“Holy Mother of God, we made it”, is the only entry in our journal for October 23, 2021. The day began as most of ours do, at anchor, this time in Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel Island. We were still riding high from our dinghy landing the previous day, the sky having cleared enough to give us an unforgettable few hours ashore. But now, today, we needed to leave. High winds and big seas were coming that would make this anchorage unsafe. SV Taku had sailed out the previous day on a course for Santa Rosa Island. They were having engine problems and wanted to ensure they would be safely tucked away and sheltered by the time the system was to hit. We were heading to the same anchorage as Taku, and SV Valiente would be making a run for Marina Del Rey on the mainland with Smuggler’s Cove on Santa Cruz Island as a back-up plan if the passage got too rough.

Whenever I think of storms and weather systems, I always imagine large ominous walls of cloud, however today was beautiful! The only clouds were wispy-thin and very high, but it was the wind that impressed me most. It had started picking up in the very wee hours and as night progressed to morning, it began to howl. Thankfully, Charles had anchored us in a great spot, well protected by the neighboring cliff and hillside, because when we poked our heads out the next morning, SV Valiente was much, much closer, having re-anchored in the night, their previous location becoming unbearable once the winds started (see video).

With conditions forecast to worsen throughout the day, and San Miguel Island positioned to bear the brunt of the system, we wanted to get underway as soon as possible. We could already see large waves churning out past the point, and the weather was about to shift. We needed to be gone before that happened. As Charles readied the genoa and put up the main sail, I was busy below getting things stowed and secured. We knew already that today was going to be a bumpy ride and we were hoping to minimize the drama and the damage.

We radioed SV Valiente one last time to let them know we were leaving and to verify each other’s intended destinations before pointing our bow towards the tumultuous waters ahead and putting San Miguel Island behind us, our day ashore now feeling like a distant dream. As we nosed out beyond the protection of the point, the wind hit us, heeling us hard to starboard as gust after gust caught our sail. The 7-10ft waves looked huge, lifting us easily, the boat surfing and slipping sideways down the wave then abruptly bottoming in each wave trough, lifting, and repeating, for hours, tilted at a 20-30 degree angle, the photos and videos all taken only when it was safe to do so, and all woefully inadequate to portray the reality (see video).

These are the days when you wedge yourself in somewhere snug and tight, and hang on. These are also the days when we don’t eat a big breakfast, opting instead for granola bars that we keep in our pockets to nibble on when we get hungry. Gone are my imaginings of sipping beverages in the cockpit while snacking on beautifully ornate charcuterie boards or antipasto platters, instead replaced by visions of bearded salty old men in yellow slickers being pummeled by torrents of water as they eat mystery meat from a can.

Charles said these conditions were in his top 10, for me, they were the most uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing I had been in so far. I lodged myself in our companionway where I can have at least 5 points of secure contact at all times and, believe you me I hung on, white knuckled the entire way. Drinking anything was out of the question, which was fine because there was no chance I was going to attempt a trip to the head.

It only lasted a few hours but it felt so much longer as we made our way east around to the far side of Santa Rosa Island, the blowholes and geysers rocketing spray skyward like confetti cannons celebrating our arrival (see video). As we ducked around the northern point of Bechers Bay the waves diminished almost instantly but the howling winds persisted (see video).

SV Taku was there, anchored a considerable distance from shore, not wanting to get any closer without a reliable engine. We enjoyed a windy but calm night at anchor (see video) which allowed us to recuperate and put our home back together, our bedroom, kitchen, and food storage all having upheaved themselves, their contents toppled and scattered. Thankfully, while many things shifted, nothing broke, so we will definitely record this one in the ‘win’ column. Exhausted from our taxing passage (Charles had been at the helm for hours, the conditions too chaotic for my abilities, while I spent the entire day tense and fraught with worry, clinging to handholds and railings), we both slept soundly.

With conditions as they were (high winds not to mention big waves pummeling the shoreline), there would be no going ashore here for a few days, additionally, Charles had an upcoming job interview that he needed reliable reception for, so we made the decision to head for the mainland. This would allow us to catch our breath, re-provision, and figure out what our next steps would be. It would all depend on how well Charles’ interview went.

The next morning after our weekly chat with Isaac we hauled up anchor, our course set for the coastal city of Santa Barbara. A southerly was coming and we wanted to be firmly anchored before it was due. We checked with Taku to see if they wanted to ‘buddy-boat’ across, but they opted to stay at Santa Rosa Island and ride it out, repositioning to the other side of the bay for better protection.

We put up the mainsail at anchor and, having missed the wind due to our late start, motor-sailed around the western end of Santa Cruz Island towards Santa Barbara, the entire trip expected to take just a few hours. As we passed Santa Cruz Island, I was walking back to take over the wheel when suddenly a flurry of activity erupted off of our stern. A pod of about 20 dolphins were leaping and spinning, their entire bodies airborne, radiating unbridled joy and glee. By the time I ran downstairs for my camera they were far behind us, but I managed to get one photo showing a fraction of the level of enthusiasm.

But more importantly, my big camera with its telephoto lens was now on deck rather than uselessly (albeit safely) stowed below, because as it turned out, dolphins were just the opening act. As we headed north across the Santa Barbara Channel conditions were spectacular. We had light winds, sunny skies, calm seas, and at least three whale spouts!! Maybe four!?

“WHAAAAAAALES!!!!!!!” I bellow, even though Charles is in the cockpit, only six feet from me. I can’t help it, bellowing when you see a whale is a reflex reaction, anything more subdued would be like sneezing with your eyes open. We slowed our speed and put our engine into neutral, letting the minimal wind be our only source of forward propulsion, and spent who knows how long with this group of four humpbacks as they gently dove and surfaced, and dove and surfaced, the sounds of their breath the only thing filling our ears (Click here to view my first ever ‘edited’ video! But lower your expectations…, now lower… I promise it is short).

Two of the older individuals have heavy scarring from being entangled in fishing nets and lines from crab and lobster pots, but these two are success stories, they lived, many don’t. On the west coast of North America we lose, on average, almost fifty whales to entanglement annually. To combat this horrendous issue, California has teams of people comprised of whale researchers, biologists, and veterinarians all extensively trained in techniques and protocols for an entanglement response, and all relying heavily on everyday citizens to report any whales in distress. Its not ideal, but at least it is something, and their efforts mean more whales in our oceans which translates into more amazing encounters with these spectacular creatures.

After a time, the whales got back to business and continued along on their journey west. We too continued on our way, putting the motor into gear once more to help speed our northward progress.

In seemingly no time, Santa Barbara was coming into view. We did a loop around the anchorage before dropping and setting our hook to the east of Stearns Wharf and then settled into our hammocks to recombobulate, reflect, and enjoy the moment. This was our first southern California mainland stop and it was finally beginning to look like what you expect of California. The iconic beaches and palm trees lining the shore, the sun, the warmth and everything glowing and bright, filled with hope…, looking back, the fact that Charles had an upcoming job interview may have contributed considerably to our brighter, lighter moods.

With another round of bad weather expected the following day, we opted to do a quick trip to shore, we would be stuck on the boat until it blew through and both of us were in need of a walk. Charles launched the dinghy and we headed in past the pier towards the harbour. We found the dinghy dock, right below the best-situated West Marine ever, so much so that Charles simply HAD to buy something, not able to pass up such convenience. So, about 30 minutes later we escaped with one small (and as we would soon discover, useless) dinghy anchor, but we were finally free to explore the marina area, at long last getting our walk in.

When the weather hit the next day, we had rough seas and heavy wind, but good holding in the anchorage (see my second ever edited video, warning – its a nail-biter!). We hunkered down, keeping cozy as the boat danced around in the waves and Charles occasionally ventured out on deck to check that everything was secure. That afternoon Charles aced his third interview and we hesitantly started keeping our fingers crossed, believing that things were going to be okay.

The following morning we were up early wanting to get to shore. We needed groceries and we also wanted to see some of the sights of Santa Barbara. It was still quite wavy in the anchorage but I put on my ‘big-girl pants’ and pulled up my ‘bravery britches’ and with Charles standing in the dinghy, his iron grip holding steady to the side of the boat, I climbed down the ladder and then down Charles until I was safely seated.

After an uneventful dinghy trip in to the dock we walked along the street that parallels the beach, back towards Stearns Wharf, then walked the wharf, and out to the end to watch Magick Express rock slowly back and forth at anchor.

Charles witnessed and photographed a pelican doing pelicany things, I’m not even gonna try and explain, just flip through the photos.

Following that display, we shared a cinnamon bun for breakfast and treated ourselves to $10 polarized sunglasses before heading back towards town. From the wharf we walked up State Street, crossed over the railroad tracks, and turned left so that our route would take us past the Moreton Bay Fig Tree which dates to1876 and is one of the countries largest with a span of 170ft.

From the fig tree, we cut through the Amtrak Station and used a small path leading to a lovely residential neighborhood, on the far side of which, was our destination, the very reasonably priced and well stocked Santa Cruz Market. Here we bought enough provisions to allow us to stay out in the islands for a few weeks if that is what we ultimately decided to do. At the moment, we had no plans and nowhere we needed to be.

With backpacks and carry bags filled to bursting we walked the 6 blocks back to the marina, loaded up the dinghy and headed for home. We had decided to give this rolly anchorage one more chance, and if tonight wasn’t a whole lot better, we would hightail it back out to the islands. We could always return to Santa Barbara if we wanted to, or not, it was up to us. We decided we would roll the dice and see what tomorrow would bring.

For more information about entanglement response teams: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/marine-mammal-protection/west-coast-large-whale-entanglement-response-program

To report a stranded or entangled animal on the West coast of North America: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/report

These are photos that react strangely with others but we like them and want to remember them so they are getting their own album. Sorry for the mishmash, they are arranged chronologically.