By Anne Kelty
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aboard their Whitby 42 Michaelanne continues south along the coast of California. |
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Arriving at Channel Islands Harbor at 4:30 p.m., we secured two very nice guest berths for our "fleet" and were happily reattached to civilization by 5:30. The next day, we walked to the shopping center about 3/4 of a mile away. There we did laundry and shopped for fresh vegetables and meats. Mike found a bargain at a bootery shop: Teva sandals for 70% off -- $20. One doesn't find a deal like that just every day. Bob and Pam on Nakia Grande needed to have a marine electronics expert come down to "condemn" their equipment so they could put in a claim with their insurance carrier. Since Mike had observed their fried antenna tuner in the garbage at Stillwater Cove, they thought the expert would need Mike to confirm that loss. The fellow was to arrive at 9 a.m. on Monday. Instead of heading out to see something of the Channel Islands, we stayed an extra night. As it turned out, the electronics expert totally understood what happens when lightning hits a boat. If your electronic equipment is not zapped at that moment, you can count on it dying quite soon afterward. He told Bob to claim every electronic item on the boat as it would soon be defunct anyway as a direct result of the strike. Once the condemnation was complete, we all departed for Santa Cruz Island, one of the most popular cruising spots in the island chain. The weather that afternoon was lovely. The fog had finally given way to warm breezes. Dolphins played around our bow wakes. We saw a tug towing the old World War ll battleship New Jersey just east of Santa Cruz Island on the way to Long Beach. There was a piece of history passing by. By the late afternoon we were just off Prisoner's Harbor on the north coast. The wind increased and was whipping up a frenzy, and the seas were getting pretty rough. We decided to put into Prisoner's Harbor, which was right abeam. What a lovely place Prisoner's Harbor is. With its steep, rocky hills covered with brown native grass and scrub oak and the beautiful eucalyptus trees down by the shore, it reminded us of Ayala Cove in San Francisco Bay. Much to Nakia Grande's relief, the anchorage was quite spacious. There were two other boats, but still there was plenty of room. I wish we had put out a stern anchor as it got pretty rolly later that night, making sleep difficult for me. The next morning, however, the skies indicated more bad weather coming in, which was confirmed by the VHF radio reports. The remnants of Hurricane Hilary, now a tropical storm off Mexico, were filing into the area from the south, bringing the threat of thunderstorms and showers once again. "How do we do it?" we all wondered aloud among ourselves as lousy weather seemed to find us again. The waters continued to jostle our boats throughout the day. |
We put out two anchors in a Bahamian mooring layout, anticipating possible squalls. We sat there all day waiting for all hell to break loose, but the most that happened was some light rain falling on us. It was warm and muggy, but that was about the extent of the bad weather. We could see thunderheads piling up high to the east and heard over the VHF that the inner waters from San Diego to Monterey were getting the worst of it with lightning and rain squalls all along the coast. Everyone had had enough of the bouncy stuff at Prisoner's by the second day, and it appeared the weather wasn't going to mess with us for the time being. The crew of both boats agreed it would be a great time to move on and investigate other anchorages at Santa Cruz Island, then move on down the line to Santa Catalina Island. Depending on the information in Brian Fagan's book, Cruising Guide to the Channel Islands is chancy at best for us. He isn't talking about a place for boats over 35 feet when he describes the majority of the anchorages, although this isn't entirely clear when one reads his descriptions. We learned this after an all morning motor around the east end of Santa Cruz to the highly-touted Coches Prietos anchorage and finding it crammed full with only two boats, one of which was a Westsail 32 and the other a small cabin cruiser. No way was Bob taking the 63 feet of Nakia Grande in there. We couldn't see from outside the anchorage just how close those two boats were to the surf line. While Michaelanne is more maneuverable than Nakia Grande, we didn't want to have to chance going so close to the surf line as to run over their stern anchors. The consensus was to turn and head straight out for Catalina. It was only 14 hours away, and we were leaving at 2:30 p.m., which at best would put us off the entrance to Catalina Harbor by 4:30 a.m., before light. Well, what the heck? Where else could we go at that point? Certainly not back to Prisoner's Harbor. The plan was to move along as slowly as possible. As usual, there was no wind. Had we tried to sail, we'd have merely wallowed in the swell. This disappointment was offset, however, by the fact that the sunset was going to be smashingly beautiful with the nearly full moon rising in the east amid cool blues to complement the apricot, violet, gold, and amber clouds surrounding the setting sun. Toward dusk, as we motored along at low RPMs, we were joined by a couple of bottlenose dolphin, who played in our bow wake for quite a while. At one point, one of them leaped over our bow pulpit as we cruised along. What a show! A few minutes after sunset, they disappeared into the night seas. The night dragged on, and then the ubiquitous fog returned, obscuring the moon completely by 10 p.m. Although we had tried to move along as slowly as possible, we were standing off the entrance to Catalina Harbor by 2:30 in the morning. Only an idiot would have attempted entering this harbor at night, as there are numerous unlit private mooring buoys with which to contend inside it. Who needed that? So we patrolled back and forth until first light, then both boats set out for the harbor entrance. |
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Catalina Island/Two Harbors -- a great place Catalina Island has an elongated shape running from northwest to southeast. At its westernmost end it has a small, pinched-waist of land referred to as the Isthmus. There are natural harbors on either side of the isthmus and this area is referred to as... Two Harbors. The most popular harbor is on the northeastern side of the isthmus and is called Isthmus Harbor. It is here that most of the private yachts, and I do mean yachts in every sense of the word, come from Los Angeles and Long Beach for fun and frolic when they aren't going down the island to Avalon. However, it is exposed to the Santa Ana winds that bring high wave action to the shores in the fall months. On the other side of the isthmus is Catalina Harbor. As it is not as readily accessible, it is not nearly as popular as Isthmus Harbor, although it is considered a harbor of refuge in any kind of weather. Consequently, there are lots of private moorings holding boats that are there the year round, some of which are part of a large liveaboard community, some of which are just wasting away, and some of which are commercial fishing boats. Not your glamor spot. It was to this less "prettified" harbor we came. The middle of this harbor, before you get to the private moorings, is about 60 to 70 feet deep. Bow and stern anchors are a must, regardless of where you anchor, as there is little swinging room. Nakia Grande chose to anchor in the deep part, finally managing it in three tries and setting their stem anchor via their dinghy. We went over closer to the western edge of the harbor beneath the cliffs and found about 22 to 24 feet of water. We dropped our stern anchor first, paying out 150 feet of rode, then dropped our bow anchor. The holding ground was very good. We settled in on the first try. |
The day continued to grow lighter but never really got past the foggy start. Toward afternoon, we could see an occasional patch of blue sky over the northern side of the isthmus. The wind picked up from the west, blowing into the anchorage cool and damp, gusting to around 15 knots. We felt as though we had never left San Francisco. We were still in the Land of Eternal Winter. We decided not to go ashore until the following day, preferring to rest and recuperate from yet another overnight passage. The following day, we met Nakia Grande's crew for breakfast up at the village of Two Harbors, the small community lying on the isthmus between the two harbors. It is charming, with picnic tables all over the place, and neat, well-kept buildings. There is a small restaurant that serves the best breakfast bagel meal (Emerald Bay Sandwich) I have ever tasted. The staff is super friendly. We know, because Bob and the two girls tested them by spilling coffee (Bob) and two glasses of milk (Jessica and Laura) on the nice, clean deck and a table, requiring immediate clean up. Their smiles never stopped and didn't even appear to be all that frozen. After breakfast we visited the small general store and took a hike out to a western headland overlooking the harbor where our boats were anchored. Naturally, I had forgotten my camera, but Pam didn't, so she got a good shot. |
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Avalon: next time take a ferry from the mainland Bob wanted to go to Avalon the next day, mostly because Pam was keen on seeing it. As it turned out, we should have stayed at Two Harbors since there was a great party Saturday night put on by the Redondo Beach Yacht Club. But we left Saturday morning in pretty thick fog and found three hours later when we arrived outside of Avalon that they had no room. There was a fishing tournament that was to last three more days, and most of the participants were already ensconced in Avalon harbor. The Avalon harbormaster suggested that we could either anchor outside of the main harbor in 120 feet of water or go up to White's Landing, about three miles back where there were moorings available. Anchor in 120 feet of water? He must be nuts! Besides, it was awfully busy with boat and ferry traffic, and the comfort level would have been nil. We later learned that in the inner Avalon Harbor there is a lot of surge and you bounce around a lot... just like Capitola! Also, you have to stay on your boat until around 10 each morning to find out if they are going to move you to another mooring. All moorings are privately owned, and the owners let the harbormaster know 24 hours in advance if they are going to be coming out to use them. Often, temporary guests will be moved to an outside mooring out by where it was suggested we anchor in 120 feet. These mooring areas experience even more surge than the inside ones. Not fun. Additionally, the harbor patrol puts tablets into each head so that if you don't have effluent going into a holding tank, there is embarrassing evidence and you get a ticket. We decided to take moorings at White's Landing. This is a pretty location with a beach, but little else to recommend it unless you belong to the yacht club that has facilities at the eastern end of the cove. Just after we had secured the mooring, the harbor patrol person came around to collect $24 for the night. At that particular moment, Mike discovered our bilges awash. I grabbed his wallet, gave the man the money and sat and worried while Mike discovered the reason for this latest disaster. What we had here was a bilge pump hose that had rubbed up against the exhaust pipe and melted a hole in itself. Each time the bilge pump went on, the water just fell out of the hose into the bilges. A self-perpetuating problem if we ever saw one. But that wasn't all. The fuse holder for the bilge pump had broken, and the pump couldn't function at all. Mike managed to hold the wires together long enough to clear the bilges, but this would never do as even a short term fix. We decided that we would go directly to Dana Point on the mainland the next morning. |
 Nakia Grande was determined to go down to Avalon, even if it meant taking a three-mile dinghy ride the next day. They would then leave for San Diego and meet us there. Dana Point was nice, but the guest berths were small, the facilities old. We didn't find it nearly as pleasant as Channel Islands Harbor. However, it was good to be able to have electricity and to wash the boat. There was a West Marine, and Mike was able to get the parts he needed to repair the fuse holder. We encountered an old acquaintance there who used to live at Gate 11 in Alameda where we came from. He had moved to Dana Point and was selling Pacific Seacraft yachts. He very kindly loaned us his car to get to the store that was quite a way and all uphill--a very steep hill--from the marina complex. I was delighted to replenish our supply of fresh vegetables and fruit. We could have also borrowed his key to the regular berth renters' laundry room, but I declined, as we didn't have all that much laundry piled up yet. Unfortunately, we missed the weekly open house for Pilgrim, the square-rigged, two-masted brig that Richard Henry Dana sailed on and wrote of in Two Years Before the Mast. We did go over and have a look at her from the outside the following day. She is well maintained by the local historical society and quite impressive to view. The next evening, we hosted an impromptu gathering of fellow cruisers. Two boats had come into the harbor that afternoon: Aequanimitas from our old marina in Alameda and Kellie Claire, from Gig Harbor, Washington. The next morning we pulled out at 7:30 headed for San Diego. Again, there was no wind to speak of, and it looked as if we'd be motoring the entire trip. What sun there was desperately struggled to break through the customary low clouds and fog. Sigh. Another boring trip. A little sparrow decided to hitch a ride with us later that morning. Meriwether the cat, sleeping on one of the bean bags in the cockpit, didn't spot him right away. But his feline ESP kicked in, and the next thing I knew I was hanging onto his harness as tightly as possible to keep him from the sparrow. Every muscle in his body screamed, "God sent me a bird, and Mom won't let me have it!" Right you are, Meriwether! |
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San Diego, and sun at last! At 3:30 p.m. on September 28, we arrived at our first benchmark destination--San Diego Bay. We had gotten a little last minute push from the breeze on the way down, although not enough for us to shut down the engine and sail. But it was warm and pleasant and we were glad to be there. We went to the San Diego Harbor Police dock to check in, but they informed us there was no need to do so if we were a U.S. boat and hadn't come from a foreign port. We told them we were part of the Baja Ha-Ha rally and asked where we could anchor out. The officer we spoke to told us to go on over to Glorietta Bay by Coronado Island and anchor off the Coronado golf course. Off we went. On the way, we contacted Nakia Grande by VHF and found they were already anchored there. Coronado is a pretty, quaint little town on an island, much like Alameda. From Coronado you can get just about anywhere in San Diego via bus and/or trolley. The Navy is still a large presence on Coronado Island with the North Island Naval Air Station. There is a fine public library, two grocery stores, multiple boutiques, fantastic beaches, and of course, the famous and elegant Del Coronado Hotel. |
Nakia Grande's crew had a yacht club membership, so they were able to use the Coronado Yacht Club's dinghy dock and shower/laundry facilities. We used the public landing and found it to be quite convenient to the major bus line to get around San Diego. Sure it took time, an hour and a half to get over to Downwind Marine and West Marine for boating supplies, but all in all, since we were seniors being over 60, the 75-cent charge each way made traveling by public transportation a bargain. We found the public transit system in San Diego very convenient for getting to the Mexican consulate and the Mexican Department of Fisheries to complete our paperwork for entering Mexico. Incidentally, for ourselves, the big boat, and the dinghy, the payment to the Mexican Department of Fisheries amounted to about $187 for the fishing licenses. It is a requirement to obtain these fishing licenses, and you may not enter Mexico without them. The tourist visa, obtained at the Mexican consulate, is free. If you want to also obtain a reciprocal ham license, you can take a San Diego trolley to Tijuana, then a $25 taxi ride to the Mexican equivalent of the FCC. The officials there will then allow you to give them $90 for a six-month license to operate your ham radio in their country. They assume you will only be there for six months per your tourist visa restrictions. We opted not to use our ham radio in Mexico this time around. Single side band will do fine. |
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Results of a shakedown/breakdown cruise We decided after a week and a half anchored out that we needed a place to hook up to electricity so that Mike could do some work on the engine. He needed to replace a leaky raw-water pump and also wanted to exchange the 55-amp alternator with a 120-amp alternator to increase the battery charging efficiency while running the engine. He also had to replace the bilge pump that had done us wrong at the Channel Islands. It finally just plain quit, apparently dying of old age. |
We were able to secure a no frills berth at Kettenburg/Driscoll Boat Yard. They prorated their monthly charge of $8 per foot for our short term stay. No facilities such as showers are present, but it is a very convenient location for marine supplies and even groceries and laundry. The sun still shines every day, and the warm breezes are a pleasure. So, here we are, for all intents and purposes ready to jump off for Mexico. It is time to "party down, Dudes!" Life is a fiesta! |
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