Though your tax dollars have paid for the real estate .... You're not entirely welcome on much of the island for substantial parts of the year, but if you go ashore here, you can do it safely ... and you can visit the Torrey Pines. Just to be sure you're in safe territory, refer to the NPS website hiking restrictions & beach closures. Access is also restricted from time to time on certain beaches, notably Skunk Point, to protect the snowy plover nesting sites as well as pinniped rookeries (seals, sea lions, elephant seal nurseries)
Anchorages There are few overnight anchorages on Santa Rosa Island, and the Southeast anchorage in Bechers Bay is definitely not one of them. If it's calm, you're OK, but most of the time this is a lee shore. And if it's calm when you anchor in the morning, you're apt to find yourself in a pretty good blow by mid-afternoon.
We managed to anchor, kayak ashore, hike the Torrey Pines loop before the wind came up. But the timing was close and within a half hour of returning to the boat, we found ourselves in 20 knots not very far from a lee shore. Fortunately, the rocky bottom provided good holding, but I wouldn't count on that alone.
Approach The chart shows this anchorage in a small bight, but the bight is so small you can not veer out sufficient scope to find any protection from the cliffs. This means that you might as well drop hook anywhere southeast of the pier and call it good. We chose a spot 150 yards off the beach access trail. The approach to that is unrestricted. We took the scenic route from Forney's Cove on Santa Cruz to Skunk Point and simply meandered NW along the coast until we found the access point, which is a stream bed just southeast of the pier.
Going AshoreThis turned out to be a great treat as we had a chance to visit the Torrey Pines grove, which lies a mile or so from the access point on the beach. The scenic trail is steep and a sign warns hikers to stop often. If you're planning on staying ashore for any length of time, bring water.
There are many colorful plants on the island and we wished we'd had this Guide to Common Plants on Santa Rosa
Hazards None that aren't charted or visible.
Updates If you have new or amplifying information concerning this anchorage or the surrounding area, please contact Capt. Dan. His e-mail link are top left.
Anchorages There are few overnight anchorages on Santa Rosa Island, and the Southeast anchorage in Bechers Bay is definitely not one of them. If it's calm, you're OK, but most of the time this is a lee shore. And if it's calm when you anchor in the morning, you're apt to find yourself in a pretty good blow by mid-afternoon.
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