Oct 1 - Sail from Prisoner’s Harbor, Santa Cruz Island to Santa Barbara.

We spent one night anchored in Prisoners Harbor. The boat pitched and yawed in the swells all night making our sleep less than restful.  I noticed that one boat had arrived after us and dropped its hook close to the shore on the west side of the harbor. It found protection in the lee of the cliffs on shore, no swells interrupted the sleep of its crew that night. The skipper must have anchored here before and learned where to tuck in out of reach of the swells.

We weighed anchor at 9:15AM and headed north across the Santa Barbara channel. Our destination was Santa Barbara harbor in the city of the same name. Our course took us 22 miles north across the Santa Barbara channel. We sailed on a beam reach with west winds blowing at 18-20 knots most of the way. It was a lively sail. It took 5 hours to cross the channel and we got a closer look at the offshore oil platforms that stand like sentinels protecting Santa Barbara Harbor. 

Our first stop in the harbor was the fuel dock, where we took on 26 gallon of diesel. Next stop was the harbor office where we got our slip assignment and finally we docked Cool Breez’n for a well-deserved rest. Since none of the crew had ever been to Santa Barbara we were all anxious to get cleaned up and see what the town had to offer. We explored the shops and lobby of the Maritime Museum (it was already closed) in the inner harbor, and walked along the bike path past the beach, volley ball courts and boat ramps. We discovered one boat that had capsized earlier at the ramp and was a total loss but never learned how the accident happened. Then we walked out to the end of the fishing pier. Santa Barbara’s fishing pier is the oldest in the state it has several restaurants, souvenir, taffy and wine tasting shops, and a small aquarium. We were surprised to see that there are no railings at the end of the pier. When I asked about this obvious safety hazard I was told that it was in keeping with the historical character of the pier. I couldn’t but wonder who would own their historic pier after of the many lawyers in town sued the state when someone falls off the pier and drowns.

Santa Barbara is where we change crew once again. Bill will be leaving the boat tomorrow and Cindy will be joining us in a few days. We made the most of our last night with Bill by enjoying a fine sea food dinner onshore (which Bill treated us to, thanks again Bill) and talking about the experiences we shared together. Bill was a great addition to our crew. He quickly made friends with Alex by playing chess with him, asking him about music he listened to and about his experience sailing offshore. When it was time for Bill to leave we were both sorry to say good bye.

Now my thoughts turned to Cindy’s arrival in two days, we had much to do. The boat had been home to four males for almost a month. You might imagine that we had some domestic chores to do before she arrived and you’d be correct.. We cleaned the boat inside and out, knowing that it would not completely pass muster when she arrived but knowing that we had to give it our best attempt. Buckets, soap, wash brushes and the hose were employed with lust to the outside of the boat. Then sleeping bags, pillows and blankets where arranged on deck to air out. Next dirty laundry was gathered and hidden from sight, later there would be time to wash it. Counters were wiped clean, floors were swept and the stove got special attention. We no sooner finished our labors, showered and changed into clean, tropical tourist threads when my cell phone announced that Cindy had arrived by taxi.  It was time for a warm reunion, and celebration to mark the beginning of our cruise together as a family.