Technically, we entered Southern California in the midnight darkness of September
12 when we rounded Pt. Conception and our southerly heading changed to
easterly.
Our cruising guides state that such a pronounced geographic turning point
produces accelerated winds and rough seas with turbulence extending a
considerable distance offshore. The
Point is referred to as the “Cape Horn of the Pacific.” We prepared our boat and our minds for the
worst, stowing everything including our trepidation. This would be the last cape that we had to
round on our way south.
The light at Pt. Conception can be seen for 20 miles. I had it in sight the entire distance. On this clear night with light winds we motor
sailed with the jib which carried us up and over three-foot sea swells. The town lights along the Sierra Madre marked
the channel on our port while the brightly lit oil rigs marked the far
starboard boundary. We watched ship
traffic come and go on the radar as well as on the chart plotter. We were not alone out there this night. Every once in a while, fog enveloped a rig
and its lights cast an eerie glow. The
fog never advanced toward the shore. The
air became markedly drier. We shed our
foul weather gear. We opened the
companionway for air down below.
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