My sister thought Santa Catalina Island was a resort and a little posh. She is correct. But it’s a good refuge here in Cat Harbor and since Sampaguita draws so little water we are able to anchor in the back bay. This is good because the harbor entrance is the only other anchoring choice, and not at all a good one. That, or moorings are $60 per night. $60 for a 24 foot boat feels bad. I resist bad feelings.
Getting here was epic. The choices along the coast did not seem very good and some weather was coming in, so I did an overnight to get here, and still arrived two hours late. A special thank you to Jerry with Harbor Patrol for helping the after dark arrival avoid the shallows and pick up a buoy. My arrival was not savvy at all and he made it work out.
I’ve done some good hiking while avoiding the ridiculously priced amenities and tourists. Cat Harbor is on the back side of the island, while most of the mainlanders arrive on the north side, so it is much more chill.
I keep encountering Jeff and Susie from Sequim traveling on their Nordhavn 40, Irene. I first met them in Morro Bay and even if we don’t get a chance to speak, we recognize each other in an anchorage. While power boaters and a different fraternity, I like them.
Boat Hack: A bit about being little. Sampaguita is the smallest boat I have seen making this voyage this year. Also, the smallest any of the several other boaters I’ve met along the way have seen. As the Pardey’s famously say, “Go small, go now.” Go Sampaguita!
Observation: Sharks…Off the coast of Washington after being becalmed for a couple days, the water became glassy. Usually with waves and movement, there is enough reflection you really can’t see into the water. On this particular day, I was doing some maintenance, in particular sussing and preventing some new found chafe. I walked along the deck and looked down over the edge. I could see for hundreds of feet into the most blue and incredibly clear water I have ever seen. I could also see a shark about 40 feet below circling under the boat. That was sobering. My first ever such siting. It was about Josh sized, but I couldn’t tell the species. That day I saw three other sharks. Two of those other sitings could have been the same shark, but the fourth was smaller. I haven’t seen any since, but must assume they are there. It is the nature of things. The boat provides shade and little organisms too. This creates a food chain. Denial is futile. So I don’t. Honestly, land is full of “sharks” too, so it is a matter of keeping perspective. Humans, being at the top of the food chain on land, are adverse to the idea of being eaten, but 99 percent of the world’s species(at least) have to contend with being eaten on a daily basis. Just sayin’.
I spent two nights at the anchorage to the east of the famous Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. I had a good spot in the lee of the wharf.
A thanks to Andre of the Harbormasters Office, Officer Lombardi of the Harbor Patrol, and Joey at Santa Barbara Fasteners for their assistance. (It is their jobs, but being called back and actively taking part in solution-ing in a serious tone is good customer service.)
Since I wasn’t a paying customer to the Harbor, access to shore had its challenges. I called the office for direction because I know I’m not the first one in this situation. Since Sampaguita’s dinghy is a non-traditional choice, an inflatable kayak, Andre had concerns it might get cited, or worse, impounded, if it were left at the skiffs/tenders dock. While it would be easy to leave it on the beach, if unattended, it also might be impounded. No bueno.
Andre needed to speak to someone up the ladder for the best choice. This is when Officer Lombardi called. He said I had two choices. I could tie up to Stearns Wharf and climb up the ladder. This way I could come and go as I please, or I could tie up under the Harbor Patrol’s pier, but there would be logistical obstacles in coming and going. Since I was passing through, the fee would be waived.
I opted for Stearns Wharf because it was much closer to Sampaguita, didn’t take me in the opposite direction of the services I was in pursuit of, simplified logistics, and came with a bit of thrill!
I made this trip twice in one day in the process of provisioning, which was of great success. The most important bit only came to light as I was preparing to do the first Fuel/Trader Joe’s run.
I like to circle the boat when I get into the kayak to look over Sampaguita from that angle. This is when I noticed the lower unit of the outboard was missing one of two studs and nuts that hold it into the shaft. There was a 1/8 inch gap you could see daylight through. Uh-oh. New priority. (And that accounts for the new motor sound I had heard over the past few days, but did not understand.)
I don’t have much for metric fasteners aboard, so I sussed out the size I might need and called around to see who would have SS steel metric fasteners.
A place with Fasteners in the name seemed like a good choice and the location was walkable. I would use a hex head bolt with a flat washer and lock washer, rather than worry about putting a stud back in there. The original must have vibrated out before it got corroded into the cast aluminum housing permanently. I tef-geled the bolt so I would be able to remove it when servicing the water pump.
Trader Joe’s and fuel did also happen on that run and my lunch of TJ’s Sesame Chicken with asparagus was delicious. The second run was for propane. It’s been tough to find a place that doesn’t have a minimum refill charge. The tank I was filling is no more than 1.5 gallons. Some want it to be a $20 gallon of propane. Maybe someday, but not today. I walk away from those offers. Luckily, I don’t wait until the last minute. In my search for fasteners I noticed the local Ace hardware fit my bill for right sized and priced propane refills.
Boat Hack: On a small boat, crew is moveable ballast. At 160 pounds, I’m about 10 percent of the weight of provisions and stores in Sampaguita. So where I sit/stand matters. Here is the kayak seat I supervise from in the companionway. A compromise of keeping my weight low and forward, but high enough where I can keep a lookout.
It seems that everyone from California has been saying, “Get around Point Conception earlier rather than later,” in an ominous tone. Well, Sampaguita has done it.
In true Flicka 20 style, she rounded it in the dark last night. (The sound of the invisible surf can be ominous.) I say true style because she’s perpetually two hours late. It’s not her fault. Her legs are short, and can only expect to average about 3 knots, which is slower than a healthy adult walks.
She can only get there when she gets there. It’s not awesome, because it might mean anchoring at night in an unfamiliar harbor, or staying out to sea all night until it’s light, or fighting a tidal current, which means it takes even longer, but in true 2023 wordage, “it is what it is.” She has to plan for that contingency. We can’t all live the fat life.
Thanks to the fishing vessel Excalibur, who unbeknownst to them provided an abundance of light in the anchorage(fishing vessels run the brightest, most blinding lights seemingly all the time,) I was able to anchor at night in Cojo Anchorage at 22:30 and avoid the kelp beds(mostly) and buoys.
All this said, it was an incredible day of sailing. 58NM from San Luis Obispo Bay, with an average speed of 3.7 knots, well above the norm. Luck, I guess, because there was no refuge in between. Cojo Anchorage is a stones throw around Point Conception.
A California observation: If you are close enough to shore, after a sunset(and often in the morning too) when the land breeze picks up, the most incredible, pungent smell of sage displaces the smell of the sea. I can’t say that I mind. I could only hope to imagine a time before the nuclear power plants(Cape Buchon), the oil platforms(Point Arguello), and the other signs of “progress and civilization” were here. Sigh.
10 points to anyone who gets that distorted quote.
You’re all probably a little bored with Morro Bay by now. So is Sampaguita. But, actually, her exit is imminent and, really, the stay here was good. It’s not too late in the season and it’s good to slow the roll as we approach San Diego. Otherwise she spends a lot of time there. Too much time in any one spot makes Sampaguita a dull boat.
It’s fun to watch the world happen from Sampaguita’s veranda. Tourists come by to look at the sea lions. The Harbor Patrol pulls a soft-grounded rental boat off the shoal. Boats of all sorts going by and by.
These photos were taken from the base of Morro Rock. I was over surveying the exit and was treated to a Harvest Moon. It’s an easy walk from the T-pier near my anchorage where dinghies can be docked.
I often forget how bright that light can be. You can only see the ambience when you are directly below it. Since Sampaguita is so small, and the light only about 31 feet up, there’s no excuse for not seeing me.
Sampaguita tied up at the Morro Bay Yacht Club for the day and night for watering, showering, shaving, and laundry. This is actually the only transient dock in the bay. It was Friday and we were invited to the club’s happy hour. It was very well attended. Complimentary light food and good quality, but low priced beer. Very well done.
It turned out there was also a presentation by an author promoting his new book, All Hands On Deck. It was about the delivery of the Rose from Newport RI to California. For the non-boaters reading, the Rose was to be the Hollywood prop, the HMS Surprise, to be seen in The Master And Commander, starring Russel Crowe. I’ve watched that movie at least twice. It is worth checking out.
Sampaguita is tucked away in Morro Bay while the wind makes a ruckus off shore. Presently at anchor in the tidal estuary swinging one way then the other, while the afternoon winds fair or fight her.
It’s Sampaguita’s first time in Morro Bay and she’s learning as she goes. Her entrance was a non-event, but it looks like her escape will be the challenge. The ruckus outside has been building swells, and it will require a bit of calming down before she can exit. What was a refuge may begin to feel like a trap. We missed this detail when we came in here. We’ll figure it out.
I like Morro Bay. A cool little maritime town. Shore chores are easy and access is accommodating. The rock is impressive. It’s apparently the site of the first Filipino landing in what was to become the United States. Sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines. Funny, huh?
It’s my first ever experience with a Harbor Patrol and so far so good. They’ve been polite and helpful and interesting to watch. I see the need for them here managing the harbor and performing light rescue. There is a USCG station too for handling the heavy stuff.
Well, they’ve done it again. ‘Lectronic Latitude and Latitude 38 have published another Resourceful Sailor piece. I can’t be more grateful. This one is about reviving 80s technology and using it for good.
A special thanks to editors Monica and Tim for keeping it alive. I recently met Monica and her husband Jay in Sausalito when Sampaguita and I happened to sail into town. They rolled out the red carpet for me, and I’ll never forget it.
I just arrived in Morro Bay, CA and happened to use this beauty while anchoring.
Click the link below to be directed to ‘Lectronic Latitude and the article. Thanks for checking it out.
A special thank you to Casey and the Santa Cruz Yacht Club for hosting Sampaguita, and a shout out to Roland Nikles, the president of the Port Townsend Sailing Association, for helping to facilitate it.
I had an excellent visit with a couple bandmates of the past in Santa Cruz and made a new acquaintance too.
Also, thanks to Commodore Jeff at the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club for hosting Sampaguita in Monterey. Her crew even got a hot shower and a shave. The mirror was bigger than Sampaguita’s galley! I also must thank Jeff Brantley, also of the PTSA, for helping to make this happen. I couldn’t have done it without him.
A few more observations:
Cruisers on a budget, take note. Hooray for Trader Joe’s. If you think they are an expensive boutique store, they are not. In fact, I just paid the same price for goods in Monterey, CA as I paid in Seattle, WA. Not true for a Safeway, for example. In fact, most everything in California costs more. Except Trader Joe’s. Yes, I am having sesame chicken for lunch.
Whales. Landlubbers often ask, “Do you see whales?” Does a dairy farmer see cows? All day, every day. You will not convince me that humpback whales are endangered. Of course, I am traveling along their migration route. The thing that concerns me most everyday, is having a close encounter with a whale. I am not a whale chaser. I even feel at times, they chase me. I’m not big on regulation, but I think there should be a law requiring whales to stay 500 yards from any Flicka 20. I see them twice Sampaguita’s size often. They do what they want. I will regularly vocalize, “STAY AWAY.” Naturally, as both human and whale populations expand, there will be more instances of close encounters.
Just sayin’.
Sampaguita en route from Port Townsend, WA to San Francisco, CA sailing wing and wing, (though I prefer orejas de burro) on a beautiful day. The Windpilot does the steering, the sails provide the power, the pole keeps the jib full, while Sampaguita does the floating and the rolling. I guess that just makes me a supervisor.
This happens every afternoon as the thermal westerlies kick in. It feels like I’m in a M. Night Shyamalan movie.
I’m planning my escape under and out of the Golden Gate. It requires an outgoing tide and NOT a strong westerly wind. Afternoon departures are not on the menu.
I met Monica Grant, the editor for ‘Lectronic Latitude, and her husband, Jay. They are proper people and sailors and it was an honor to be in their company. Their support will not be forgotten.
I also met up with a bandmate of 25 years ago from my SF music days. I’ll spare mentioning her name as I suspect she prefers to go under the RADAR. But I will say it too was an incredible honor to have her come over the bridge to see someone who she hasn’t spoken with in 25 years on such short notice. We had a grand time catching up.
Well, no records broken here, unless it’s for the slowest transit. 🤣 But what do you expect from the runt of the cruising world.
One overnight in Eureka. Lots of calm. Very little motoring. Small boats can’t have schedules. Perfect.
sailingwithjosh
Sailing With Josh 