The following article by Lt Steve Hodges, JN, SBPS Safety Officer appeared in the February edition of the Signal Hoist.

ISLAND CRUISING IN WINTER
Lt Steve Hodges, JN, Safety Officer

In a 1999 winter cruise I barely missed the deadly NE gale that resulted in the death of a local fisherman. I took my son Sam and his friend Luke for what we'd planned as a three or four day "boys on the boat" trip to the Channel Islands. We left on Frolic, our 36 ft. sailing vessel, on the morning of 20 Dec and enjoyed calm and sunny conditions with a fine east breeze. Yes, it was NE conditions but I figured if I listened to the weather, eavesdropped on the fisherman, and anchored with the notion that strong NE winds could come at any time, we'd be OK.

I hailed a friend who was fishing in the east channel and he reported a 15-knot east wind. We were on C200 headed for Forney's or Becher's, choice to be decided between the mid- Santa-Barbara-Channel buoy.

As we passed the halfway mark and were approaching the shipping lanes, a west swell advisory was issued. I had just finished a cell phone call with a snow-bound Boston business associate and had described the beautiful weather we were experiencing, and jokingly pretended that we were about to run into a blue whale. As if summoned, we spotted several tall vertical spouts to our east, between our position and Santa Cruz Island. We quickly altered course toward the spouts, from a broad to a close reach in the east wind. It turned out the whales were about three miles off Cueva Valdez, heading slowly west toward the afternoon sun.

I slowed Frolic when I thought we were 1/4- 1/2 mile from them, and suddenly luffed to a stop as one large Blue Whale appeared just off our port bow, perhaps 20 yards off. It takes along time for the broad back of an adult blue whale to finish its arc, noticeable for the relatively small dorsal fin near the end .The spout appeared at least as tall as our mast, some 50 feet off the water, and had an unappetizing lived-in aroma. We were inadvertently in the midst of a large pod of Blue Whales!

NE conditions and west swell advisories and a full moon-where does one anchor for the night? Fagen advises staying home for just the first reason. As beautiful as it is, I don't like spending the night at Forney's around a full (or new) moon because the west reef that protects the anchorage is overrun. Combined with a west swell, a comfortable stay is not likely! And Forney's is dangerous when NE winds fill-in-one is easily trapped against the rocks. Fortunately, nearby Christy's is a safe refuge from strong NE winds.

Anchorages east of Diablo Point on the North side, or Bowen Point on the south side, are ill advised in NE conditions. Lady's has never given me good holding, though Fagen mentions this as being a possible refuge in NE conditions. We decided to anchor at Cueva Valdez, as far east as possible in six fathoms with the knowledge that a west swell was coming. I swung on a single hook to make a fast getaway easier.

After all that careful mental exertion, we had a quiet and pleasant night. We woke to a beautiful, though very dry and clear, warm morning. Absolutely no dew was apparent. The boys took the inflatable with outboard to explore and dive. I went kayaking down the coast to Lady's. I couldn't shoot the arch just west of Lady's because the west swell had arrived.

When I got back to Frolic, Sam and Luke were headed out for round two of diving. A small craft advisory predicted for that evening due to 30 knots NE winds and a continued west swell advisory .Some big sets had rolled through Cueva. After the boys returned, we listened again to the weather and discussed our options: stay, leave, or leave later. We decided to defer the decision. The decision was not made lightly. The same crew had survived a previous unplanned night crossing during a gale after our anchor dragged in 44 knots at Yellowbanks. That incident had inspired me to replace my anchor with one twice as heavy and to replace my 160 feet of chain with 300 feet. Experimentation off East Beach in Santa Barbara had taught me that a 15-foot nylon snubber drastically amplifies scope. The bottom line was that I was confident of any anchor and crew. We spent the afternoon hiking and exploring, and returned to the boat to eat as the sun set, about 1630.

Somehow, we unanimously decided to leave after a meal, perhaps because of the pleasant prospect of a night crossing with a full moon on a clear warm and calm night. The memory of how rough a rough crossing can be certainly was in my mind! So we returned to the SB harbor arriving about 2200.

Later I learned that an experienced fisherman, Bill Bossert, died that night when much stronger than predicted NE winds struck him at San Miguel lsland.

Lessons learned and reinforced:

-Listen to the weather reports regularly, two or three times a day in the winter.
-Continuously Observe. The dryness and lack of dew in the morning are well known signs of NE conditions.
-Refer to the local guide books, such as Brian Fagen's Cruising the Channel Islands. I bought a new edition after my 1977 copy disintegrated.
-Don't be afraid to change plans. It's never pleasant to admit fear, but it's the only way to address its cause. It may have a real basis.