December swell, back to the Harbor

On December 4th one of the largest swells of the decade swept through California. I was going to re-anchor the boat further offshore; then a lobster fisherman came by on his boat. He was pulling up his traps because "this swell was going to be huge"; he recommended I return to the harbor. So I took his advice.

surfing at Naples on the big wednesday

campus point inside at poles was peeling all the way to goleta beach

I turned out to be a good idea - my boat had been previously anchored halfway out on the bay, where now waves were threatening to break. I was also able to enjoy the waves without having to worry about my boat washing up on the beach. Most likely, I would have had to paddle out there on my surfboard and taken her to deeper water. But I'm glad I was at the marina and didn't have to fret.

campus point low tide december 3rd

enroute to Naples - nobody else around

I spent the rest of the winter in the Santa Barbara harbor, commuting to school by bus (which takes 25 minutes). It's only affordable to spend about 2 weeks in the harbor, because after that they double the rates on us: for a 30 foot boat, it goes from $18 to $36. So at that stage I anchor the boat for 1 week, then the rate goes back down.

early morning at the SB harbor

However, between Nov 1 and Apr 1 "winter anchorage" rules are in effect, which means we need to anchor about 2 miles east of the harbor - it is extremely uncomfortable out there (very rolly) and a pain to get to. Since I don't have an outboard for my dinghy, I would try to borrow my friend's skiff with a nice yamaha engine. Still, it was a major effort to get out there, pull anchor, and motor the sailboat back to the marina.

moonrise at the East Beach winter anchorage