California's Cape Horn

Peggy's Post: Point Arguello and Point Conception have been know since the 19^th century as the "Cape Horn of the Pacific". They form a pair of formidable headlands, fog-ridden, extremely windy, and notorious for their turbulence. The very names put fear into even the seasoned small boat sailor's heart. (from CRUISING GUIDE, SAN FRANCISCO TO ENSENADA)

You can imagine the above description has had me worried about this part of our trip since before we left San Francisco. On Monday, October 6, 2014 we left Morro Bay, CA, in the fog (it is beginning to be the norm for us) and in company with another sailboat “A Deux”. We were both hoping the weather forecast would hold: light variable winds with swells and wind waves that weren't too big. And it did hold, until the middle of the night when we were rounding these two dreaded headlands. Then things turned windy and messy and wet (I got dumped on by a wave) and cold and dark and foggy. Once we put a 2^nd reef in the main sail (i.e. reducing the sail making it smaller) the ride wasn't as wild. If you can imagine it, picture Jay hanging on to the mast with one hand, trying to pull down a wildly flapping sail, while trying to tie it around the boom with the other hand; as I am standing in the cockpit fighting the tiller, trying to keep the boat headed upwind (so we wouldn't roll), while pulling the reefing line. This was complicated as we were trying to dodge off-shore oil platforms at the time. Later, as we crossed the Santa Barbara Shipping Channel we also had to dodge huge ocean freighters in the dark. Thankfully we were able to contact them on the marine radio to let them know we were out there too.

All I can say is it was a good thing we were able to spend the next few days at Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands in beautiful anchorages regrouping. We also enjoyed gorgeous sailing weather as we sailed between these two islands. Oh and of course dolphins! There were dozen of them swimming around “Little Lara” performing tricks one typically only sees at Sea World. It was as if they were putting on a private show just for us, welcoming us to sunny southern California. It is experiences like these that makes the rounding of  “The Cape” a bad memory … and a good story.

Jay's Post: A gremlin is a fantastic creature commonly depicted as harmless yet mischievous, with a specific interest in boats. Gremlins' mischievous natures are similar to those of English folkloric imps. Gremlins are also found on “Little Lara”! Peggy says there are no such creatures and says I am crazy to think so. But, they are there. They are not hallucinations brought on by sleep deprivation like the time I was crew on “Serenity” (a Pacific Seacraft 37 and larger version of “Little Lara”). I was on watch three days out of Corpus Christi, Texas bound for Mexico when I went below to update the ship's log, but was unable to do so because the pencil kept floating away from me. As I repeatedly reached in the air to grab it, I heard one of my crewmates ask me what I was doing. I told him I was trying to grab the pencil. He said it was on the navigation table, not in the air! Or the time I was crewing on “Kukulei” (a Nor'sea 27) two days out of Honduras bound for Houston, Texas. I was again on night watch when I repeatedly heard some yelling “help me ... help me ... help me”. I actually stood up in the boat's cockpit and looked around to see if anyone was there. There was no one there.

Gremlins are interesting creatures. They do all sorts of cute things like laugh, sing, play music and dance. When they laugh, it is more like a chuckle. When they sing, you can not quite make out the words, though the tune often sounds familiar. When they dance, you hear them stomping and jumping on the deck.

They can also be quite mischievous, though they never do anything harmful. For example, there is a pressure release valve in one of our thermos bottles. This valve is removable for cleaning. Recently, it turned up missing. We looked for it for over a week, finally giving up, deciding it had been thrown away accidentally. Yesterday, it turned up – on the counter -- in plain sight.

This is not unusual. In the past I have lost knives, tools, gloves, etc. eventually having them turn up later. But what is unusual, which is why I believe there are gremlins on “Little Lara” is I will set a tool down, only to find it elsewhere on the boat. For example, I will put a screwdriver down on the deck next to the project I am working on only to find it in the head (bathroom). And, I had not been in the head until I found it there! Or, I will put my gloves on my bunk only to find them later in the cockpit.

Whether gremlins are real or not, you may argue with me, but I want you all to know what is real: God loves us, the Gospel is true, there is a living prophet on the earth today, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are scripture, and families are forever. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.

We hope you enjoy this video of our anchorage at Cochos Prietos, Santa Cruz. Channel Islands: