create such steep seas. We could have turned and run up the South side of the island, but there didn't seem to be much protection there, and with sunset coming I felt more comfortable anchoring somewhere I had been before in case we arrived after dark. We made it to Prisoners Harbor in one piece and anchored way in the corner of the cove behind the only other boat in the area, a Coast Guard cutter who was probably wondering what we were doing bashing through that weather after dark. Unfortunately the only video I have is early on in Anacapa Passage in about 4-6 foot seas with winds around 15kts:
Lesson learned: Turn on the camera when things get hairy so we have more video to go with our sea story! -PB
The next morning we again left early as we wanted to get to Coho anchorage which is right inside the lee of Point Conception, which is known for high winds, quirky currents, and generally sloppy sea conditions. We were told by many people that Coho was a great spot to anchor while waiting for good conditions to get around the point (which usually occur in the early morning hours). The day went smoothly except at the very end when we were less than 5 miles away from the anchorage. We had the downriggers out and realized our speed had dropped off. Usually that means there is kelp on the paravane lines. Peter went out to investigate and to his surprise found that we had caught a derelict crab pot line on the port stabilizer and had been dragging the crab pot across the ocean floor for some unknown period of time. Yeah, that will slow you down. On a good note, we know the downriggers are strong. After dislodging the line, we cruised into our (private) anchorage and had a nice dinner while admiring the sunset and listening to the trains as they rolled by. Cojo is a really neat spot: wide open, sandy bottom, well protected from the NW swell, beautiful bluffs and beaches, and not much development-except for the Amtrak train line that follows the shore.
Got up super early the next day and were happy to see that the winds and waves were down and conditions were good for going around the point so we picked up anchor and headed out. Again, we had a very smooth cruising day.
This part of the California Coast is mostly empty of development with the exception of oil platforms and mysterious looking military stuff...
A nice easy ride for the entire crew:
More Dolphins!
Our destination for the night was Morro Bay where we planned to tie up at the local yacht club and meet up with my friend Mim who lives in San Luis Obispo. As we approached the entrance to the harbor we pulled up our paravanes a little too early and proceeded to get rocked hard by the large swell as we made our way in. We ended up zig zagging our way in and realized afterwards that the proper approach to the entrance was a bit further North. This would have avoided us being parallel to the prevailing swell. Should have paid a little closer attention to the Coast Pilot regarding the approach. Lesson learned.
Morro Bay entrance channel. Morro Rock on the left.
Cant miss those big smokestacks from the old PG&E plant:
The yacht club was full so we called the harbor patrol and met Scott who told us we could pull up at Tidelands park for the night. He met us there (along with a couple of friendly otters, and a few other locals) and immediately recognized our boat as a Diesel Duck. He's a very friendly guy and he made us feel very welcome.
Mim was also there - was so good to see her! We spiffed ourselves up a little and went out for a nice seafood dinner with a great view of Morro rock. It was a wonderful evening.
Woke up the next morning (our 15th wedding anniversary) and briefly thought about staying around for a day. Morro Bay is really cute and it would be nice to relax and explore but the weather forecast really did not really lend itself to staying for another day. We currently had a great weather window of low winds and waves to take us all the way home but that window started to close up Saturday night. If we stayed the extra day we would still be out Saturday night instead of safe in our slip back home, so we once again told ourselves we'll be back as we slipped our lines and headed out early Friday morning with Kona at the helm. Our last leg had begun.
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