Please settle a bet. Santa Barbara Channel Islands

[ty.gregory]

Okay, our discussion got heated. Concerning "Shipping Lanes" inside the Channel Islands around Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, I realize it is a so called "Shipping Lane" but I can not believe it is used all that often by TANKERS coming from places like Japan etc, to swing near shore and go between the Channel Islands and land to get to San Francisco. I'm sure it happens, my thoughts are maybe due to storms at sea... but I am saying it is not Route 101 for huge sea vessels to get to where ever they are going on the West coast of California, meaning San Francisco.

If I'm wrong I'm wrong.

Please lie if you have to... just kidding. Just kidding. No really, just kidding I want the truth,

Sort of.

(My girlfriend is not a member here...)

You know, not like us

[rebel heart]

It's flooded with shipping. If you're talking about the coastal routes along the coast leading into San Pedro, it's swarmed with bulk carriers 24/7. The "new" lane they opened through the Channel Islands (north of San Miguel, I think) has at least several vessels a day.

[ty.gregory]

Well, I am talking about North of San Pedro around Santa Barbara. If they were going to San Pedro from where ever overseas I guess they would have to come through the Channel Islands to get to SP, but I can't see these frieghters coming from Japan going through all the way North up the coast inside the Islands. On the other hand, I don't know, hence the question. I do agree there is a shipping lane inside, but I never see any huge ships going by and I can see the Islands.

I could be wrong... sadly.

[susanna reiter]

Yes it is.......Cargo ships ....all the time....going both ways, its is the Hwy 101 for commercial shipping. For over 50 years I have watched the channel and the increase in shipping. Even though it has historically been a shipping route, the cargo ships are more plentiful than ever. You have to keep a sharp eye out for them when you out there sailing, they move up on you pretty fast.

[sww914]

Lots of them, we had to avoid at least 2 each sail across the channel. There's a free AIS app for ipads & phones, prolly for other platforms too. If you get it you can see them.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by ty.gregory

Okay, our discussion got heated. Concerning "Shipping Lanes" inside the Channel Islands around Carpinteria and Santa Barbara, I realize it is a so called "Shipping Lane" but I can not believe it is used all that often by TANKERS coming from places like Japan etc, to swing near shore and go between the Channel Islands and land to get to San Francisco. I'm sure it happens, my thoughts are maybe due to storms at sea... but I am saying it is not Route 101 for huge sea vessels to get to where ever they are going on the West coast of California, meaning San Francisco.

If I'm wrong I'm wrong.

Please lie if you have to... just kidding. Just kidding. No really, just kidding I want the truth,

Sort of.

(My girlfriend is not a member here...)

You know, not like us

Ty--

Take a look at the large scale chart for the coast. There would not be a traffic seperation scheme if there wasn't much ship traffic, nor cautions about crossing the shipping lanes (and some of those puppies are really moving right along!). As someone else noted previously, it really is the Highway 101 of ship traffic along the left coast.

FWIW...

[svcambria]

I can not believe it is used all that often by TANKERS coming from places like Japan etc, to swing near shore and go between the Channel Islands and land to get to San Francisco.

You are actually correct - tankers from Japan would not go through the Santa Barbara Channel on their way to San Francisco. Ships from Japan would follow the path of least expense, close to great circle routing, so going to or coming from Japan Point Conception is in the way and they would have to dodge south of that, into the Channel. But those ships would be car carriers and container ships, not tankers. Japan trades for oil from Asia - much shorter shipping distance - and doesn't ship refined product like gasoline or diesel from the US.
Is there much shipping traffic through the Channel? You betcha, just look south from Santa Barbara for a couple of hours. I have seen it from the ship side and the oil platform side, a lot of tonnage goes through there...

Michael

[JRM]

There's plenty, but since they put in the heavy fuel oil restrictions everyone who can manage stays outside until the last possible second to reduce time using more expensive fuel. I heard talk that thy were going to try and come up with additional regulation to prevent this loop holing, but I'm too lazy to google it ATM.

Even so, there are plenty of ships in the channel. Port hueneme is a big terminal for cars and fruit. They want to put a big tropical oil processing plant here too.

I got an AIS transceiver, which makes crossing the lanes at 5k much less exciting (no radar). Although now that I think about it, the vast majority of traffic I see is northbound. Go figure.

JRM

-- if they could only get the panga smugglers to honor the shipping lanes, life for the CG would be better :-)

[ty.gregory]

I bow to you, my so called brothers and sisters. I bow to my girlfriend. Thank you all for correcting me. One of these days I'm going to learn to stop betting with that babe. I've got to face the fact the little **** head-- I mean sweety-pie-- is smarter than I am.
I don't know what I owe her after this last wager... but I'm sure she does, down to the penny. $@#@#!!!!

Thank you all again my fellow CFers.

No, really. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I'm so over-joyed I'm almost giddy.

Completely off topic: Anyone around here beside svcabria ever heard the word "Loyalty" You tried for me svcambria. You tried.
__________________

[Stu Jackson]

Our daily newspaper here prints the Shipping Traffic every day. Many of the ships inbound are from Los Angeles. Guess how they get here from there...

[ty.gregory]

Oh, man!

[roverhi]

One of those non existant ships nearly ran us down off of Santa Barbara. At least for that ship, there was no one on watch.

[susanna reiter]

..They do not watch out for small boats....and even if they did... booking along at 20 knots or so...they could never stop or alter course soon enough to miss you....so its stand watch day and night vigilantly ( night watch..look for for the green and red lights ..if you can see them both your in their path for sure ..Oh dear !!) Your on your own out there.

[JRM]

Since I'm working a shift in Channel Islands Harbor today, and being a curious sort, I called over to the Coast Guard station and asked if anyone had traffic statistics for the channel. I spoke to a couple different folks, and while they didn't have the exact numbers, they all agreed its a heavily trafficked area.

Many kudos to the watch kid, who was willing to start calling Sector LA to get the info. I had to tell him twice that it wasn't worth his time just to satisfy my curiosity. Extremely helpful, even on something so simple.

JRM

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by ty.gregory

Well, I am talking about North of San Pedro around Santa Barbara. If they were going to San Pedro from where ever overseas I guess they would have to come through the Channel Islands to get to SP, but I can't see these frieghters coming from Japan going through all the way North up the coast inside the Islands. On the other hand, I don't know, hence the question. I do agree there is a shipping lane inside, but I never see any huge ships going by and I can see the Islands.

I could be wrong... sadly.

The Great Circle route (shortest distance over a sphere) runs north from the far east up to the Aleutians then south so Japan, China and Russia traffic should be arriving from the NW and probably the Philippines too, and traffic from AK, WA and OR should be coming from the north.

By the time they get to you they are running right along the coast.

See the map from this site: Great Circle Mapper