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Morse Point sunsetMorse Point Sunset

A friend wrote us to asK about circumnavigating Santa Cruz Island

My friends and I have sailed our 30′ Islander to Smugglers several times, and were hoping to take a few days to see more of the island. My thought is to anchor at Smugglers (night 1), Morse Point (night 2) and Pelican (night 3). Do you have any advice on this, or recommend a different strategy for a September sail?

Hi, Shipmate -

That sounds like a pretty good plan. September usually brings excellent weather and it doesn’t (usually) matter whether you go clockwise or counterclockwise. But usually isn’t always, so keep a sharp eye on my wx postings Capt Dan’s WX before you go and tune into NOAA on ch 1-5 to stay updated on current and forecast conditions.

My typical navigation strategy is to head out about 1000, motoring toward platform Grace. By the time you get there, the wind is usually up and you can fall off on a close reach and go right into Prisoners or tack a few times into Pelican. If you’re there too early and don’t want to quit sailing, press on to Fry’s.

Day 2 I’d head to Morse, Willows or Alberts. (All anchorages on the south side require bow and stern anchor except Forney’s and Morse). Morse is the easiest and is well protected from the westerlies. Willows and Alberts are much prettier but Willows experiences pretty strong canyon winds sometimes.

Day 3 – a leisurely sail to Smugglers or Yellowbanks. It’s really a single anchorage and you only need one hook. Both provide excellent protection from strong westerlies.

Hope you guys have a great trip. If you learn anything new about the anchorages, I’d love to have the info for the cruising guide.

Capt Dan

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