9:00 AM - Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Current location – Cuyler Harbor at San Miguel Island. Arrived here Monday around sunset after a thrilling sail from Cojo Anchorage. And by thrilling I mean – I thought I was going to die. But wait, let me back up a bit here.  Saturday morning we decided we weren’t quite ready to leave Morro Bay as early as anticipated so we ended up taking the dinghy into town, doing a load of laundry, taking showers, treating ourselves to breakfast & wifi at The Rockin Dog Café, and filling up our precious water jugs. Afterward we made a short and sweet spree over to San Luis Obispo where we anchored for the night.   

Sunday morning, knowing we had a big day ahead of us, rose at 4:30 am with the hope to get around Point Conception and anchored by dinner time. Mission accomplished and by sunset we had planted ourselves in Cojo Anchorage.  A little discouraged by two sailboats washed up on the shore, Andy set the GPS anchor alarm - an alarm that would sound if our anchor drifted a certain distance during the night. The next morning, it did just that, and before we knew it the winds were roaring and we were being pushed towards shore, so just like that – it was time to vacate and move on.

And that brings me back to the part where I thought I was going to die. Let me preface this and ensure you that we were not going to die, but that was simply my perspective of the situation. The wind was blowing harder than it had on any other prior day – and the waves were bigger than any other waves we had seen prior – and the boat was heeling over even more than any other prior days.  And so while I sat in my foulweather gear, clutching the lifelines, listening to the driving wind, my eyes glued to each looming wave, bringing the Red Star up to the top of each wave, and back down to the bottommost, I couldn’t help but think – this could be the big one…this one could knock us over.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Captain here was yes – experiencing the same weather as I – the same wind, the same waves crashing, etc. but instead he was extremely calm and composed, and I looked at him while he cautiously maneuvered around a boat which was completely on its side, crouching down to attach the jib, getting absolutely drenched in the process and hardly flinching (I can’t say the same for myself), getting up to raise the jib, and doing whatever the heck else he was doing up there (at one point I saw him pulling out his pliers as if he was making small alterations and adjustments right before the demise of the Red Star). And the whole time I sat there refusing to go inside (where I felt even more certain of our demise than outside), with one eye on a totally relaxed Andy, and the other on each thundering wave. More than anything I just wanted Andy to tell me that we weren’t going to die, that it was completely IMPOSSIBLE for the Red Star to topple over upside down, but the thing about Andy is that he’s honest. While he did insure me that everything was okay and we weren’t going to die, he did respond to my capsizing boat inquiry with “Well sure it could! But it’s probably not going to. And even if it does, it’ll come right back up again”. Great.  Just great.  To make a long story just a bit less long, the wind ended up eventually dying down, the waves ended up eventually lessening, and the boat ended up leveling out. As for me…well, I ended up leveling out too…one Dramamine and one Ativan later. And just like that, the wind ceased.  Interesting how that happens…

We made it to San Miguel Island by sunset, and had a pretty eventful night of rock and roll, but when we awoke the next morning, we awoke to one of the most picturesque harbors and one of the most beautiful days thus far.

The sun was shining, the air warm, the water serene, and our own private harbor and beach – just for us – oh, well – and the elephant seals too.  

Yesterday morning (Tuesday), after a gourmet breakfast courtesy of the Captain, we set out to shore in the trusty dinghy. Passing by loads of elephant seals (mostly females, but a few males too), we made it up the canyon to one of the few spots that visitors are allowed to hike up to – Cabrillo Monument.

European discoverer of California, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, was believed to have died at Cuyler Harbor in 1543, and in 1937 this monument was placed in his memory.

Took some pictures and opted for hiking towards the Ranger’s Station – the other spot that visitors are permitted to visit.

Those two spots are the only locations visitors are allowed to hike to on San Miguel. All other hiking has to be ranger escorted and obviously previous reservations have to be made. What a shame – a beautiful island all to ourselves and we were only limited to less than 1 mile of hiking.

 I asked Andy then, “Do you think we’re the only ones on this island right now?” He responded “Probably not”. I responded “But maybe probably we ARE!” Less than a minute later, as we approached the ranger’s station, a man with a camera around his neck came into view. He was a photographer, and he had just arrived via plane with a group of others – namely, the fictional novelist, T.C. Boyle, who was writing a novel that takes place on the island, and he had come to research and see San Miguel for the first time. The rest of the group was composed of four others, including a non-fiction writer who has written nearly 10 books on the island and who’s claim to fame includes belonging to the “all 8 club” (a small elite group of those few who have actually set foot on all 8 Channel  Islands), and the very knowledgeable ranger.  Civilization! Other human beings!

They were just about to depart on a hike around the island and the ranger kindly invited us to tag along. Of course we couldn’t help but accept the offer. What a treat to get a private guided tour of the island jam-packed with history, geography, and mystery too.

We couldn’t have picked a better time to arrive at the Ranger’s  station that day.  As for today, today we sail to the next island over – Santa Rosa Island.