Santa Barbara and fuel redux

We spent two nights at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club guest dock in SB Harbor. The harbor setup is great for cruisers. 90 cents a foot per night at the guest slips, less at SBYC. Make sure your seacocks are closed when you show up as the Harbor Patrol just might drop a dye tab in. There's an electric trolley that stops near the harbor and takes you into town for 25 cents a ride. Even with the trolley available, Chris managed to get us on a death march to the old Santa Barbara Mission. It is the 10th mission along the mission trail in California. Founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1786.

The gates to Heaven are well protected

The Saben's celebrating their 19th anniversary at Happy Hour in the Fish Enterprise. Notice the clean shirt Steve put on for the occasion. Flowers too from the SB farmers market (runs on Tuesdays, 4-7 on State St-- is a nice farmers market).







We needed to get going from SB as Chris is off to Ethiopia for a 2 week job on Oct 8th. We stopped for the night at Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island (Channel Islands). We originally went into Little Scorpion as the guide books say it is better. We weren't impressed with the anchorage -- rocks, kelp and surge. We must be spoiled coming from the PNW where there are thousands of protected anchorages every where. The places they call anchorages in the Channel Is wouldn't even get a second glance as an anchorage up north. If the shore indents 14 feet or more they call is something Anchorage here. If it goes along for more than 100 feet, the it is named something Bay. The pieces of land inbetween are named something Point. None of the Channel Is anchoarges we've been at feel verify secure and the guide books spend most of their text describing what winds and conditions you can't use the anchorages in.

Anacapa Island sunrise as we were leaving Santa Cruz or Catalina.

We did a bit of a detour going from Santa Cruz Is to Catalina Is. I wanted to stop by and check out Santa Barbra Is. It is really remote and I remember trying to sail there in my 26ft Pearson 30 years ago when I lived in Southern Cal. We didn't make it that time as we got beat back by the afternoon winds. Probably a good thing as the anchorage in Santa Barbara Is is not too secure looking- surprise!










Now comes the 'fuel redux'. It has been basically a motorboat tip from Sana Barbara till Catalina - light light winds. We were about 4 miles outside of Catalana Harbor at the Isthmus when the engine died. I checked the fuel and their wasn't any. we had enough wind to push us along at 1 knot and maybe 45 minutes of day light left.  I got that look from Chris that said she was going to let me off the hook till we got in, then let me know what kind of an ass I was. We loaded the engine on the dink, side tied it to the boat and started pushing our way into Cat Harbor. About an hour and half later we wove our way through the moorings shining the dive light on each and picked up our assigned  mooring in the dark.  Adventure over.

The quintessential Catalina greeter

It turned out to be Buccaneer's Weekend at the Isthmus. Something akin to a drunken brawl and talk-like-a-pirate day.

Square riggers and Pirate flags....Aaaarrrgghhh!

We're off around the island to Avalon next... where Chris and I firstsailed together 30 years ago. For old times sake.  Paul