Southern California (Part 1)
Just before sunset on August 2nd, after a long overnight passage from Avila Beach, we arrived in Santa Barbara, our first stop in Southern California. It was during the Old Spanish Days festival, the city's busiest weekend of the year. The streets were covered in confetti and lined with vendors selling beautiful art and crafts. Party boats weaved through the anchorage all weekend; one even had a live mariachi band! Inquiring about a dinghy dock, we were told we would have to pay the rate of renting a slip, $2 per foot, just to dock our dinghy for a day! So, we skipped the dock and landed the dinghy on the beach to get Desi to shore each day. Because we weren’t allowed to leave the dinghy on the beach, we took turns going to shore for the day to explore, do laundry, or pick up groceries.
The Santa Barbara anchorage is unprotected and the first few days there, the boat rolled so violently from side to side that working and sleep were challenging. After a few sleepless nights, we decided to move closer to shore, where a few boats were bow and stern anchored, to try setting two hooks for the first time ourselves. Setting a second anchor from the stern of the boat is a technique used to reduce side-to-side rolling by holding the boat in a position perpendicular to the waves. It is also useful in tight anchorages because rather than allowing a boat to swing in a circle, it holds it in the same general position.
Our first time setting a stern anchor took several attempts before we were at a good angle, outside the traffic channel, and at a comfortable distance from other boats. When we were finally settled, the difference was incredible! The boat moved gently with the waves, and we were able to get work done and sleep soundly. However, a few days later, while Karl was on shore for the day, the waves increased significantly. I began to worry as a few neighboring boats hauled their anchors, and surfers started showing up on the beach. By the time I picked Karl up from the pier, Otaria was riding up and crashing down the largest waves we’d ever faced at anchor! We were in shallow water, not far from the beach, and the waves were breaking closer and closer to our boat. We rushed to retrieve both anchors and fled to set the hook in deeper water before dark.
We spent two weeks in Santa Barbara, re-anchoring several times as conditions changed. We were feeling a bit in limbo as we tried to figure out timing and logistics for our next few months. We had an issue with our propeller to address, a recent survey of our boat was required to get insurance coverage for Mexico, and our boat was overdue for new bottom paint, among other things. Trying to coordinate these service items to minimize expense and time in the boatyard was a challenge, and Karl spent hours on the phone figuring out logistics. Before departing Santa Barbara, Karl talked the marina into giving us a couple of free days at the dinghy dock, and we had a nice day on shore together. We walked around town, window-shopped on State Street, visited the Old Mission, and enjoyed a nice dinner out before departing Santa Barbara for the boatyard in Ventura.
It was a lovely, five-hour sail to Ventura, where we tied up below the boat lift for the night and were delighted to find ourselves conveniently located near Ventura Harbor Village, with shops, restaurants, and a beautiful beach just blocks away. The following morning, our boat was lifted and put on stands (always a nerve-wracking experience!). I kept Desi occupied at the beach for the day while Karl helped the surveyor pull apart the boat for inspection. It was our first time living “on the hard” and it was less challenging than I had anticipated. Desi learned to climb the ladder easily, and we managed fine without plumbing, cooking simple meals and washing dishes in buckets. We met our friends Roz and Sean, fellow cruisers heading south, for a nice dinner, caught up with an old friend of Karl’s over lunch, and took Desi on daily trips to the beach. The rest of our time was spent in the yard, pushing to complete as much work as possible while Otaria was out of the water.
There was good and bad news. They didn’t need to remove the rudder or pull the propeller shaft as expected, but our propeller was in poor condition and servicing it would require sending it away and potentially waiting for weeks, time we couldn’t afford to spend in the yard. So, our budget went out the window, but in a week, we had a new propeller, fresh bottom paint, a new through-hull for a watermaker, a new seacock in the galley, old varnish stripped from the brightwork, and topsides polished and waxed. The staff were friendly and helpful, and once back in the water, the yard allowed us to stay at their dock for several days, saving us on high marina fees and giving us time to finish projects on deck, spend a day in town enjoying the Aloha Beach Festival, and stock up on groceries and supplies before departing for Santa Cruz Island.
It felt great to be on the move again and we were excited to explore the Channel Islands. We only expected to stay a few days on the island because dogs are not allowed and Desi would be confined to the boat. We had beautiful sailing weather most of the day, though the wind picked up in the afternoon, and we had waves crashing over the bow for the last hour as we approached Smuggler’s Cove. Smuggler’s Cove was home for four nights, and we enjoyed the remote beauty of the island and some amazing stargazing. Karl did some fishing from the anchorage. A quick dip of the line brought up several small mackerel for bait, but he didn’t get the halibut we were dreaming of.
The first night in Smuggler’s, we woke up several times drenched in sweat, and it wasn’t until the following evening that we realized why. A sudden wind shift brought hot, howling winds that funneled through the hills into the anchorage. Popping our heads out of the hatch felt like a blow dryer to the face and in minutes, the boat was like an oven! Then, after sweating it out for a few hours, the wind shifted, and a cool night breeze returned bringing relief.
The waves in Smuggler’s made landing a dinghy tricky, so I swam to shore and Karl took the paddleboard. We hiked to Scorpion Bay, regretting our mid-day departure as the blazing heat and lack of shade had us fending off heat exhaustion. We had lunch and a nice swim before hiking back, delighted to spot an island fox along the way, a species endemic to the Channel Islands. Arriving back at the beach, we were surprised to find a huge crowd of people and the previously empty anchorage completely packed! It was a gathering of paddle boarders who the following morning would be paddling to Santa Barbara, over 20 miles away! Sure enough, the next morning, we woke to find the anchorage empty once again.
From Smuggler’s, we sailed around the south side of the island to Coches Prietos, a small anchorage that felt uncomfortably tight with two boats already anchored there. Karl hopped on the paddleboard and went to chat with the boats, while I hovered outside the cove. He returned with their encouragement and instructions on how to squeeze in between their boat and the rocks, setting bow and stern anchors. I was less than comfortable with the plan but went along with it, and we managed to anchor securely, close enough to the other boat to converse without raising our voices. It was a calm and beautiful spot, albeit lacking in privacy, and we enjoyed snorkeling in the nearby kelp, hiking on the island, and joining our boat neighbors for sundowners (happy hour). Desi went a week without leaving the boat and did great, but we didn’t want to push his tolerance. After two nights in Coches Prietos, we sailed back to the east side of the island, anchoring at Yellowbanks for a night to prepare for a long day sailing to Marina del Rey.
We left early for Marina del Rey, with beautiful views as we sailed by Anacapa Island, and enjoyed several visits from dolphins along the way. We arrived in Marina del Rey and pulled into a slip in front of Burton Chase Park just before sunset. The park was great for Desi, and groceries were close by, but we regretted our marina choice. The slips were along the main channel, and over the weekend, a constant stream of party boats passed close by, blasting music late into the night. Additionally, the marina management was surprisingly rude, threatening to call the sheriff when we missed check out by an hour before extending our stay.
Aside from the negative marina experience, we enjoyed celebrating Karl’s birthday with a day walking through Venice and Santa Monica with great people-watching along the beachfront. We returned to find a dance party in the park, and the following night we took our chairs up for a free movie, just yards from the boat! All the activity was entertaining, but it quickly got old, and after a few days, we were ready to move on.
Our next stop was Redondo Beach. It was a well-protected anchorage, though space was limited, and we were nervous dropping anchor just yards from the breakwater in order to fit outside of the traffic channel and mooring area. We set a stern anchor to prevent swinging into the rocks if the wind shifted and were amazed by how still the boat was. The next day we headed into town to explore with Desi and were disappointed to find that dogs were not allowed on the beach, the waterfront path, the pier, or the nearby parks. Sometimes Desi has to settle for playing frisbee on-leash in a parking strip, but he’s a good sport.
As we were heading back to the boat, we saw a familiar boat entering the bay. It was our friends Roz and Sean! Roz came over for a game of Wingspan and shared the news that they had decided to put their cruising plans on hold and go back to land life for a while to support family. Sad that we wouldn’t be sharing anchorages with them for a while, we made the most of our time together, spending an evening in nearby Hermosa catching up over beers and games. When our 72-hour anchoring limit was up, we moved to a mooring for a couple of nights, giving us time for laundry day, a nice lunch with a friend of Karl’s who was in town, and another visit with our friends before heading for Newport Beach.
It was a pleasant sail to Newport Beach, and it was exciting to weave our way through the long channel lined with expensive homes with private docks and buzzing with little electric Duffy boats. The new anchorage at the end of the main channel was spacious and had a small dog-friendly beach just minutes away. Karl took a day trip to nearby La Habra, catching up with family he hadn’t seen in many years.
In addition to a convenient beach for Desi, we loved that Newport Beach had clearly marked dinghy docks all over the harbor, making it easy to explore different parts of town without needing public transportation. We took the dinghy down the channel to Balboa and took the ferry to Balboa Island, where we enjoyed exploring the little waterfront neighborhoods. We walked to Minny’s marine consignment shop, stocked up on groceries and dog food, and ran into Gary, a friend we met in the boatyard in Ventura, who was prepping his boat for a solo trip to Hawaii. The anchorage got busy over the weekend, with loud music, party boats, and a raft-up party where they hauled an entire dock from the yacht club into the anchorage, but it was quiet compared to the weekend scene in Marina del Rey. Still, after stocking up enough food to last several weeks, we were ready to escape the hubbub and head to what would end up being our favorite stop in California: Catalina Island!
