From
First Mate
Bob Nelson
Continued Transit to Santa Barbara. We arrived Santa Barbara Harbor and clearing skies at 1130.The conditions for the last 24 hrs were as follows:
SEAS – 1-2 FT
WINDS - less than 10 KTS out of the NW
TEMP – 55° - 65° F
DISTANCE TRAVELED – 139 NM
After an eventless watch, I am up early to heavy fog and wet decks. The ship has just threaded the eye of the needle between Anacapa Island and Santa Cruz Island, and we're heading across the main shipping lane. In the fog, this is a potentially dangerous situation and the officers are alert and busy with binoculars. The only evidence of land under the dense fog on either side of us are the pelicans and cormorants floating on the smooth sea. A pod of dolphins just came by hunting breakfast. Two of them turned back to duck under our bowsprit and give us a looking over, but at 6 knots we are not fast enough to tempt them into a race, so they sped off to rejoin their friends.
We arrived in Santa Barbara around 11:30 and spent some time sorting out the best way to moor the ship and rig the boarding gangway. Then crew took time for much-needed showers. In the evening the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum hosted a wine-and-cheese reception aboard the ship and we all enjoyed watching Captain McGohey performing the required meet n' greet amongst the guests. Kevin C. played his bagpipes. Besides the musical advantages he also drowned out some of the chattering, so his performance was doubly appreciated. Evening brought cooler temperatures, time for dinner and a few beers, and early bedtimes for everyone since most of the crew had 1 hour of watch to stand through the night.
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