Central coasters,



I've just moved my family back home to Santa Maria...my short Hobie career has been spent at Huntington Lake, Millerton and San Antonio. Where is the good sailing for this area? Is beach launcing a possibility between Santa Maria and Morro Bay? How do you launch from the beach? I am somewhat familiar with Lopez Lake and Cachuma.



Any thoughts would be helpful.



Thanks,



Tom

Ah the no mans land that is Santa Maria. so close and yet so far from any decent sailing bodies of water. Personally I am not too sure about any beaches north of Santa Maria as far as Beach launching However I am sure that if you are going up that way you can head out to the dunes and launch from there I have seen people doing that. However, If you are going to drive that far you might as well come down to Santa Barbara. We have a Catamaran beach as you may know that is custom tailored to beach Launching. The surf usually isn't too bad and the whole southern end of the beach is dedicated to cats. You can back your trailer right onto the beach and unload then it is a short drag to the waterline. Wherever you choose to go if you are beach launching make sure you are very aware of the surf. always try and time the sets to go out in a lull and always always make sure that in heavier surf you have that jib pulled in tight. I watched the other day as some novices who clearly did not have much experience in dealing with the surf in a beach launch tried to make their way out in heavier than normal surf and they did not have the jib tight and there was nothing motivating their 16 other than themselves and I watched a series of three good size waves come in and the first one turned the boat parallel to the surf the second one put it on its side on the beach and the third one snapped the mast at a 90 degree angle. Really bad way to end a day of sailing. So, if you don't feel that confident launching in surf then keep an eye out for other people doing it and don't be afraid to ask for tips.. it is much better than going home early with a sick feeling in your gut. Anyway.. hope this helps you out some.

Comic,



Thanks for the reply...no, I was not familiar with SBA's "cat beach" but will certainly give it try.



Thanks again,



Tom

well if you decide to come down the cat beach is just north of the harbour. So if you are coming from the north then get off at the Castillo/ Harbour exit.. then take a right up to Castillo then a Right on Castillo then a left into the harbour entrance then an immediate right and you will see on the other side of the boatyard on the beach there are dozens of cats all lined up on the beach.

I've sailed Avila Beach and had a great time--blowing 20mph by afternoon. I pulled my trailer down onto the beach--I've got a 4X4--at the ramp located on the way to the fishing pier just north of Avila Beach proper. Rigged the boat on the trailer, rolled it off the back onto the sand and drug it out. The beach is somewhat protected, so the surf is present but usually tiny. If you want to get some experience in small surf, sail to the south side of the Avila Beach pier and go for it. Couple tips for starters: KEEP THE HULLS AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE WAVES AT ALL TIMES. Coming in, keep weight well aft and, especially if you're on a broad reach, depower to let pressure off the bows (esp on a H16/H14). As you come down the face of the wave, you'll get marked weather helm, so hang on and keep the cat pointed where you want it to go (90 degrees to waves). Heading out, make sure you have enough wind to allow you plenty of speed and power to head directly out and power up the sails. If the wind is inadequate or in the wrong direction, don't try it. DID I MENTION KEEPING YOUR BOWS AT 90 DEGREES TO THE WAVES?



If you make it further north, try Santa Cruz (by the harbor) and Half Moon Bay, my home town. Half Moon Bay offers a good lauch ramp adjacent a sandy beach, both of which are located in a large protected harbor with plenty of windy but flat water sailing. And if you get bored of that, you can simply head out the harbor mouth to the open ocean where you can surf large swells and enjoy sailing down hill for miles...But bring your wetsuit--I spent years surfing myself into hypothermia up there.



And by the way, Huntington is a good as ever--spent Labor Day there. And Millerton has had some great days too lately. But I don't think either compare to ocean sailing...

My pal Courtney and I have managed to hit Lake San Antonio a few times this year. It is wide open, as far as launching goes, as you can camp waterside pretty much anywhere along the north shore. This place is somthing to see (from a distance) on Labor day, sort of like Lake Havasu but condensed in size with a much higher PWC to human ratio! The last time I was there I think I was the only human there on Thursday night.
Sailing conditions tend to improve in the mid-late afternoon as far as I can tell. We have had several days of 3+mile double-trap screaming reaches there. It is fairly easy to get to also, being pretty centrally located. I give it a generally enthusiastic thumbs up.
Also look at Woodward Reservoir, and San Luis Reservoir.
We are planning a weekend soon, let me know if you are interested in joining us!

I am located in San Luis Obispo and mainly sail in Avila from the Old Port San Luis beach ramp. You can drive onto the beach and typicaly small waves. Still a bit of a drive from Santa Maria but closer than Morro for you.



hope that helps