Around Pt Conception

Hello all - Following the interesting diversion in Monterey, I left the marina and went back on the hook (Get back on that horse !!) for the night, before departing for points south. Up early on Saturday morning, I motored out of the harbor and within an hour and a half, was surprisingly under sail - the forecast had called for wind later in the day and I had expected to motor for a few hours. I was looking at making San Simeon and was glad to see that I'd be sailing.

The challenges of the day began developing shortly after noon as the NWesterly wind began to build and with it the seas. By 3 p.m. the wind was steady in the high 20's with gusts 30-35 kts and short, steep seas of 5 to 7 feet (if that doesn't seem like much, I've already reduced their size based on the rule that "they're really only half what you think they are"!!) With the coastline bearing as it does, this is pretty much a dead downwind sail - not the most comfortable of situations, but you deal with it. I assume I must have had a few gusts higher, as in the end, I broke a mainsheet block, lost my traveler control lines and sheared a stainless bracket on the preventer - it was another rough day.

Around 10:30 that night, with 8 miles to go, the wind died flat and the fog filled in, leaving me to douse the sails and motor the last hour or so into the anchorage at San Simeon - radar, of course. Visibility about 1/4 mile and the almost full moon was totally obscured.

The anchorage there is well protected - the wind blows through, but there's no chop and little swell. There is a shore break though and the next day when I made my first trip ashore in the dinghy, I ended up sideways in the surf and eventually (seconds later) out of the boat and tumbling in 2' of water - what fun !!

I met some other cruisers there who admitted to a similar occurance - it was hard to deny as he stood in front of me soaking wet !! . At least the sun was out by then, the day was warm, and I dried off in an hour or two. This also gave me time to study the surf in detail and plan how I would make it through in the other direction to return to the boat and get something to eat. The dousing also ruined my plans to visit Hearst Castle, but I did make it to the visitors center and saw a lot anyway.

A second trip ashore was successful and if I do this 100 more times, I may get the knack.

With a forecast of NW 20-30 I decided it was best to keep moving, so I departed the anchorage by 8 a.m. Monday which turned out to be a good move, as the forecast was changed to gale warnings for Tuesday.

I had what I can only describe as an "E-ticket" ride most of the day from San Simeon to Pt Arguello (80 mi) with winds steady 30 kts, gusting 40 and seas 9-12' (adjusted) - most of the day it was a poled out staysail only with boat speeds 6-7 kts. Prior to reaching Pt Conception around midnight, the wind moderated to 20-25 kts and once around the point the air temperature shot up 15 degrees and the wind dropped to zero !!

I pulled into Cojo anchorage (1 1/2 miles E of Pt C) for the night and had one blast of 30 kt winds for about an hour between 2-3 a.m.

Tuesday morning I motored out of Cojo with light winds and motorsailed (the wind never got above 5-10 kts all day) the 40 miles to Santa Barbara. Warm, calm, beautiful scenery, but not too cruiser friendly. The marina had a waiting list for transient berths - 6 boats waiting at anchor, and the dinghy access from the anchorage was not very good. A terrible swell ran through the anchorage, so after a fitfull night I left early for Channel Islands Harbor, 30 miles east, where I hoped I could get a guest slip at a yacht club. That turned out to be successful and I'm now officially in warm, sunny, wired, southern California.

Tammy is flying into LAX Friday, so I need to be in Marina del Rey by then (no problema). She'll join me for a week from there around the Channel Islands and then to San Diego. I've got a list of boat projects to complete in SD before the Baja Ha-Ha begins on October 26.

I hope you all are enjoying a late summer wherever you are and that this La Nina year is behind us at last !!!

Fair winds and fairly calm seas on you - Terry.