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Songline’s Log: July 17 - 23

The following is a summary of a recent cruise around the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

Songline departed Ventura Harbor on the afternoon of July 17th with Marc, Monica, and Paul aboard. Michael was supposed to round out our crew to four but he had a dental emergency at the last minute.

After taking fuel, we set sail in 8-10 knots of wind out of the NW and sailed hard on the wind at 6-7 knots.

We were able to lay China Harbor, Santa Cruz Island and arrived at Prisoners Harbor well before dark.

Prisoners Harbor

After a comfortable first night, we motor-sailed westward along the north side of the island on glassy-flat water, surveying many of the anchorages along the way.

Misty Pelican Harbor

By late morning we arrived and anchored in Cueva Valdez anchorage and rigged out the dinghy for a trip up the coast to Painted Cave.

Painted Cave

Monica and I have been in the cave quite a few time but it still makes the hair on the back of our necks stand up when we turn that last corner into the inner chamber!

After visiting the cave we spent our second evening leisurely kayaking, sipping Margaritas, and admiring the caves and cliffs around the anchorage.

The next morning we weighed anchor early and motored northward. Our plan was to test the strength of the NW winds with the options of landing at Beecher’s in Santa Rosa or continuing on to San Miguel. We were blessed by flat water and pushed on along the north coast of Santa Rosa.

Along the way we spotted humpback whales breaching clear of the water. I wasn’t quick enough on the camera to catch the acrobatics but did get a few fluke shots.

Humpbacks off Santa Rosa Island

We arrived in Cuyler Harbor in the early afternoon to find it unusually calm. It was breathtaking!

Perfect day at Cuyler Harbor, San Miguel Island

We kayaked around the bay all afternoon, observing the seal rookeries that lined the shore.

Our third night was comfortable again and we fell asleep to the plaintive snorts of elephant seals.

Kelp flies woke us the next morning and we soon regretted not bringing our screens. We won’t make that mistake again! The flies don’t bite, but they are irritatingly persistent when landing on your face. I think that Paul and Monica took some perverse pleasure in swatting them with a palm frond fan we have aboard from our travels in the San Blas Islands.

On our fourth day, the weather remained unusually calm under a stalled high pressure system. We took the opportunity to head for shore and explore and visit the ranger station atop the island.

Cabrillo monument overlooking Cuyler Harbor

Visiting with “Island Fox Technician” Tessa

Our fourth night was spent under more typical conditions for Cuyler. The fog piled up over the western ridge and the wind blew down on top of us. Though the anchorage was smooth, our anchor rode was stretched taut. At least the flies were gone!

On the morning of our fifth day the wind still blew. We suited up in foulies and carefully prepared the boat for a departure in heavy weather. We followed our bread-crumb GPS track out of the harbor, set sail with a single reef, and steered for the San Miguel Passage. We had a rollicking good ride down the south side of Santa Rosa Island at 9 to 10 knots. Twenty miles later, we turned the corner for Johnson’s Lee anchorage where we were alone in calm conditions. We kayaked, swam, and snorkel’d among the kelp beds in very clear water.

On the sixth day we crossed the Santa Rosa Island Passage for the south side of Santa Cruz Island. The wind varied from 10 to 15 knots but a strong current slowed our progress. We enjoyed the sights as we approach Gull Rock. Hundreds of dolphin surrounded us for much of the passage eastward.

We anchored mid-afternoon in Willows. We wanted to explore the area made famous in the book “Diary of a Sea Captain’s Wife”. When we arrived, two other boats were nestled in. As we passed the Hylas 42 on the outside, the skipper hailed us. “Hi Songline! Last time we saw you was in Chacala Mexico!” The cruising community really does enjoy a small world.

Willows Anchorage

The crews from the three boats in the anchorage all got together on the beach for an afternoon of snacks and conversation. Harry and I bushwhacked around the area, trying to find the habitation described in the book.

That night, we got reports of intense squalls moving in our direction. As darkness enveloped us, we watched a display dramatic lightening strikes to the SE. After a lot of discussion, we decided that we would feel better with more swinging room if one of those squalls hit us in the middle of the night, so we pulled anchor in the darkness and motored down to Smuggler’s Cove where we could swing freely. The squalls never did arrive and we slept in to compensate for the late night passage.

Anacapa’s East End

We began our last day out by motor sailing the length of Anacapa Island on flat water. We then turned for home and found a perfect 15 to 18 knots of squally wind to carry us along our final leg to harbor.

Homeward Bound

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