Log Book
- Port of departure: Santa Barbara, CA
- Departure time: 11:30 am on Wednesday, November 21
- Port of arrival: Oxnard, CA
- Arrival time: 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 22
- Total travel time: ~6.5 hours
- Nautical miles traveled: ~26 miles
- Engine hours start – end – logged: 833 – 840– 7
- Gallons of diesel start – end – used: 23.2 – 20.4 – 2.8
- Weather: Forecast predicted W winds at 5-10 knots, wind waves 2 feet or less and NW swell 3-5 feet at 13 seconds.
You’ve probably already noticed that I don’t have the typical sunset picture to dazzle you with…that’s because we were both preoccupied for the second half of this (what we thought would be a cake walk but wasn’t) journey. The first four hours were largely uneventful, what little wind we had was right on our nose so we motored (getting a bit tired of motoring everywhere).
Having rounded Point Conception we were looking forward to smooth sailing from here on out, with calm seas and warm winds. The winds were certainly warmer, but the seas…well, the seas were larger than expected. I was on the tiller for the second watch when the waves started to build. I’m gonna go ahead and say that we were in 8 foot seas with short periods (meaning they were close together), which are probably the biggest we’ve been in since we left Oregon in August.
What’s more is that we undershot the entrance to Oxnard and in order to correct this mistake we needed to take the waves to our side (unless we wanted to add a couple of miles). It was an stomach sloshing ride, especially for Jeff, who groaned with discomfort at every big wave.
It was slow going, about 4 knots. We were broadside to the waves and parallel to the breakwater that protected the entrance to Oxnard. It didn’t seem like we were making much progress and the sun was starting to set, making it more difficult to see just about everything. The waves were cascading over the breakwater on our port side, revealing their strength, height and speed. Jeff was on lookout, pointing to crab pots that littered our chaotic path to the South entrance. The sunset was beautiful (as it always is), but my hands were busy pushing and pulling the tiller, trying to anticipate the thrust of the waves. Hence no pictures.
With large swells picking up our stern we approached the South entrance past the breakwater. All we needed to do was weave between the breakwater and the South jetty without crashing into the enormous rocks. Jeff was confident. I was terrified. Especially since the light was dim and there was a lot to process. We made it inside the breakwater and breathed a sigh of relief. The fear, however, was still pulsing through my veins.
There were small fishing boats, jet skis, sailboats, the whole community of Oxnard on the other side of the breakwater. As we neared the channel my mind was racing…
What if these people are all waiting for something?…What if the channel is dangerous to enter right now?…What do they know that we don’t know?
I panicked and veered to the left, outside of the channel.
Jeff threw up is hands. “What are you doing? We were almost there?” I spoke my doubts aloud and he hailed the harbor patrol to see what was up.
“Oxnard harbor patrol, Oxnard harbor patrol, Oxnard harbor patrol, this is sailing vessel Serenity.”
“This is the Oxnard harbor patrol, switch to channel one-two, one-two for a non-emergency.”
“Roger.” Jeff switched stations. “Oxnard harbor patrol, this is Serenity.”
“What can we help you with Serenity.”
“We just came in the breakwater and there are a lot of boats out here. Before we enter the channel, we were just wondering if they know something we don’t know.”
“Nope, they’re just lobster hoop netting.”
Oh. Okay. What in heck is lobster hoop netting? There was no need for concern…once we were past the breakwater, the channel didn’t pose any challenge whatsoever. My panicked split second decision was completely unwarranted. Jeff didn’t play an “I told you so” card, though he could have.
We found a place to tie up for the night and I made Salmon burgers (I finally made them, mom! and they were delicious!)
Update: This website is apparently the go-to resource for those interested in hoop netting. We heard from some locals that the best time to go hoop netting is when the swell is big (because it pushes the lobsters off of the breakwater) and at twilight or a little thereafter (since lobsters are nocturnal creatures). That would explain why the boats were out en masse.