Crossed TSS twice since Friday heading for Port San Luis from Long Beach. In the San Pedro Channel there were no Bruisers in sight. In the East Santa Barbara Channel, one passed southbound some time b/f we arrived at the boundary. To cross at right angles required headings away from our destinations, so we’re giving up a mile
or more each time to comply w/ COLREGS. However, the crossings were NOT near harbors, so have little to do with the thread topic except in a general sense.
I thought about this discussion thread when we arrived near Coho anchorage and were seeking to enter. I had read about this “harbor” several times in Fagan’s guide book but, alas, did not have the book aboard
. The result of too much to do to remember to put aboard an item that usually
IS aboard. I did have the relevant pages of Coast Pilot 7, paper chart, and a small GPS chart plotter. From afar the setting presented a bewildering scene, not meeting expectations of a refuge anchorage. CP 7 said to anchor near the culvert under the train tracks. The only culvert we could see with powerful binoculars “under the train tracks” did not appear to match with the distance yet to travel. We even took time to confirm the definition of culvert as that thing we were seeing on approach. The e-charts were not helping us. So I went below to plot our position on the paper chart and get the magnetic bearing to the anchoring location as charted. Using my Polaris 7x50’s I fixed that bearing to a spot several hundred meters ahead—-but we could not see any culvert
. Proceeding several more minutes, we began to see a large culvert emerging into view from behind a dune of sand where the bearing had indicated it should be near. Yeah! Eventually we lined up on a good approach, threading our way through some kelp to the spot. I’m just glad we did not have to do that at night! Picking the wrong place to approach the shore might have had a bad outcome.
The spot Saturday night.