Eureka has to be one of the best cruising stops on the Pacific Coast. There are friendly US Customs officials; great city marinas and your choice of docking within walking distance to the city center or just across the channel; friendly locals…

…and a renovated Victorian downtown.

You are also within an hour’s drive of spectacular redwood forests, with the largest and oldest living things on the planet. That’s Linda at the base of one of the many 300-foot (90m) tall redwoods, most 600 to 1000 years old.

And there is another edifice of great significance. Notice the second story room to the right of the entrance? Many years ago a young English teacher, Linda Ensign, began her teaching career here.

Eureka is said to be one of the easier breaking bars to negotiate when the coast is rough. Yet it, and the surrounding waters have claimed many victims. This is a memorial to fishermen who have lost their lives since the 1950s. Three of the four sides are fully inscribed.

Which is why the design of the local fishing boats is interesting. They have to survive in these waters, so there is probably something to be learned from them. Take Terron above. Like many of the boats hereabouts, she is a double ender. There are several benefits from this. First, this is an easily driven (at slow speeds) hull shape. It is also going to be comfortable heading into the waves. Most important, however, may be how that lack of buoyancy aft works when coming back in across the bar. The canoe stern shape allows the breaking sea less of a hold on the hull, so the boat can handle larger waves than might otherwise be the case.

Another riff on the double ender concept, this time coupled with a clipper bow. Not pretty, but that extra buoyancy forward will be welcome both up and downhill when driving down big waves.

A more modern look to commercial fishing. This vessel has yacht-like lines – we think she is really sweet. Her hull is long, slender, and fair. She will survive in heavy going because of her greater length, and easily driven hull shape. She will also be able to run much faster than a double ender, so there is less risk of getting caught out. Did we mention we love the way Moonlane looks?

This is a cast-off Coast Guard rescue craft. Steel hull, aluminum super structure, and roll-over capable. That structure on the stern adds volume to help right the boat in an inversion. This design is a lot slower than the modern 47-foot motor life boats, but it will also be easier riding, and deal with breaking seas more easily (at least that’s our guess from looking at her and talking to her Sheriff’s department crew).

This is the towing bit on the bow of the old motor life boat. Maybe it is not pretty, but it gets the job done, and with minimal chafe.

Here is a modern cutter. This may be fast and new, but it is also ugly. Somebody needs a lesson in aesthetics.

And this is their primary anchor. A big Fortress aluminum hook. We carry a couple of these ourselves, one as a kedge and the other as a back up to our primary anchor. But we’d guess this is very much on the light side to anchor a vessel of this displacement and windage.

A clever idea on a cruising yacht. Eight solar powered lights of this type can be purchased for $30.00. These folks have four of them around the life lines so the local boats have more of a chance of seeing them at anchor. They’ve been using them for six months and they still work.

Moving out of the cockpit and onto the side deck is always tricky at sea, unless you have good hand holds on the dodger. These are inexpensive handles – about $25 from West Marine – connected to the dodger frame with Taco "T" fittings.

This cover will keep the sun out and protect the plastic from ultraviolet radiation. It would also work as a storm cover, to protect the hatch seals, if the shock cord were replaced with line.

And now for a non sequitor. We caught this Farrier-designed trimaran jibing down the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Light airs, powered up with their big asymmetric kite, they were doing eight knots in the same amount of breeze. In the old days we would have thought this great fun.

Speaking of yesteryear, how many of you can identify this cat, which we photographed sitting in the water in Gray’s Harbor, Washington? We’ll give you a hint. The designer and builder, Carter Pyle used to crew for Steve on his Thistle (we’re talking the really olden days here!). This is the P-Cat, one of the two production cats built on the West Coast of the US at the beginning of the small multihull era (and long before there was such a thing as a Hobie Cat). Between P Cat and Wildcat, which Steve raced, there was somewhat of a rivalry. The Wildcat, was, of course, the faster of the two designs. But you might get an argument on that fact from some of the P-Cat owners.

Back to Eureka. We’ll close with this photo of our neighbor on the dock. A commercial fisherman and his family, on Labor Day weekend, doing what comes naturally.