It's a good thing that I checked the web site!

[SoSound]

Between @jssailem 's diesel problems, and my home remodel and construction project, it's been a lean year for cruising for me, both personally and vicariously. My wife and I have been planning to go out for at least a short cruise with a couple of overnights. And even at that, we keep pushing it back by a day, then another day, then another... here is where we were going to head to, tomorrow. But it's been a little more than a year since we were there last, so I decided that it would probably be a good idea to check the web site to confirm check in and check out times and other details. Surprise!

Consider this an open invitation to share your own destination close calls and catastrophes, has anyone else just missed getting shut out of a favorite place, or arrived somewhere full of anticipation and think, ...Oops...

 

[jssailem]

Yes. Pretty much all winter. They will demolish and rebuild one of the breakwaters. Then next winter. Repeat on the other breakwater. Will put pressure on the alternate port - Boat Haven. The city pier near the ferry dock is reported to remain open, as well as the mooring basin. No word on the ell grass project off the beach. I would suspect it is still a no anchor zone.

This maybe a boon for the folks at Port Hadlock. It would be a long Uber into Port Townsend.

 

[mermike]

We're currently anchored off Port Townsend between the ferry dock and Boat Haven. There is good holding in 30+ feet of water. It's a short row from here to the fuel dock at Boat Haven. We could have anchored north of the ferry terminal if we were going to head downtown to Waterfront Pizza.

The eelgrass zone is pretty well marked and easy to avoid.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Dave, don't you read Waggoners online?

 

[SoSound]

@Stu Jackson, not this year. I'm lucky that I'm not months behind on SBO, I'll start falling behind on that next month. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[All U Get]

That’s pretty much the East coast, one storm and every marina can be damaged from Maine to the keys.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Just tonight returned from two weeks at Santa Cruz Island; 10 hr of motoring to get back here. Our plans to head out on Sept 11 were met with remnants of hurricane Kay (Cat 2) which marauded north along the Baja peninsula influencing Ensenada and San Diego, roughing things up a bit. But the more lasting effect was to send swells to the south coast of Santa Cruz Island which discouraged anchoring there. Even had the swordfish boats moving to the north coast with us!! Then, three nights of small craft advisories (SCA’s) in our forecast zone, strongest in western portions, kept us holed-up at the easternmost anchorage of the north coast, Little Scorpion (LS). A YC cruise there was spoiled when on the 4th day the cruisers abandoned LS for mainland harbors on continuing forecasts of SCA’s.

Sneaking out anyway and going west to Prisoners we got a couple of nice albeit windy (20 kt) afternoons there under shelter when a low pressure system came on and delivered record breaking rainfall and flooding to the central coast barely 60 miles away (we got some rain too), setting up southeast winds and swells in the East Santa Barbara Channel—a direction from which we were not sheltered at Prisoners. This sent us further west seeking anchorage shelter from the southeast. Acquired a nice location at first, a very pretty spot, but later it delivered the most uncomfortable night of the cruise.

The next day, our 9th, we returned to Prisoners early and were nearly alone there but the place accumulated sailboats throughout the day, evidently to shelter from strong westerlies expected that night. We had the front row seat in front of the mountain so had the best shelter. The winds came but not too strong and not for too long. Lumpy night that night and the next. Spent our last night, yesterday, back at LS which finally was “still” and peaceful.

Moral. We should have been discouraged but ultimately were not. Just “Gimme Shelter” and a good anchor! Ha!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Moral. We should have been discouraged but ultimately were not. Just “Gimme Shelter” and a good anchor! Ha!

Anchoring is like a box of chocolates ....

 

[Kings Gambit]

Fifteen days away from services at remote anchorages is good preparation for extended cruises it seems. Although we’ve gotten much better at it, keeping the batteries up is still a challenge.

 

[SoSound]

..., keeping the batteries up is still a challenge.

batteries,

 

[Kings Gambit]

Just tonight returned from two weeks at Santa Cruz Island; 10 hr of motoring to get back here. Our plans to head out on Sept 11 were met with remnants of hurricane Kay (Cat 2) which marauded north along the Baja peninsula influencing Ensenada and San Diego, roughing things up a bit. But the more lasting effect was to send swells to the south coast of Santa Cruz Island which discouraged anchoring there. Even had the swordfish boats moving to the north coast with us!! Then, three nights of small craft advisories (SCA’s) in our forecast zone, strongest in western portions, kept us holed-up at the easternmost anchorage of the north coast, Little Scorpion (LS). A YC cruise there was spoiled when on the 4th day the cruisers abandoned LS for mainland harbors on continuing forecasts of SCA’s.

Sneaking out anyway and going west to Prisoners we got a couple of nice albeit windy (20 kt) afternoons there under shelter when a low pressure system came on and delivered record breaking rainfall and flooding to the central coast barely 60 miles away (we got some rain too), setting up southeast winds and swells in the East Santa Barbara Channel—a direction from which we were not sheltered at Prisoners. This sent us further west seeking anchorage shelter from the southeast. Acquired a nice location at first, a very pretty spot, but later it delivered the most uncomfortable night of the cruise.

The next day, our 9th, we returned to Prisoners early and were nearly alone there but the place accumulated sailboats throughout the day, evidently to shelter from strong westerlies expected that night. We had the front row seat in front of the mountain so had the best shelter. The winds came but not too strong and not for too long. Lumpy night that night and the next. Spent our last night, yesterday, back at LS which finally was “still” and peaceful.

Moral. We should have been discouraged but ultimately were not. Just “Gimme Shelter” and a good anchor! Ha!

Another year, another cruise to Santa Cruz Island!; Sept 15 to Sept 30–just returned to LA/Long Beach yesterday afternoon. Lying to anchor last night and tonight at Cabrillo Beach Anchorage as the threatened “rain event” dribbles in. Still a pretty place here at CBA. Weather was good overall at Santa Cruz Island but we did make some moves to be clear of the stronger forecast conditions at the western end of the Island. A long night, our ninth at the island, of 17 to 22 kt winds in Little Scorpion tested our mettles. Close to the rocks, sheltered from the strong westerlies and incoming seas, we experienced the “joy” of good ground tackle and choice of sea berth. The unfortunate souls further away from the shelter did not greet the new day with much glee after a rolly night. My nearest neighbor astern by a mere 170 ft in a heavy cruising ketch was up-anchor shortly after dawn high-tailing it home across the East Santa Barbara Channel in high wind and seas, admonishing us on VHF 71 to reconsider our stay out there because “really nasty weather is coming.” We did reconsider after watching incoming seas breaking on the reef in the gap between the rocks sheltering us, but decided just to relocate to Yellow Banks. We did not experience any nasty weather that night or the next. To do well out there, one must understand zonal weather forecasts if that is all you have! (But we had our own personal “weather woman” who provided correct interpretations of more localized forecast models and NOAA broadcast data.)

 

[jssailem]

Nice to have your own weather diviner.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Nice to have your own weather diviner.

Yes, it was. Santa Cruz Island intersects three weather forecast zones. The whole situation out there is very dynamic and changeable. The north coast is generally windier and colder than the south, but also much more scenic. Anchorages there usually present a lee shore, whereas the south coast ones are open roadsteads with an open sea alee. Take your pick. Quite the wild and wonderful setting, but a treacherous one as well. Cruisers have said that if you can cruise California’s northern Channel Islands, then you can cruise anywhere. A big claim; but it might be true.