Port San Luis to Santa Barbara

We spent several more days than we’d planned in Port San Luis while we waited for favourable winds and sea conditions to round Point Conception on the way to San Miguel Island. We’re glad we waited. We had comfortable conditions for our overnight sail. Comfortable conditions for an area that’s known for being quite uncomfortable.

Once at San Miguel the winds picked up to the point that we did not want to launch our dinghy. We didn’t mind too much as we were tired after our overnight sail but on the second day, when the winds continued, we decided to sail east to Santa Rosa Island. The forecast showed less wind in that direction. It was unfortunate to miss going ashore to enjoy the long sandy beach at San Miguel but that’s sailing.

The winds at Santa Rosa were a little better but they were still too strong in the anchorage to launch the dinghy. Things were better the next morning but we wanted to keep moving so we decided to pick up the anchor and sail along the north side of Sant Cruz Island to a spot called Scorpion Anchorage.

We enjoyed two nights at Scorpion Anchorage. It was once a sheep ranch so there are several old buildings and farm implements on display. We enjoyed getting ashore and going for a hike. We were surprised how busy it was with day-trippers arriving by ferry and many people camping overnight. It is part of the national park system which may account for its popularity.

From Santa Cruz we had planned to make a long day trip to Catalina Island. It is about 75 nm (139 km) so we were up well before the sun in order to arrive in daylight. Shortly after leaving the anchorage, we heard a strange knocking coming from our engine. We discovered that the bracket which holds the alternator to the engine had worked loose. One of the bolts had completely broken off. We limped back into the anchorage, dropped the hook and waited for daylight to properly assess the damage.

Upon assessment, we decided to go to Santa Barbara to make the necessary repairs. We removed the alternator, the bracket and several belts so there’d be no further damage if we ran the engine. We couldn’t run the engine at normal speeds because it wasn’t able to cool properly without the belts. Also, there was very little wind so we motored, sailed and drifted our way to Santa Barbara where we are now. We arrived on Friday afternoon–too late for a mechanic to come to the boat–so we have one coming on Monday.

In the meantime, we’ve busied ourselves on some projects. We are at a marina, so Sharlene has taken advantage of the unlimited fresh water to give the boat a good scrub from top to bottom.

We’ll get out and enjoy a bit of what Santa Barbara has to offer too. Originally, we hadn’t planned to stop in Santa Barbara but now that we’re here, we’d better make lemonade!