Bjorklund Log: Channel Islands, part 2

After a lovely visit to Santa Barbara, we headed back across the channel to see more of the Channel Islands. Absolutely beautiful. Sheer cliffs that drop into the sea, kind of like the fjords in BC and Alaska, but without the trees we are accustomed to, and just open ocean opposite. The colors to see are a study in browns, with the occasional flush of green where a low lying plant is growing over the brown. That juxtaposes nicely with the turquoise water...yes, turquoise!

The only problem we had with the Channel Islands was that we couldn't get ashore. We went to Smuggler's cove on Santa Cruz Island, East Fish Camp on Anacapa Island, and near the landing on Santa Barbara Island (no real coves, you just anchor in the lee of the island). Mind you, we didn't try too hard to get ashore, but the only beach was on Santa Cruz Island, and we weren't eager to try a surf landing again (after a fairly disastrous first try in San Simeon cove), on Anacapa there was just sheer rock, no way to land, and on Santa Barbara Island, we saw what we presume all the Channel Island landings look like. A tall pier (like 20-25') that you are supposed to briefly drop people off at the bottom of a ladder to climb up. Mind you, the boat in the water is pitching in the ocean swell, and the person piloting the boat needs to ensure it stays off the rocks, because the pier is built on the side of a cliff. Way too adventurous for this crew which includes 5 year olds! We just stayed on the boat and had a wonderful time playing Sleeping Queens (thank you Amdur family!), pulling buckets of water on board using the winch (boys figured out the benefit of mechanical advantage and used the winch all on their own, I was so proud!) listening to the Little House in the Big Woods audio book, boatschooling, and cooking yummy food.

After Santa Barbara Island, we headed over to Catalina Island. I was really reluctant to go there after reading the descriptions in the guide books of harbors with hundreds of bow and stern moorings shoehorned into fairly small coves, with water taxis buzzing around...not to mention how expensive the moorings are. We had a date to go to Long Beach four days away, and no where else to go other than Catalina. As soon as we poked our nose into a beautiful Catalina Harbor with green hillsides and trails of red dirt, and saw that maybe 15% of the 170 moorings were filled, my reluctance started to wane. We tried to find a place to anchor to avoid the expense of the moorings, but no dice...the guidebook said there was space for an additional 200 boats to anchor around the mooring field...had to be a typo, no way, no how.

We called the harbormaster for a mooring assignment and then we got to experience the ease of picking up a bow and stern mooring in Cat Harbor. Our first attempt at picking up a bow and stern mooring was at Angel Island and it was a complete F*** up where eventually people from two different boats came out to help us. At Catalina, they've figured out how to make it easy. A pole sticks up from the mooring, you grab that and pull the line it is attached to to get the hawser to loop on your bow cleat. Then you keep pulling the pick up line attached to the bow line (all the lines are weighted so they sink and you don't have to worry about catching them in your prop), keep pulling the pick up line until the hawser that you attach to your stern comes up, loop that on a cleat and you are done. Probably 3 minutes total. Easy cheesy.

It was definitely off season and we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We happily spent 3 nights on that same mooring, by that point $41/ night (more than we were paying in Santa Barbara for a dock, free showers and close laundry) felt like a bargain, the place was that great. Catalina Harbor is ~1/2 mile walk from Isthmus Harbor where more moorings are, as well as a general store, bar and restaurant. We had a wonderful time playing in the sand, the water (I even went swimming...that is an indication of how warm the water was!) and getting ice cream. Top it all off with a shower and clean laundry. Cruiser's paradise. Since we were off season. On season...it probably wouldn't be our thing. We didn't go to Avalon, the major city on the island, and didn't feel any need to, the beauty and pace of Cat Harbor and Isthmus cove was just right.

This kid just loves being up on the boom!
From Channel Islands part 1, Cuyler Harbor on San Miguel Island,

Those lumps on the beach at Cuyler Harbor, San Miguel Island?
Elephant seals!

Lars is looking at the elephant seals up close and personal

Lars the nature explorer and Papa

Odin also loves to stand on top of the dingy. Notice the harness and
tether? A real favorite for being on deck now. They can choose between
harness and life jacket. They still need to ask for permission to go
forward of the house when underway. It's all working very well.