Blog - Santa Barbara Sail & Power Squadron

October 2024 September Cruises to Coches Prietos and Cueva Valdez by Scott Burns

October 12, 2024 by Steve York

Both Coches Prietos and Cueva Valdez have sandy beaches. Over Labor Day, Benchmark mostly motored over and around the east end to get to Coches. Coming back on Sunday, we sailed after we turned the corner at the east end, sailing about 2 hours. We motor-sailed the rest of the way. We were very surprised that there were about 30 boats anchored at Coches or Alberts. A lot of SB Yacht Club members were there for the weekend, so it is hard to spot Benchmark or Alec Hardy’s boat. We had a few drinks on the beach.

June 2024 Benchmark survives its shakedown cruise by Scott Burns & More on the shakedown cruise by Alec Hardy

June 3, 2024 by Steve York

I go to Frys every May to find out what I’ve forgotten to bring so I’ll be better prepared for the rest of the summer.

High point of the trip was that the Coreopsis gigantea was in bloom, Usually, they bloom in March and April, but with the rain, they were beautiful in May.

This year we were also able to help others that may anchor at Frys later this summer. We killed about 100 flies at the anchorage, so maybe we decimated the population. Time will tell.

It was overcast and cold with the sun coming out for about ½ hour Friday afternoon, the crossing was calm with no wind Friday morning, and returning on Saturday we had enough wind to motor sail for two hours on the way back. Two other boats at the anchorage, Alec Hardy and Bob and a couple from Ventura Power squadron, (Jim and Alice) that invited all of us for happy hour Friday evening on their boat, Slingshot.

I’d only forgotten some silverware that I took home to be washed last fall, so very good shakedown trip.

More on the shakedown cruise

The only thing I forgot from my meticulous Meal list were lemons, so food was not an issue. We were able to do light hiking, explore the sea caves and the historical rusted metal something-or-others on the beach.

Saturday morning we made sure to catch lots of fish and scallops as soon as Benchmark left. Saturday night dinner was Ocean Whitefish Alfredo over fettuccini with a scallop sashimi appetizer. Slingshot had

left by this time, and we assumed we’d be there alone, but we were joined by one other boat around sundown.

Most of our issues were cooking related and I need a new stove top before the next trip as the current one likes to leak huge clouds of propane.

March 2023 The Adventure of a Lifetime by Virginia Johns

March 9, 2024 by Steve York

As Dennis and I prepare for teaching our part of the upcoming cruise planning course, I got hooked on reliving our ultimate adventure by reading some of our blog posts from that time. Here is our very first post, before we had departed Santa Barbara.

It reminded me of how we had done a lot of cruising in our local waters the ten years before we left on that journey. The skills learned in those years from our squadron courses and buddy boating cruises to the islands prepared us for comfortably exploring further in our Channel Islands, Baja Haha rallies to Mexico, and crossing oceans. We continue to enjoy our local cruising grounds since returning home. Whether you want to cruise the Channel Islands, cross the border to Mexico, or go beyond…

I highly recommend taking the squadron Cruise Planning under Power and Sail course

Starting Tues March 5th

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Cruise planning: up close and personal

30 September 2010 | still home in Santa Barbara

Virginia Johns

We bought s/v Libertad nearly a decade ago and the lofty goal (inconceivable dream?) then was to cruise when we retired, perhaps circumnavigate. Thus our intention was to purchase a boat that would be up to the task and with our mostly local cruising during these 10 years, we are satisfied we made the right selection. Even so, at that time it was overwhelming to think about planning such an extensive cruise and now that our departure is rapidly nearing, I’ve been thinking back on how it all happened.

We spent the first couple years learning about our boat by cruising in the Channel Islands. We enhanced our sailing knowledge by joining the Santa Barbara Sail and Power Squadron (SBSPS), taking every squadron course that was offered and by participating in as many of the planned cruises as our busy work schedules would allow. We also read voraciously about the topic – 4 monthly magazines (Latitude 38, Sail, Cruising World, Practical Sailor) and many personal-story and reference books. Through all this we were dog-earing the pages in the reading material and noting in the margin items that needed to be on our “list”: things to buy, things to research, things to learn. Visiting the boats of other squadron members also gave us good ideas. Together we picked away at this list over the years but it soon became clear that our approach to this task would be best served if we patterned it after our married life “partnership”. So we divided the tasks to match our specific skill sets. This allowed each of us to focus on our individual tasks and make more progress. However, it did result in some unshared expertise which we plan to remedy with cross-training once we are under way and sharing tasks onboard.

Dennis is responsible for items related to the operation of the boat and navigation. This includes not only having working systems, but also secondary systems and spare parts for all of these. He approached the task with the philosophy that if you have it, you won’t need it (thank goodness * Libertad* has lots of storage space!). For instance, for battery charging power we will have the Perkins engine, solar panels, a wind generator, a propeller shaft-driven alternator, and a portable gasoline powered generator. Squadron members who crewed aboard *Libertad* on the 2008 Baja Ha-Ha can appreciate these additions, having gotten lots of practice with hand steering and navigating with paper charts as we were unable to recharge the batteries when all we had was the Perkins and we lost the starter motor forcing us to turn off most electronics!! For steering we have an autopilot as well as a wind vane. We’ve also added a watermaker, freezer, sea anchor, a main staysail, various new running rigging, and a new set of sails.

I am responsible for items related to safety and communication. Some obvious items in these areas are boat and medical insurance (including emergency evacuation), flares, life raft, satellite phone, SSB radio with pactor modem for email, website for our pictures and blog, and of course webcams for us, our parents, and son so that we can call and “visit” them using Skype. As a part of this, I am developing our reference library. I’ve really enjoyed that part of my job – the new Jimmy Cornell book that was released this month just arrived.

And then there is our house for which we had numerous “deferred” maintenance issues as well as preparations to rent it -we split that list too.

Dennis is in charge of the remodel projects and I’m in charge of downsizing so that we don’t have to store so much while we are gone. Craigslist is my new friend.

We share the rest – such as entertainment, the galley, and creature comforts. I like to sew, so I’m busy making sail covers, winch covers, sail bags, bedding; I bought a new Sailrite machine and I love it although it will require a special (read LARGE) storage space. Dennis loves his music so he is working on installing speakers “in every room”. We also plan on having “movie nights”, so he will be installing a flat screen that can run DVD’s off the laptop. I’m loading up my Kindle with reading material so we don’t have to take as many paper books and can use that space for my sewing machine -see, it all works out. Dennis is deciding which musical instrument he’ll learn how to play and doesn’t take up too much room -fortunately drums are out of the question.

Here are some lessons we have learned along the way.

1. *You can’t start too early.* While we wanted to purchase some of the equipment closer to our departure date so that we had the latest technology, it helped to know which items we needed in advance so that we could keep an eye on the market and focus our visits to the boat shows.

2. *The internet is indispensible.* We have spent hundreds of hours on our computers researching equipment, insurance plans, country visa and entry requirements, and the like. The majority of our purchases have been over the net as well.

3. *Plans change.* We invested a lot of time preparing for our two sweet dogs to make the trip with us. But we eventually had to make the hard, emotional, decision to leave them behind. They are not comfortable with boating life and it’s just not fair to them to drag them along. Anyone interested in the companionship of two weimaraners for the next couple years? Anyone need some ramps, dog life vests, boat booties, books on ‘pets aboard’, and doggie tranquilizers?

4. *Some things are never off the list.* After we purchased an item we would feel good about taking something off the list, only to see a related item reappear later. For instance, the life raft we purchased in 2008 needed to be repacked, the EPIRB battery had to be checked and its hydrostatic release replaced, PDFs had to be rearmed. And of course, as we learned in the Cruise Planning course, this routine will never stop – we will need to have monthly and annual maintenance lists to stay on top of things.

We are still very busy with the preparations, but our target departure date is approaching and we are getting excited for this adventure to start. Joining SBSPS was one of the smartest decisions we made early on in our planning. We have learned so much from the courses and the other members. And we will certainly be glad to share our ‘lists’ with any of you planning a similar adventure!

February 2024 Baja Ha-Ha 2023 by George Poe

February 5, 2024 by Steve York

The inspiration to join the 2023 Ha-Ha started in November of 2022. I helped a friend sail his Catalina C445 from Nuevo Vallarta to Loreto. We only had one overnight passage and I had a blast.

So, upon returning home I set about getting Life is Short, cruise ready. I had no idea how much work I had in front of me. In short, I added Lithium batteries, an upgraded alternator and regulator, solar panels, a charger/inverter and had to rewire the boat for the larger current batteries. I also added a portable watermaker and finally, Starlink internet.

We got the boat ready just before our departure on 10/25. Mark, my brother-in-law, joined me for the voyage from Santa Barbara to San Diego. We enjoyed barbecued jalapeno burgers at Yellowbanks to end our first leg. Our next night was spent at Isthmus Harbor. We entered the Harbor at night and needed assistance finding our mooring. Our last night was spent at Oceanside harbor. We arrived in San Diego the following afternoon and took on fuel and hunkered down in our slip in South Bay.

*Mark left the boat and Mike Haden (L) and Alan Harper (R) joined me(C) on the boat the night before the start of the Ha Ha.*

The following morning, we started early as the trip from South Bay to Shelter Island is farther than one might expect. The parade of 100+ boats motored by Shelter Island and the first leg of the 2023 Baja Ha Ha was on. We had little wind, so the entire fleet was motoring for the first few hours. As the wind picked up a few of the larger boats started flying chutes and slowly the fleet was under sail alone. I don’t have a spinnaker, so we used a whisker pole to pole out the jib and a preventer on the main. At 35 feet, we were one of the smallest boats in the fleet, so we focused on a safe, comfortable ride.

We had a bit of excitement on the second evening at sea. We were enjoying dinner under sail as the wind started dying. After dinner we tried to start the motor and it would not start! We knew it must be lack of fuel so I grabbed a multimeter and went below. It appeared that the lift pump was not getting power, so I created a quick harness to power the pump from a 12v source. That did the trick, and we all sighed a breath of relief as the motor came to life.

During a calm interlude, Mike and Alan went forward and noticed a broken cotter key on deck and that a pin holding the mast toggle to the boom was working its way free. For the remainder of the voyage, each watch would inspect the pin and pound it back in to position if required.

After 3 days at sea on 11/2, we arrived in Turtle Bay at about 11 AM. That afternoon we all gathered at the baseball stadium and enjoyed the annual baseball game.

The following morning, we awoke to news that one of our boats in the fleet had sunk while entering Turtle Bay. All three aboard were rescued but we all had questions as to how this had happened. Speculation was rampant at the beach party the following day.

On 11/4 we started the second leg to Bahia Santa Maria (BSM). This leg is a bit shorter at 240nm. We enjoyed a bit of excitement on this leg as well. About 60nm from BSM we observed lightning in the distance. As I mentioned, we were one of the smallest boats in the fleet so nearly everyone was in front of us. We could tell from AIS that many vessels had slowed, stopped or turned around. We continued vowing to anchor next to the boat with the tallest mast in the anchorage. We didn’t have to outrun the bear!

We arrived at BSM on 11/6 around 8 PM. By then all of the lightning and rain was gone so we suspended our search for the tallest mast and enjoyed a toast of Kraken rum. This year the check in procedure was done in Bahia Santa Maria instead of Cabo San Lucas. The Mexican officials arrived rather late and we were asked to bring our documents to Profligate, a 63 foot catamaran. A hundred or so dinghies rafted up to Profligate was quite a sight! The following day we had the Rock and Roll beach party, which happens on a deserted beach only once a year.

Since we were far behind the fleet on leg two, we decided to get an early start and leave at 3 AM on 11/8 for leg three. By the time we got our anchor up, the wind increased from 10 to 20+ kts. Once out of the anchorage, the wind increased to 25 kts with gusts above 30 kts. The rather large following sea was very uncomfortable. As we passed Isla Santa Margarita, we enjoyed warm rain for several hours. Gradually the wind and sea state calmed, and we passed Land’s End early morning on 11/10.

*We anchored around 9AM and got ready for the Beach Party at the*
*Mango Deck.*

On the morning net for 11/11, we learned that we needed to check out with the port captain. The trouble is, we didn’t check in. Apparently, we were not alone. The port captain opened the office from 9AM to 1PM and we checked in and checked out. Whew!

The following morning, we departed from Cabo San Lucas at 6AM with Nuevo Vallarta as our ultimate destination. This was the first leg of the journey where we were on our own. A highlight of this leg is

when we hove to in the middle of the Sea of Cortez and went swimming. The current was pretty strong so we created a life line of dock lines tied to a fender.

We arrived at Paradise Village Marina on 11/14 around 11AM. Once we got checked in, we all enjoyed a warm shower and late lunch.

We had a great time, a real bucket list experience for me. The boat remains in Mexico where I am fixing items we managed to break on the voyage down. Until she is cruise ready again, we will use her as our floating condo. While at the Paradise Village Marina we are technically guests of the Paradise Marina Resort so we enjoy afternoons under their palapas on the beach. We plan to leave her in Mexico for two seasons before making the bash home.

October 2023 Cruise to Pelican by Lisa & Scott Burns and Virginia & Dennis Johns

October 11, 2023 by Steve York

From Benchmark:

The weekend of September 22-24 was the last cruise on SBSPS 2023 calendar. Calm seas and light winds on Friday made for a relatively quick and easy motoring for Point lead, Scott Burns & wife Lisa, and Boris Alves to Pelican Bay anchorage where 3 sailboats: 30′ Catalina similar to Burns’ Benchmark, a well-outfitted J-31 from San Francisco, and a 40′ Beneteau.

After laying stern & bow anchors, dinghy and kayaks were offloaded and lunch served under clear skies. Then Lisa showed Boris her favorite kayak destination, Hole in the Wall, with the blowhole cave that Lisa calls dragon’s breath because it sprays a mist of ocean water, depending on the tide. Water temperature was 66.

Scott brought a printed copy of the Nature Conservancy’s trail guide from Prisoners to Pelican. A pdf of the guide can be found at https://islandpackers.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pelican-Trail-Guide-.pdf Boris kayaked over the steps of the old hotel, now covered with barnacles. Scott took a safer way to land using a dinghy or kayak to the small pebble beach around the east point of Pelicans.

Winds picked up in the late afternoon and 2 sailboats left, making us wonder what they knew, however the evening winds did not disturb our well-anchored 30′ Catalina, Benchmark, with 150′ scope on either end.

On Saturday, Libertad arrived at Pelicans with exciting news of seeing whales, including a pod of Orcas working together to catch fish. We made arrangements for appetizers and dinner on their beautifully remodeled ketch.

Sunday was a completely different sail for Benchmark as all three sailboats at Pelicans sailed together to Santa Barbara. The crew of the Benchmark saw whales breach airborne, another whale repeatedly slapped its fluke to capture fish, and dolphins with their calves swam by.

From Libertad:

We had a meeting on Friday evening, so Libertad had to head out Saturday morning to join our monthly cruise. When we were at Catalina, we found that our outboard would not idle. Dennis spent a day or two fiddling with it with no success. Fortunately he could order a new carburetor and it was delivered the day before we were to leave. The outboard now runs great. Pelican anchorage was the destination and we would be using two anchors. Using our stern anchor takes a bit of prep before leaving the dock as we manage it off of our bow roller. Dennis pulled the anchor out from the depths of its storage locker, attached the chain leader and long rope rode, and positioned the anchor on the bow, next to our main anchor, with the rode pulled along the port toerail to the stern of the boat. Once we had it all secured, we headed out.

We motorsailed most of the time, but were able to turn off the engine as we approached windy lane. We saw so much marine life that day. Just off our port for a good portion of the trip we saw whales, dolphins, more whales, sea lions, and then all three together for a bit. It was amazing. They weren’t doing a lot of acrobatics; it appeared to be a feeding frenzy. As we got nearer the island and were sailing, we saw orcas on our starboard side. They were being the true wolves of the sea by circling and corralling their prey. After watching them for awhile we saw the Double Dolphin whale watching catamaran in the distance, headed our way. We have never seen so much marine life on a trip across to Santa Cruz. Sorry for the lousy pictures – just couldn’t keep the camera still!

When we arrived at the anchorage, the crew of Benchmark, and likely the other two boats, settled in to watch the show. It does take us some time to scope a spot, drop our stern anchor from the bow, walk along the side deck managing the rode as it pays out to make sure it doesn’t get near the prop while we motor forward to drop the bow anchor and then go into reverse to center ourselves between the two anchors. There was some wind in the anchorage and we were a bit closer to the Beneteau than we planned. They were only on one anchor and we wanted to give them more swinging room. As we were working to realign ourselves, they deployed their stern anchor and all was well.

It was a lovely day. We enjoyed our lunch in the cockpit and relaxed a bit before gathering the group aboard for happy hour, dinner, and lots of stories. Scott and Boris were part of the crew when we delivered Libertad to Ensenada for some refurbishing (varnishing and painting) about a year ago. Dennis wanted to launch the dinghy on Sunday morning and run over to Prisoner’s Harbor and go ashore to look for island foxes. Nevertheless, the wind picked up early the next morning and it was deemed necessary to head for home. So we still need to have a sea trial of the dinghy.

We all left the anchorage about 9am Sunday morning, with three of us headed for Santa Barbara. We had enough brisk wind as we first headed out and were crossing windy lane and kept enough wind to sail most of the way home. Unlike Benchmark, Libertad saw very little marine life on Sunday. We saw a few whales spouting in the distance. It was a very pleasant overnight trip, which left us hoping for some good boating weather weekends in the coming months.