One of the least appreciated features of Southern California may be the Pacific Ocean itself. That may sound absurd to many; surely, the west coast is famous for its beautiful coastal hot spots from Santa Barbara down to San Diego, seaside cities resting on the very edge of the mighty Pacific. Yet the interest tends to end at the shoreline, the ocean merely a backdrop for multimillion dollar homes and annoyingly overcrowded beaches. This is unfortunate because our backyard here on the coast contains the largest ocean on the planet. Southern California is home to a vast ecosystem just past the breakers. We have great white sharks and sea lions, dolphins and whales, jellyfish and squid just to name a few. We have several islands just off of our coastline and one of the worlds busiest ports in the Port of Los Angeles. There is an entire world that exists in the blue waters of Southern California and it is a world that feels far removed from the day to day on the land.
I knew immediately upon moving to Los Angeles that I needed to get out on that water, somehow. With zero boating experience, I decided to take sailing lessons through UCLA’s Marine Aquatic Center in Marina del Rey on a whim. Sailing, to me, seemed to be the ultimate symbol of freedom on the waters; no engine required, just wind and sails could take someone around the entire globe. Despite multiple capsizes and barely passing the course, I was hooked. Assuming that sailing was an enterprise exclusively for old wealthy white men, I was not quite sure what my next step could be to take me further into my sailing dream. I quickly learned that I was quite wrong in my assumptions when I discovered the Marina Sunday Sailing Club in Marina del Rey. A wonderful group of sailors that meets every other Sunday at Burton Chace Park, connecting people that want to be on a sailboat with people that own sailboats. An annual fee of only 100 dollars gives members the opportunity to go sailing on a variety of boats twice a month all year long. I have met such a vast array of amazing and fascinating people from all walks of life through this group. Even if someone has no desire to become a sailor, casual passengers are more than welcome to simply spend a Sunday afternoon sailing on the Santa Monica Bay.
These Sunday sails are magical. Southern California is blessed with a pleasantly consistent onshore breeze that makes for an easy, relaxing daysail in the bay. Sail out past the breakers and head north to see the Pacific Coast Highway crammed with traffic, from the Santa Monica Pier up to Malibu. There is a certain feeling of liberation from this vantage point. A kind of peaceful viewing, from the outside, of that place where we spend our days working, stressing and sitting in traffic. All of those fools trapped in their cars, fighting for a parking space so they can walk down to the beach and fight for a 5×5 plot of sand to cram their children and their coolers stuffed with Doritos and beer. And here we are, just a mile or so away, sailing peacefully through the gentle waters, watching the lines of cars go crawling by.
Through the Sunday group I met a racing sailor that would lead me to my next sailing adventure. He asked me if I could crew for him on a 29 foot Soling. After exaggerating my sailing ability a bit (a key to advancement in the sailing world), I found myself out on the ocean every Tuesday evening on one of the smaller boats in the races, just the skipper and myself. A trial by fire, if ever there was; I would be balancing on the bow of the boat, holding onto the shrouds for dear life while the waves crashed over us, frantically untangling some gordian. knot that always seemed to appear at the most inopportune of times (another key aspect in sailing, I have learned). Chaotic and frightening, as boats much larger than ours would tack so close that I could reach out my hand and touch them. Anxious and terrified, these races solidified my love for sailing even deeper. There is nothing quite like racing towards the oil tankers in El Segundo while the planes take off overhead from LAX, while high-strung sailors scream at each other across the water for various rule infractions. The thrill and the adrenaline playing out beneath the pink fluorescence of the setting sun on the horizon.
Sailing in Southern California is surely one of the more exciting highlights of life on the west coast. The sailing community here is certainly welcoming and surprisingly small. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was able to recognize the various boats out on the water and who was sailing them. There is something for everyone and always someone willing to help get you on board. Whether it be dinghy sailing in the marina, a day sail from Oxnard down to Long Beach or a weekend on one of our beautiful islands, there is nothing quite like getting out on that vast shimmering Pacific Ocean. And the possibilities go much further than Southern California. Take a trip down to Ensenada or perhaps up the coastline and sail into the San Francisco Bay beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. For the even more adventurous sailor, head west past Catalina and straight to the Hawaiian Islands, just 2,000 miles from our coast. With so many opportunities to get on the water and find true freedom, let us embrace the Southern California sailing lifestyle and sail off into that cotton candy sunset.