SHORTS FULL TIME!

AVILA TO POINT CONCEPTION

We left Morro Bay on October 11,  2018, after a 2-week stay and it was nice to be back at sea. There is always this feeling of excitement with arriving at port, a new destination for exploration but then there is always the added excitement about leaving and moving on to continue the adventure. When cruising there are two parts of the trip I feel that provide the experience: 1) it is being on the sailboat with the sails up and in the moment, enjoying the sights, sounds and natural rhythms of the ocean and 2) being at port, whether in a slip, anchorage or a mooring because it entails a visit on land to traverse the topography that includes hikes, runs, diving ( and the usual unwanted "time sucks" of laundry, grocery shopping, & the never-ending boat projects). The best part is your home is ALWAYS with you. You have the same bed, same kitchen ( aka galley) and you always feel like no matter where you are it is nice to return to the familiar feeling of home. 

Avila was a half day sail from Morro Bay and it was met with great excitement as we decided to relax and spend the day wine tasting and enjoying the little coastal town of Avila. Dave and Kelly from SV Arctos joined us. It was a much-needed reprieve for Dave and Kelly after their water maker install in Morro Bay and Stephen and I dealing with some electric issues. We had an Avila blast. Steve and Dave decided to get a Mai Tai prior to their wine tasting so that helped immensely with their palate for different grapes 😈. We went to 3 different tasting rooms but Morovino proved to be the favorite by all 4 of us. I liked their white and reds and their dessert wine which is a raspberry chocolate port is divine. A true delight on the palate. That day included poaching a hotel pool and hot tub as well as joining a fire on the beach with some young locals. Our dinghies were attached to a 10' ladder that was attached to a dock and when we came in it was high tide. We did tie appropriately but it was interesting to climb down a ladder and your tie mark was 6ft down. 

The next morning we rounded Point Conception, often called the Cape Horn of the Pacific. This is the point where the Santa Barbara channel meets the Pacific Ocean. The Chumash Native American tribe call Point Conception the “Western Gate” and believe this is a passageway where the souls of the dead can pass through the mortal world to Similaqsa, the land of the dead but a “heaven” to their beliefs. It can be very dangerous in the wrong conditions. Many cruisers often round this point during nighttime as calmer conditions can often be counted on at that time.  We rounded this monumental section of our trip during the day as conditions were very mild and no forecasted concerning weather was on the horizon. We stayed the night at the anchorage called Cojo adjacent to the point.  It was almost anti-climatic but truly I was not looking for anything memorable. Just safe.

SAN MIGUEL ISLAND - Sixth largest Channel Island 8 miles long and 4 miles wide

In the morning, we were able to put up sails and sail the entire way to San Miguel Island to the Cuyler Harbor. It was exhilarating getting up the sails including our staysail and make 6-8 knots on a close reach/beam reach and just sail with vane trimmed for a course straight into the next anchorage.  We got settled in a beautiful lagoon and to be honest this was the 1st time that we felt like we were CRUISING with how we imagined it. Being in a more remote place with terrain to explore. We had harbor seals and elephant seals reminding us they were on the beach. An elusive island fox running around which we did not see but are happy to know the population is approximately 350 now on the island after the Golden Eagle almost wiped them out.  There is coreopsis all over the island and these often waist to chest high crooked and dead looking plants gives the island the appearance of a Tim Burton movie. There was a fire in May 2013 and a majority did die unfortunately but there still is a fair amount that blooms in the Spring with beautiful yellow flowers. We did walk the beach and in the morning made a trek up the canyon the Ranger Station. On the way up we saw the Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo memorial, it was suspected he died on this island.  He was a Spanish mariner who is also claimed to be Portuguese. He was the first explorer from Europe to travel the California coast.  At the Ranger Station, we met Inga, the NP service Naturalist and previously architectural engineer who guided such projects of Pepperdine University. Inga, unfortunately, was ill and could not accommodate our wish to go hiking.  Because hikes are restricted to attendance with a park ranger only that made our visit shorter. There are WWII remnants on the island and because of these explosive ordnances, liability prevents the park and the Navy ( they actually own the island) from letting you hike on the island independently. Another park ranger was coming the next day but we decided we would take off for Santa Cruz island which afforded us the ability to hike on our own.  I would definitely still recommend going here, it was a gorgeous island and even the hike up the canyon provided spectacular views.

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND - the largest of the Channel Islands 22 miles long and 2-6 miles wide

We started off with a great sail from Cuylers and then the wind just died. We ended up motoring to Forney’s cove, a great anchorage on the southwest corner of the Island.  We enjoyed 3 nights here. There was some rolling in the anchorage at night but doable. Stephen and I did our first beach landing in the dinghy with some surf. It was wet, exciting and less than perfectly executed. Ha! After that, we decided to take our paddle boards in for island landings:). Still, mine less than perfectly executed but more manageable with an inflatable SUP.  I had a great run on dirt road that basically traverses the south side of the island giving views of hidden beaches along the coast.  Stephen and I did a hike the next day climbing up the ridge about 1500ft and doing a ridge walk picking out a peak to settle and gift some of Petra's ashes. We had our 12-year-old German Shepard cremated and we like to spread her ashes in places of remote beauty.  

The diving and fishing here are well known and Dave who has a fishing license (we did not get one yet) caught a 35-inch Halibut on the hook. We enjoyed some great halibut tacos one-night thanks to his hard efforts and also filled the freezer! There is a white cross on Fraser Point, a coastal bluff on the western end of the anchorage, which was placed to memorialize Steve Crombie. He was 44 and died in a free dive accident on Cortez Bank. A lobster hole named Crombie’s hole in honor of Steve is at Fraser Point. For the most part, we had this anchorage to ourselves and it was fantastic. 

Dave and Kelly did make a journey to the north side for a day. Due to the swell and surge, they found it unenjoyable and returned to Forney’s cove. We were all going to go to Coches Priestos for another south side anchorage but winds kicked up. Santa Ana winds were not forecasted but high winds were mentioned for the morning. On one of the weather stations, 40 knots registered and we decided to bail and head to Santa Barbara! We did not want to take any chances on a Santa Ana event. Once we rounded the west end and headed into the channel conditions calmed and we had a great beam reach sail all the way to Santa Barbara. 

’Til next time... 

Leaving Morro Bay with dinghy in tow - we only tow when going short distances with calm weather

See ya guys later!

Nice coast line and enjoying sight of more coastal mountains to come!

Photo bomb by Morovino Wine Maker:) They truly had a great tasting for white/reds/and desserts! I think the chocolate raspberry port could get online ordered again down the road. 

Sunrise in Avila while anchored out

 That is Point Conception in the distance 

Cojo Anchorage sunset

Yep its a good one! 

What's in the blue bag you ask? Our dinghy deflated...Off to San Miguel Island now

Arctos in the background on our great sail to San Miguel

Dave says he has pictures of our boat too - ha! But where are they?? Dave are reading this? 

Anchoring in  Cuyler harbor at San Miguel island with SV Arctos 

Sunrise in San Miguel - Stephen and I have an internal clock of 7 am just in time to hurry up to make coffee, sit in the cockpit and watch the show. 

Cuyler Anchorage Beach

That boat in the background is called Truth and had 30 kids aboard for an excursion to the Ranger station as well. So not completely isolated here as you see the multiple tracks on the beach. The Ranger Inga says often she will not see anyone for her entire 7 day stay and sounds like that is her preference :)

Our dinghy landing here was easy compared to upcoming Santa Cruz except for the heavy sand, our dinghy wheels really help us out. 

This is a better pic of how I like an anchorage minus 2 boats - ha! It is us, Arctos and another sailing vessel with home port of San Francisco. 

Kelly walking the trail 

The Juan or Jaou Cabrillo memorial. Sucks about the bird poop but I wasn't going to remove it - The pic in the ranger station shows this memorial in Spring with a bloom of coreopsis that looked gorgeous. 

Coreopsis skeleton trail...

Hike back down the canyon to the anchorage

Dave and Kelly doing recon for a potential dive spot for all of us

Boom we move onto Santa Cruz! 

SV Soulstice at anchorage in Forney's cove

SV Soulstice and SV Arctos in anchorage at Forney's Cove

Beautiful coast line of south side of Santa Cruz

Same - south coast line of Santa Cruz from west end

The perpetually peeling bark of the Eucalyptus tree- I feel kinship with these trees and they seem to represent the human metamorphis during a lifetime. 

Bluff by Fraser Point

Steve Crombie's memorial on Fraser Point, Santa Cruz island. Later I discovered he authored a book called, Lost on Earth, which is autobiography of his travels from Australia to the Arctic Circle. 

Sunset in Forney's cove

Sunrise one morning in Forney's cove

Views from dirt road along south side 

This is from my run on this dirt run - I love getting to run with views like this and not see another soul 

SV Soulstice has the anchorage all to herself!

See ya later folks! Next spot Santa Barbara! Sad to leave Santa Cruz as we were unable to explore more at this time but I am definitely going back in the future.