The Window….

Waiting, waiting……. Dan obsessively checking NOAA (http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sectors/pacsouthwest.php) which has really cool time lapse color mapping to describe the marine conditions in three hour increments.  Of particular interest were the wind speed and the wave height; the two deciding factors on ‘weather’ or not.  The focus of concern was Pt Conception, just north of Santa Barbara; California’s elbow.  This area is notorious for gale force winds and steep seas.  The ‘trade winds’ blow from north to south along California’s coast making a northerly trip one of beating up (and being beaten up!).

So when Dan saw that the winds were briefly shifting to an unusual south to north direction, it seemed like the window he was looking for.  So it was back down to Ventura where Cair Paravel was waiting.  With a quick reprovisioning, and one final check of NOAA……. the small craft advisory would be dissipating by midnight…..  Dan was anxious to go; I was just anxious, here we Go!

Ventura Harbor, Saturday, June 4, 2011  11:35 am

Winds light to moderate from the southwest, overcast skies, swells 2-4 feet.

Single Reefed Main, Jib and Staysail

Donned foul weather gear as the cold becomes apparent. 

We are visited by dolphins, a pair of black backed, white bellies who seem to enjoy racing the bow wave; they duck back and forth from starboard to port  playing with speed, then fall back to disappear under the boat before shooting ahead to win the race and start the game again.  

Winds 15-25 knots from the southwest, swells 6-8 feet  

Dusk descends, the shore lights twinkle on as the wind and seas increase.  Occasionally we hit 8+ knots surfing down a swell. Making good time, (too good a time), we enter into the ‘small craft advisory’ conditions as we approach Point Conception well before midnight.  Dan put up extra canvas cloths to provide some shelter from the rain, but the south west winds, providing an extra boost of speed make the lea cloths only marginally effective.  The self steering is attending to the compass direction, but doesn’t seem to be able to pick up the way point…… are the seas too confused? sending to many mixed messages?  I become fixated on the GPS chart, with our little boat’s arrow inching across the screen as the clouds descend and we are engulfed in darkness. 

The oil rigs that appear as gray apartment blocks in the day, now glow faintly in the gloom.  The GPS depicts the underwater topography as well as the depth soundings.  The sea bed looks like the shore sand that has been rippled by waves; washboard mountains below are not hard to imagine when riding the steep seas above.  At 2:48 am we reach Point Arguello and leave the “Graveyard of the Pacific” to stern. 

Dan stands the first solitary watch as I go below shedding foulies and crawling into the bunk.  Inadvertently, as I release my life line harness and drop it in the companionway, the buckle hits the self steering switch and turns it off.  Unaware, I go to sleep as Dan begins arm wrestling the seas in the blowing rain…..