The Southeast Storms. 243 



on account of its length, like a galley, they named it el Cabo cle 

 la Galera." This is the point Conception of our charts. 



The weather of the Santa Barbara channel at that season of 

 the year is extremely lovel}^ When at point Conception for 

 three and a half months, in 1850, 1 have seen sailing vessels five 

 or six days '' in irons," drifting slowly from Santa Barbara to 

 point Conception, with the weak current to the westward, while 

 outside the cape a steady ten-knot breeze from the northwest 

 was blowing for weeks. A vessel bound to the northwestward 

 and opening from under the lee of the cape would frequently 

 be reduced to short canvas in an hour. At that season of the 

 year the southeast storms which bring up the rain are due, and 

 Cabrillo and Ferrelo soou experienced them. 



Through this channel passage I have been able to locate every 

 anchorage which the vessels made, and have disentangled the 

 parallel range of the Santa Barbara islands, which from certain 

 points of view overlap each other. Even the confusion of dou- 

 ble names which they used has been made clear. 



From point Conception the strong northwest winds forced the 

 vessels down upon the westernmost of the Santa Barbara islands, 

 twenty-three miles southward from point Conception, where 

 they were compelled to remain in port Possession (Cuylers 

 harbor) eight days because a southeaster had sprung up with 

 rain and the weather " was very storm3^" Here Cabrillo for- 

 mally took possession of the country. 



After leaving this island on the 25th of October for the main- 

 land they met with very severe weather north of point Concep- 

 tion, and struggled heroically until the first of November, when 

 they could not " carry a palm of sail," and sought shelter under 

 that cape at the anchorage of the Coxo Viejo, where there was 

 a large village called Xexo. Wood was scarce at this place and 

 the vessels changed their anchorage to that off the Gaviota pass,* 

 about ten miles to the eastward, where the Indians had two 

 villages and there was an abundance of wood, water and fish. 

 It is an open roadstead protected in part by large fields of kelp. 



The intercourse of the Indians and the navigators was evi- 

 dently very satisfactory to both parties, and the vessels remained 



* Kohl says that the Puerto de las Sardinas (Gaviota anchorage) is to 

 the eastward of point Conception, and yet he adds, in clear contradiction 

 thereto, that it " is peiiiaps the place now known as the Bay of San 

 Simeon," which is, however, 80 miles to the northwestward of the cape. 



