Actually the “classic, 100 foot black schooner” is an interesting story. I suspect Skip is remembering when in 1972 the 125’ black SHAMROCK VI went up on the beach at Santa Cruz and became a major news item that went on for about a month. After being sold for salvage, she was successfully towed off the beach, but most unfortunately they made the mistake while towing her back to SF Bay of getting too close to Ocean Beach. The tow line parted and she was washed ashore and became a total loss.
https://blog.beachboardwalk.com/nadm-shipwreck-shamrock
BTW, old charts used to show a South Entrance into the SF Bar channel.
Last edited by Dazzler; 01-03-2020 at 01:22 PM.
Tom P.
my guess at the new year quiz~
I as witness to #s 4, 5, 6, 8, & 9
I was told the mutton birds referred to in #5 were Sooty Shearwaters.
the black schooner ( Shamrock)I saw on the beach was up on main beach Santa Cruz.
#8 was the anual Jester Dingy China beach race later renamen the Tola Slide becuase the State rangers thought we might be having too much fun. (4+/- kegs and 420 type smoke signals.
Last edited by Howard Spruit; 01-03-2020 at 09:26 PM.
Let's see. DAZZLER was first to get #9, the infamous black schooner SHAMROCK VI correct. Her position when she went down is marked for all history on your San Francisco approach charts being a "Submerged Obstruction" 3 miles south of Pt. Lobos.
HOWARD SPRUIT. because he was there, got #'s 4, 5, 6 & 8, correct. And yes, the Mutton Birds are Sooty Shearwaters, and their frenzied collisions with Capitola in 1961 inspired Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "The Birds."
What else has washed up nearby? More than one answer may/may not be true. Any/all correct answers win.
1. hundreds of large, attack squid.
2. an armada of of port tack sailors, unable to tack or gybe and gain searoom.
3. a fully armed US Naval submarine.
4. Santa Claus
5. Thousands of deceased mutton birds, inspiring a famous movie.
6. A tank ship built of cement.
7. A fully crewed ocean racing sailboat following it's GPS chartplotter to Santa Cruz Harbor, only to become painfully aware that's its shortest course had taken them overland.
8. A 25 boat fleet of 7 foot, non-rightable dinghies in an ocean ("Transpac") race.
9. A classic, 125 foot black schooner.
That leaves #1,2,3, & 7 to win., and join Tom, Howard, and me on our local history walk. Are any of those True or False?
Last edited by sleddog; 01-04-2020 at 07:27 AM.
An old adage from longboard surfing: "The dreaded Capitola shorebreak".
Oct. 12, 1912 was not a good day for the US Navy in Monterey Bay.
The submarine USS CARP had been detailed to help celebrate festivities at the new "port" of Watsonville. The port really was only a pier into the ocean, reached by trolley.
There was much celebration on the beach with 3 Navy ships anchored off and sailors ashore. Then the wind and surf rose and CARP broke her moorings, coming ashore and killing two crew.
It took a week of pulling to get CARP off. Finally battleship MARYLAND showed up and with two tugs got CARP off the beach and towed back to Mare Island for repairs.
The "Port of Watsonville" didn't last much longer. Two months after the opening celebrations of this hoped for regional seaport, a storm pulverized the pier and it was dismantled, leaving scant evidence except for the trolley tracks to nowhere (now the secluded and expansive Sunset Beach State Park.)
That leaves questions 1 & 2, True or False?
Last edited by sleddog; 01-05-2020 at 07:28 PM.
I know No.2 is true.The sailors being Vela Vela. The squid I don't know.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velella
I had been thinking it best to let others enter Skip’s quiz. I responded with comments about the loss of SHAMROCK VI because I remembered the event so well. The black schooner SHAMROCK VI lived in a slip close to the StFYC guest dock and was always something of a mystery. I think SANTANA, when owned by the Eden brothers Tom & Ted, was next door or very close by.
Skip’s last remaining point (#1 the squid) is true, and deserves attention. There’s a scientist at Monterey’s Hopkins Marine Lab who’s been researching the little known “giant squid” or Humboldt Squid. One of the things he has observed is that they seem to be amazingly adaptable to changes in climate. I’m continually impressed with how little we really know about the oceans.
Somewhat related, several years ago, we attended a talk by a guy that was offering the opportunity to night dive and photograph Giant Humboldt Squid off Loreto, Mexico. He was totally crazy. He had built a protective suit (patterned to look just like the Star Wars Stormtroopers) and was planning to be attached to a big steel cable and act as the bait. Totally nuts! Humboldt squid can be more than 8 feet long and have a beak like a very large bird. I’ve wondered what every happened.
Last edited by Dazzler; 01-05-2020 at 09:10 PM.
Tom P.
Well done all!!
Jonathan is correct about the Velella Velella (By-The-Wind-Sailors) being the answer to #2. These bluish carnivores can sail in massed fleets extending many miles of beach when they sail ashore, as they often do.
By the way, the Velella can sail on almost a beam reach with their fibroid sail angled to the wind. I know some boats can't do that, hihi.
And DAZZLER is again correct about Humboldt Squid being attack cephalopods. Several years ago hundreds of these large critters washed ashore on Capitola Beach. They were all about 4-5 feet long and looked to weigh about 75 pounds. Not something you want nipping your wet suit or scuba gear, as they have done to deleterious effect.
See a video of Humboldt Squid taking on a professional diver and photographer. The diver loses big time, but luckily not his life....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fkl312lldQ
So yes, all 9 trivia are true, and DAZZLER, HOWARD SPRUIT, and JONATHAN will join me for a history walk from the porch at CBC, the location of Capitola's first hotel in 1890. The Capitola Park Hotel was founded and run by Patty Reed Lewis, as a child an 8 year old survivor of the fated and grisly Donner Party.
And if you are wondering about Santa Claus washing ashore at Capitola Beach, happens every pre-Christmas to the delight of a gaggle of kids lining in wait on the shoreline. Legendary local big wave surfer Frosty Hesson, ("Chasing Mavericks") dressed as Santa, paddles from around the point and surfs onto the beach complete with everything including reindeer. Gotta see to believe.
Last edited by sleddog; 01-05-2020 at 08:29 PM.
Skip, thanks for the squid video link. That’s not the guy that was preparing to be Humboldt Squid bait in Mexico, but still an interesting story. As a scuba diver and underwater photographer, there’s an interesting phenomenon where one feels insulated from the subject by ones camera. I’ve frequently had that experience diving with sharks.
We look forward to an opportunity to visit and hear your history talk.
Tom P.