It is called the Potato Patch — a gnarly, snarly, troubled patch of water at the west end of Santa Cruz Island where Ma Nature is known to practice deviant behavior. Boaters should be very wary of the Potato Patch.
Powerful northwest-flowing currents in a constantly expanding/contracting area, just west of Fraser Point, oppose large swells coming from the northwest, forcing open-ocean waves up and up and up. The currents are inconsistent, creating sudden towering surprises whenever the velocity suddenly ratchets up and forces swells upward.
How big do they get? I can recall one day on a charter, while rounding Fraser Point a good quarter-mile off the island in relatively flat seas, when a monstrous swell rose up under my vessel. I slammed the throttles of my big twin outboards forward to warp speed in order to overcome the raging current and the lift of the wave. I was just able to stay ahead of that watery mountain, and I’ll never forget the looks of awe on my passengers’ faces while they watched a 30-foot wave threatening to break on us from behind. With motors, as with politics, power has its advantages.
Weird things happen at the Potato Patch. For example, roiling underwater eddies occasionally collide to produce amazing aberrations of nature. On another charter fishing trip, we were traversing the area on a calm sunny day with no apparent cause for wariness, when Ma Nature struck a surprise blow from below. Fortunately, this salty ol’ skipper never lets my guard down and I was ready to react.
Multiple swirling eddies slammed together to force an 18-foot wave to rise up right in front of us. There was no time to alter course and run from it. I bellowed (skippers always bellow; it is our favorite thing to do), “All hands hang on tight. Now!” I spun the wheel just enough to keep the bow climbing up the wave and gunned the engines just enough to hold our position. The wave passed under us and conditions remained calm and comfortable the remainder of the morning.
So why on Earth would anyone want to take a boat into the Potato Patch? Good question. Answers include: 1) the area is absolutely gorgeous, 2) the most natural course around the island lies right through the Potato Patch, 3) there are more fish there than you can shake a fishing rod at, and 4) there is something in our human nature (applying doubly to those who take to the sea in boats) that makes us want to tempt the dickens out of Ma Nature.
I won’t tell you to stay clear of the Potato Patch. You might think I was trying to keep a great fishing honey-hole to myself. But I will advise experienced boaters to watch the water carefully and give the area a wide berth when conditions look unstable. Whenever you do enter the area, keep alert and watchful. I’ll recommend avoidance of the area to inexperienced boaters who might want to earn some stripes before venturing knowingly into these troubled waters.
Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a new nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need.