Coastal Cruise to Santa Cruz

During the Big Refit I developed all sorts of elaborate plans to take a month off and run with the wind all of the way down the California coast to the Channel Islands (off Santa Barbara). In reality, I got one week and got as far as Santa Cruz (184 nautical miles return over seven days).

Red is heading South to Santa Cruz, and blue is the return trip.

On a Saturday in November I started my trip by heading offshore with the idea that I might get a big run, to who knows where, down the coast. Once clear of the coast, the NW winds filled in and we got some nice sailing in the Southern Shipping Channel. By late afternoon, the wind had decreased and I ended up going all the way back to the coast for an overnight at Pillar Pt Harbor in Half Moon Bay (45 nautical miles that day).

A bit close to Franklin Pt.

Got away a bit late on Sunday for the next leg to Santa Cruz. The NW winds did not fill in until after lunchtime at which point we were leaving the south end of Half Moon Bay astern. We hoisted the small spinnaker and made some good progress gybing downwind. It was very foggy so only saw the coast once gybing about 0.5 miles off the coast north of Pigeon Pt. The wind started to get sporty so dropped the spinnaker and then put a reef into the main and jib. Got distracted so doing and ran across the kelp on the North approach to Pt Ano Neuvo. This was a bit silly and I should have been checking my navigation as I could not see anything in the fog even though the shore was less than 1/2 a mile away at the closest (see above). We headed sharply out to sea and around Ano Nuevo which was completely hidden in the fog.

Then followed a long run with just a reefed jib to Santa Cruz. The wind had built stronger than forecast to around 20 knots from astern. I could have carried more sail but was tired and didn't want to get wet. Still, we were making 5 knots with the reefed jib and I was hunkered down in the cabin under my canvas cover. In the last couple of hours into SC the wind reversed direction into a 15-20 knot head wind with a nasty short chop and rain. This was a bit much after a long day and I huddled peering out of the little windows in my canvas cabin cover in the dark trying to see if we were going to get run down by a fishing boat. I had the comfort of the new super bright LED masthead tricolor and the wireless AIS that I had installed during the Big Refit.

Finally got around the point into SC and anchored for the night next to the Pier. Not a great nights sleep because of the tremendous racket made by the seals (52 nautical miles that day).

The new three-sided deck tent.

The next day (Monday), we checked into the SC Small Boat Harbor. What a beautiful spot for visiting cruisers! We got an end tie for the night, one down from the huge Team O'Neill catamaran that operates out of SC. We made an asymmetric sight on adjacent jetties - big cat, very little cat. I also got to take some pics of my new deck tent set up. I finished Stage One a while back comprising a simple boom tent using an extending boat hook as "the boom". This was great in hot weather, but much to be desired in a breeze or rain. So, Stage Two was enclosing one end of the tent with zippered doors and windows (so that I can see anything coming when anchored).

Because the boat is usually swinging on the anchor, the closed side is always to windward and three sides is all you need. It is really snug and gives a relatively huge area to live in when anchored. It provides complete shelter from the wind and rain as long as it is swinging in the wind.

Once settled in, I took a long walk around Santa Cruz, including the beaches and Pier. Found a nice bar to have pizza and beer and it tasted amazing, as it always does after a couple of days camp cruising.

Then it was a snug night under the awning. It was early winter and not exactly tropical, so I leave the gas stove running on low for hours at night. With three sides on the tent, there is no danger of asphyxiation, but have to use extreme caution in not burning the boat and oneself to death (two new fire extinguishers were included in the refit).

The three sided tent is awesome!

Tuesday saw us heading out of SC on the start of our return trip. Although there was an option to extend my trip down the coast for a few days, the weather forecast had changed and was predicting 10 - 12 foot swells and a 25 knot northerly by Friday. This gave me three days to get back to the Bay in more benign conditions.

Back into the fog.

Santa Cruz was fog free the two days we were there, but the fog reappeared heading up the coast and we were soon in low visibility conditions again. There was not much wind, and what there was was on the nose, so we motored for hours (with a little bit of unsuccessful trolling fishing thrown in), before pulling into the delightful anchorage at Pt Ano Nuevo (21 nautical miles for the day).

Down anchor at Ano Nuevo.

Ano Nuevo is the only anchorage sheltered from the prevailing Northerly flow on the coast between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. The bight inside the point itself provides lots of shelter, but also the dense kelp forests dampen any wave action that makes its way around the point.

If you look closely you can see Little Cat and the approaching fog bank.

We managed to get right inside the kelp beds off the beach, and let out a generous scope on the anchor for a secure night's rest. I had carted the little kayak all of this way with the intention of getting ashore somewhere, and now was my chance to use it. The only problem was a two-foot swell breaking on the beach. No problem I though to myself as a confident ex-surfer, sure that I could wait for a lull between sets to get ashore.

Returning to Little Cat.

It was not to be. I was laughably dumped over in the shore break fully clothed with all my wet weather gear and boots. I stood on the beach with my boots full of water and pondered my foolishness, but also managed to take a couple of photos. Cold, I decided that my adventure was over and that I should get back out to the boat to get my wet gear sorted out. I waited impatiently for a break in the surf, but not long enough, and immediately got tumbled again. I tried five or six further times to get through the surf and was spat off every time. I looked to the sea and noticed that thick fog was rolling in again with a vengeance and that it was getting late in the afternoon. If the fog came in before I got out, I might not be able to find the boat. The forecast was also for the swell to increase to five feet during the night, so the shore break was getting bigger, not smaller. Just as I was starting to contemplate a night on the beach, I lull allowed me to finally get past the shore break and out to the boat. I immediately rigged the tent, hung up layers of wet clothing, and started the stove to warm me and my gear up.

Passing the ruins on Pt Ano Nuevo.

The fog arrived half an hour after I returned to the boat and cut visibility to a few yards (whew). To cap it all off, I found during the night that my batteries were flat AND that my new LED tricolor and anchor light had failed. I found later that one of the wiring connections between the outboard alternator and the batteries had come apart unnoticed. I still haven't fixed the tricolor and will update later.

Tuesday morning saw us heading out around the striking ruins on Pt Ano Nuevo for the 30 nautical mile run to Pillar Point Harbor. There was a five foot ocean swell but the winds were still light so we motored most of the way. The wind did fill in coming into Half Moon Bay and so got a couple of hours sailing slow tacks to windward. We anchored close to the shore in shallow water in Pillar Point harbor, and had a cook-up with fresh vegetables (above). We were so close to shore that I had a conversation with a dog walker as it was becoming dark. I hung up all of the now-damp gear to dry with stove going late into the night again.

The best sailing of the return trip was the final run from Pillar Point Harbor back to the Golden Gate on Wednesday. The wind was blowing from the south at 10-15 knots and we sailed most of the way back, only firing up the engine as we ran into the outgoing tide at Mile Rock. By the time we reached Angel Island, I could see that the tide was going to be too low to get into Muddy Bay, so I decided to spend the last night anchored at Quarry Beach, Angel Island.

The next morning (Thursday), I was packing up and taking down the tent, when we were boarded by the Coast Guard. They seemed bemused by the Wharram with the tent up, but found that I had the correct flares, extinguishers etc. and then went on their way. It was a short 6 NM back to Big Muddy Bay for a total trip of 184 nautical miles.

Other Pics:

Little Cat, big cat.

Leaving Santa Cruz in the sunshine.

Ano Nuevo beach looking South with wet boots.