Our weather window opened and we prepared the night before. We woke before the sun, made some coffee, and started our motor. A gentle breeze was building so we simultaneously raised the main and the anchor and away we went. We added the Head Sail and gently cut through the sea towards Point Conception. As the morning sun rose above the horizon we sipped on our coffee dressed in hats, gloves, and layers of warm clothes. We were again smiling, laughing, and feeling so happy to be right were we were. Soon we were approached by a large dolphin pod. There were so many of them. Jumping and sailing though the air. Each one doing a trick of their own. They quickly found our bow and swam in the wake. They would dive down deep and swim back up to the surface. You could hear them communicating with each other. Such a magical experience. They played with us for a good 30 minutes and then slowly they began leaving our wake and returning to their pod. It is a sight that never gets old.
There we were again returning back to our coffee and watching the sun rise higher in the sky. It is quiet out there. Aside from a few fishing boats there isn’t any other traffic. We enjoy the quite peace that comes from sailing. I have watched many sunrises and love them. On Hiraya I don’t just get to watch them I get to feel them and I love that. Those moments give us uninterrupted time to talk to think and to just be. In between watching for obstacles we are constantly checking the horizons just hoping we see more wales. Those creatures are so magnificent and every time we’ve seen them we are just in awe. The day light hours pass with relaxing and working. We set up the water maker up. It takes 5 or 6 hours to fill our tank and being out away from the bays seems to work the best. Sam sets up his fishing pole with optimism that this will be the time we catch a fish. As we wait for the fish to come we fix lunch and clean up lunch. No fish so we continue trolling. We also spend time listening to the radio chatter. The day continues on and as evening arrives I take a nap.
Our plan for night watch will be Sam staying up as long as he can or when I wake up which ever comes first. Then we were going to try 3 hour shifts after that. Through out the evening my nap is mediocre and the wind begins to die down. But I was able to sleep until around 10 pm. I woke up to Sam starting the motor. I got dressed and headed to the cockpit. I look out and see oil platforms that are brightly lit and tower over everything. The ocean is flat like a lake. Sam and I stay in the cockpit as we pass the platforms. At this point we are beginning to approach the Point. It will take a few hours to actually get to it and a few more to get passed it. After some strong suggesting from me Sam decides to try and sleep. I promised to wake him if the wind or swell changed. I start my shift with the auto pilot and motor going and a flat glassy ocean. Sam had pointed out the light house marking the point and I keep that as my land mark. Sam goes below and pretends to sleep. As the hours tick by I am approaching the shipping channel and I begin crossing. I have AIS on and I can visually see the cargo ships in front of me and behind me. I can still see the Light. It has now moved to just in front of my left shoulder to just behind my left shoulder. It only takes several hours for this to happen.
I spent hours watching the AIS and comparing that with my visuals of the ships. I had one cargo ship behind me when I entered the shipping channel that I was particularly interested in. After reviewing the information on AIS and his location to me I knew that I would have plenty of room to pass in front of him because the angles looked as if I would pass our intersection spot long before he got there. Over the next couple hours I continue to watch him and the others. It isn’t long before I start hearing these odd slapping sounds. In between my checks I had been glancing at the water for anything interesting. As these odd slapping sounds are going I realize that the cargo ship behind me had change his position. After reviewing AIS everything is still the same and I immediately begin to second guess my self. Contemplate wakening Sam but notice that he had actually fallen asleep. I will not wake him and I hear that slapping sound again and out of the corner of my eye see a lighter color object move through the water toward the bow of the boat. Oh! It’s dolphins, AGAIN! I guess they never sleep. As I chuckle at my self and focus again on the approaching cargo ship. I remember the lights. I am seeing the starboard side of his ship and he is traveling just off my course which would take him off my port side. I finally know where we all are and I don’t know why I second guess my self. He will pass me only getting with in a mile of my position. I settle in watching the visiting dolphins and motor on.
Sam wakes up around 4 am surprised that he got so much sleep. We had also passed the Point and the waters continued to be calm. We are talking glassy and barely able to make out the swell. I really felt I was on a lake. We had talked before that we would only tuck into Cojo if the weather was nasty. So we decided to continue on to Santa Cruz Island. I went to bed but was up to watch the sunrise. We arrived at Santa Cruz Island midmorning and anchored at Prisoners Bay. One other boat was there and was already raising their anchor to head back to the main land. Score! We get the entire bay to ourselves at least for now. We are anchored right of the National Parks Pier and notice they have a dinghy dock which will be so nice because the beach is made of rock, lots of rock. We watch a tour boat come in and drop people off and we decide to take a nap as any one would after being awake all night. Dreaming of all the hiking and exercising we were going to be doing here.