How many boats lie on the bottom of the San Pedro Channel?

Dec 28, 2020
48
O'Day 19 Marina Del Rey

This came up in a discussion with my kids while we sailed back from Catalina on our Mariner 19. All kinds of boats make the journey across the channel, and some end up getting overwhelmed by the waves or done in by ineptitude, chance, or sudden changes in the weather. Many boats still float even when capsized, but some end up down where only very specialized submersibles could ever reach.

People have been making the crossing for a long time. When explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo anchored at Catalina in 1542, Gabrieleño tribesman rowed out to meet him. They'd already been boating in these waters for 1,500 years.

But my kids were interested in coming up with a number. And even if you only consider 20th and 21st century craft -- I wonder how many boats are down there?

How many boats are lost in the channel each year? What would that add up to?
 
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Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
Hundreds mebbe thousands. (Also barrels of DDT). Much worse points north of Santa Cruz island for shipwrecks. Pt. Conception gets it's reputation honestly.

Just don't add to em. And I doubt you will.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,988
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Shipwrecks and sinking of old, not counting naval battles, were mostly bad weather outcomes, fog and storms, combined with poor navigation. The inner waters of southern California, those within about 45 n.mi. of shore that lie in the sheltered lee of Point Conception, have few gales that rarely produce seas higher than 10-11 ft. There are thousands of crossings every year without incident. There is just not much truly “bad weather” in the SP Channel. BOATUS has reported that fewer than 2% of ALL boating fatalities (including sinking) occur “at sea.” But that number is itself dominated by groundings along the coast. Most boats that have sunk, sank at their dock.:doh:

Small, open boats that might get swamped or capsized are the ones most at risk of sinking. For that, one suffers the combination of the unseaworthy craft, poor seamanship, and unusually bad weather, such as in a winter storm creating breaking waves in high winds. I think most Mariners would avoid such weather.

In JRC’s time the only true (natural) refuge harbors near here were San Diego Bay and Cat Harbor. But there’s also Cuyler Harbor at San Miguel Island where JRC’s “fleet” wintered. So if caught out in the SP Channel in a winter storm a boat (ship) of those times might try to take refuge in Cat Harbor, but more likely try to acquire more sea room offshore.

Dana in Two Years before the Mast recounts an experience anchored off Santa Barbara, I believe, when a winter storm approached. They cast off the anchor rode with flotation attached to put to sea to ride out the storm. Returned and picked up the anchor a couple of days later.

So, my guess is that there are many fewer sunken or shipwrecked boats in the San Pedro Channel than areas further north along the North American coast where there are much higher seas, more frequent gales, and more frequent dense fog; or south off Central America where there are tropical storms and hurricanes, etc. Just within the past two years a Beneteau 46 homeported in this area went down in the Sea of Cortez in bad weather. (Thankfully, the crew was rescued!!) Nothing like that has happened in the Channel in more than 20 yr, to my knowledge. But that in no way obviates the need for good preparation, experience, suitable watercraft, and a good weather sense when making or planning a crossing.
 
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