Having sailed the Pacific Northwest for almost a quarter of a century we have become very familiar with the area and the skills needed.
We are used to deep anchorages surrounded by mountains. Large tide swings that dictate when we leave, where to go and how we anchor. Lots of space, “are we too close to that boat? It looks like they are only 300 feet away." Very protected passageways winding our way around countless islands and rocks. And thousands of places to go.
We now find ourselves in a very different environment. The anchorages are few and far between--and the harbors with many marines more frequent. When we do find an anchorage, it is a small dimple in the California coast. The shore side consists of a beach with crashing waves working their way up the sand. On the other side, an almost 180 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. We have found good holding in 10 -25 feet of water which is a nice change than our customary 50 – 80 feet of water.
There is some comfort knowing that the anchorage is a real spot because of the other boats also anchored. It can be very crowded and it feels like we could just about reach out and touch the boat anchored next to us.
In the mornings, we pull up the anchor without even considering the tides or currents because it does not really matter. We then simply turn left and find ourselves in the Pacific Ocean and on to our next destination 50 or 60 miles away. We've had quite a few long days and an overnight passage. After 20 minutes or so we become accustomed to predominate Northwest ocean swell. We are enjoying the wide open space of the ocean. Boat cat is less than thrilled and is happy when we are tied up at night or at least not moving quite so much.
We have had the opportunity to stay in the Santa Cruz marina and Chanel Islands harbor. And again, we find ourselves having to adjust to what feels like an uncomfortable approach. We sail directly into the beach watching the waves break as they rush ashore then at the right moment we make a hard turn behind a break water and into the marina fairway. It gives me the sensation that I am going to ride the boat right onto the beach.
The weather has been fantastic. We are really enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze. We are also watching the ocean temperature climb. This morning the water was 68 degrees. Summer has arrived!
Today, we are on our way to Catalina Island where we plan to spend several days before continuing on to San Diago. Onward…
Commenti