Santa Cruz Island - Yellowbanks-Smugglers anchorages, Channel Islands

Yellowbanks and Smugglers Anchorages

Yellowbanks	Lat:N34-00.8	Long: W119-32.8	Last visit: Mar. 2009
Smugglers	Lat:N34-01.2	Long: W119-32.3	Last visit: Mar. 2009
Tide/Sun/Moon/WX	Dist: 9	Prisoner's Harbor	WX
Chart	18729	Anacapa Passage	Google Earth
Skipper: Capt. Dan	Boat: S/V Sancerre	Capt. Dan	Channel Islands
Landing Permit	No

The chart of the anchorage shows several rocks in both Smugglers and Yellowbanks that uncover near datum as well as a dangerous wreck in Smugglers. The rocks in Smugglers are close to shore, but the Yellowbanks hazards are in deeper water. And the wreck near the CG buoy - well, we've never detected it.

This is a single-hook anchorage and anchoring in daylight poses little problem. Anchoring at night requires very careful study of the charts before approaching. This is a panoramic shot of Yellowbanks (retouching by Matt Abbe Ilsodesign) taken not far from the blue mark in the Google Earth photo below.

Yellowbanks is one of our favorite spots, particularly in strong westerlies. There's a sand bottom and a mountain between you and the wind. Not that the breeze doesn't sneak by. We spent a night in there and registered gusts over 50 knots. We were buffeted hard all night, but there was little wave action and with 10:1 scope (all chain), we didn't drag. Nor did we sleep. So, unless there is a southerly swell, this is a smooth spot.

The Go To Anchorages In reality, Smugglers and Yellowbanks constitute one big anchorage, but everyone has a strong preference for one or the other. No matter which becomes your favorite, we're pretty sure it will be your "Go To" spot when the wx is making life uncomfortable.

I know, it's Southern California and it is rarely very inclement, but there is nothing like the feeling of blasting down windy lane aimed at Pt. Pedro. Maybe you're shivering a little bit, but as soon as you round the point you're in a whole new world. Hats come off, jackets are stripped. Though the distance from the point to your favorite anchorage is only a few miles, it's like going to a new hemisphere.

You usually have to motor if you round the Pt. Pedro close aboard, but by the time you're at your anchorage, your sails are doused, you've got a beverage in hand and you're feeling much better than you did a few miles back when you were wondering why you'd made the decision to leave the long johns at home.

Weather Considerations With a west wind and swell, both places are great. An east wind is deadly. If it gets warm and dry and the wind starts blowing from the east, get underway. If you see smog at sea, get underway. South swells can make both spots uncomfortable, with Yellowbanks feeling those effects first. The west wind can be very sporty and can (and frequently does) develop late at night. Veer out plenty of rode even if the conditions are benign when you drop your hook.

Approach This couldn't be much more straightforward. Get to the East end of the island, head for the SE corner. You're there. From the north, you'll round San Pedro Point and shape a course toward the headland. You'll pass several small anchorages. Eventually, Smugglers will open to your right, the olive groves unmistakable. Aim for the center of either anchorage and stay far enough off to avoid the ground swell. Caution, there is a small reef between the anchorages that can be identified by the low lying point.

Anchoring Another nice thing about this place: one hook. That's all you'll need. But it can get a bit crowded in here. We've started using an anchor buoy routinely. It helps other boaters figure out what your radius is and tends to spread everyone out a bit. Most everyone likes to snuggle in pretty close to the beach. The depths don't really require that. You can find 25-30 feet quite a way out and stay out of the heavy traffic. The closest I've gotten to having trouble in this anchorage is when I snuggled in. I hadn't given the spring tide enough consideration and found myself listening to the surf get louder as the tide ebbed. I'd anchored in 25+ feet and ended up nearer 10 when the tide went out, the wind died and we drifted to the shore side of the anchor buoy. The bottom is sand, pebbles and shells. Kelp can be a problem, but the anchorage has been fairly clear on recent visits.

Going Ashore Going ashore can be very interesting. If my pal Randy shows up, you might get to see his dinghy surfing techniques. I think the score stands at Randy 2 or 3 the dinghy 10 or 12. The dinghy wins when it gets ashore without Randy. Pick your spot carefully, wear your life jacket and tie everything to the boat that you want to keep. Bag everything you want to keep dry. The beach gradient is fairly gradual in close, which means your motor will get kicked up pretty far out. There's always at least a little surf. Based on my observations, about half of all attempts to land and get underway from the beach while remaining dry are very damp failures. The bottom near the shore where we landed was fairly free of obstructions, but the beach is very rocky. Wear shoes or sandals. But going ashore can be worth it. After looking up at the olive groves for years, when I finally hiked a bit of the island I realized that looking down provided some fantastic vistas. And there is one historic sight at this end of the island: Smugglers Ranch. The 1889 ranch house is worth the row ... if you manage to stay dry.

Permits not required; it's your national park. For information about camping ashore, guided tours and facilities (not much), go to Channel Islands National Park

Departing If your next day includes a trip west toward any of the anchorages on the south side of the island, leave the anchorage and head south. Keep a lookout for kelp, which gets very thick near Sandstone point at the SE corner of Santa Cruz. Capt. Randy advises standing off at least a mile south of the island, maybe more, to avoid the entangling vegetation.

Updates If you have new or amplifying information concerning this anchorage or the surrounding area, e-mail Capt. Dan.

Photos