We arrived in Santa Barbara on 26 October, roughly two days after leaving Monterey. The first night out provided some strong winds and very big seas, with peak wind speeds occuring in the 35 kt range with 12 ft seas, just before and after midnight. Lou’s midnight watch started with the addition of a third reef in the main. Working at the mast on a gyrating boat is not easy at the best of times and the process is much complicated by darkness. Fortunately the development of small, light and red-lens equipped headlamps (along with good harnesses and tethers) reduces the risk associated with the arduous task of reefing after dark in big winds and seas. Lou managed to put a really excellent reef in the main, in the dark, in big seas, and big gusty winds, despite flinging his precious headlamp over the side of the boat early on in the process, thus requiring completion in the dark as the moon had gone down by this time. A skilled sailor – but that’s what sailors do!
Approaching the “horn of the north”, just before midnight on the second night out started quite dramatically when we encountered a tug pulling a barge, with shore lights and oil rig lights contributing to a difficult working environment. We managed to miss the tug and its barge and then started paying a lot more attention to the oil rigs but fortunately they don’t move.
We rounded Pt Arguello just before midnight and just before the wind died down to nothing. Starting the engine on a clear, windless night on what is allegedly the most difficult area for sailors on the central California coast, because of big wind, big seas and maximum fog, was somewhat anti-climatic after reading all of the helpful literature telling us that we could rest up from the ordeal just around the corner in Cojo. We opted to keep going with the motor on and arrived in Santa Barbara at around noon. People were swimming on the beaches and we were able to ditch our fleece and exchange it for short pants and t-shirts. Just like the book said we could.
Now there is a gale blowing and we are likely stuck here until Thursday. Very sad.
