The weather has been so unpredictable this year. Ventura only saw the sun three days the entire summer. A few weeks ago we had thunder, lightening and hail!! We’ve also been having heavy winds and big seas for the last month, so when we saw a fairly good weather window we headed back out to Santa Cruz Island.
Leaving Ventura in our wake:
We spent the first night at Yellowbanks and we were the only boat in the anchorage. It made me realize how lucky we are to be able to find such solitude in this hectic world we live in – and so close to home!
I have been craving Spaghetti & Clams for a month. Knowing we wouldn’t be finding any at Yellowbanks, I stopped at a local fish market to pick up 3 pounds of clams before we left the marina. To make the clams I sauteed chopped shallots, chopped red pepper and chopped garlic in olive oil. When the veggies were soft I tossed in the cleaned clams, some quartered heirloom cherry tomatoes and white wine. I covered the pan and cooked just until the clams opened.
I served the clams on a bed of spaghetti and of course with a hearty bread for soaking up all those delicious clam juices. Our business partner and his wife had given us a couple of bottles of beautiful Chardonnay the day before we left. The Rombauer was perfect with our Spaghetti & Clams. Thanks Rick and Patty!
The next morning we spied these lobster traps in the anchorage. We started to drool thinking about fresh lobster paired with the second bottle of wine Rick & Patty had given us, a Far Niente Chardonnay.
We were in luck – the lobster fishermen came to check their traps and John convinced them to sell us a couple of the bugs. The guys were really nice and even cleaned the lobsters for us. They sold us 3 lobster tails for $20!! John was so pleased he gave them an extra $5 and told them to buy a six-pack.
A southeast swell started rolling into the anchorage so we decided to move around the corner to Pelican Harbor. On our way over we heard an urgent marine broadcast warning boaters to keep watch on the weather because there was a fast-moving storm system moving through the area. The message said there was a chance of thunderstorms, rain, heavy wind and even a possible of a waterspout. We knew if we tucked in and set our anchor in Pelican that we would be fine, so continued on our way. The wind came up and blew for about 30 minutes and that was it. Except for some dramatic thunder clouds the weather was beautiful, in fact one of the calmest nights we have enjoyed on Santa Cruz Island.
Time to throw the lobsters on the grill:
We simply brushed the tails with butter, not wanting to mask the taste of the very fresh meat. Served with bruschetta rubbed with fresh garlic and tomato, steamed artichoke and the perfect wine – heaven!
The next day, after hearing gale warnings were predicted the following day, we decided it was prudent to head back to the marina. We were so happy we were able to squeeze in this beautiful cruise between weather systems. We will be keeping a close eye on the weather reports, hoping to get in another few cruises before the end of the year.
And on the way home – dolphins & sea lions. (Sorry for length and quality of video, still haven’t figured out how to edit).
