34 foot swell recorded in Monterey Bay; Cement…
34 foot swell recorded in Monterey Bay; Cement Ship's stern ripped away
The SS Palo Alto is engulfed by the sea at Rio Del Mar in Aptos on Saturday after powerful waves broke the stern from the rest of the boat. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
A wave crashes alongside the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf at Cowell's Beach on Saturday morning. The wharf was closed from 12am until 2pm because of the high surf. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The stern of the SS Palo Alto was broken from the rest of the cement ship at Rio Del Mar in Aptos on Saturday. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The SS Palo Alto at Rio Del Mar in Aptos was pummeled by waves on Saturday, causing the stern of the cement ship to break off. (Kevin Johnson -- Santa Cruz Sentinel)
By Michael Todd |
PUBLISHED: January 23, 2017 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 29, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.
APTOS >> As big wave surfer Jeff Clark mulled his 30 percent chance of making the paddleout at Pleasure Point Saturday morning, triple-overhead sets ripped the stern from the historic Cement Ship at Seacliff State Beach about 5 miles away.
Clark stood in his wetsuit, watching the righthand sets roll across the ragged Capitola shoreline. Despite a slight break in the waves, the current would make the trek a challenge, he said.
"I'm just assessing the possibilities of actually getting out. It looks more like 70-30 in the ocean's favor," Clark said. "I drove down the whole coast, and I looked around town at the Harbor, and there's a couple waves at the Harbor, but getting out there's no easy chore either."
Pleasure point provided clean faces during a lull in storms Saturday morning through the early afternoon, but the calm is not expected to last after a month of rain and strong winds have battered the Central Coast.
At Seacliff, fallen trees and debris piled the shoreline Saturday morning as spectators watched the wrath on the S.S. Palo Alto at the falling tide, which was low at 1 p.m. National Weather Service reported buoy readings of 34-foot swell — the largest observed in the area by forecaster Drew Peterson of the agency's Monterey office. He said other veteran forecasters had the same observations.
"It's just an unusual January with this active weather. With the Cement Ship, we're starting to see the ramifications," Peterson said. Although the surf was expected to dissipate throughout Saturday, incoming tides and an offshore cell continued to push large waves throughout the Central Coast and Northern California.
At 4:30 p.m., the San Francisco Bar buoy had readings of swell at 37.4 feet.
"That could translate to breakers up to 50 feet there," Peterson said. "The surf is going to continue to be large (Saturday) evening and overnight into Sunday morning. We may extend warnings about high surf."
The waves are destroying a historic symbol of Santa Cruz County as the S.S. Palo Alto was pounded by exploding surf. The vessel was towed to Seacliff State Beach in 1930 and for two years, it was a party boat with swimming pool, dance floor and café. Winter storms in 1932 ruptured the ship's hull and the operating company closed the business.
Early Saturday, Santa Cruz firefighters were monitoring the intersection of Woodrow Avenue and West Cliff Drive — an area prone to impact during periods of high surf. Although waves crashed against the cliff and sent salt spray into traffic, the area did not have to be shut down, said Battalion Chief Daniel Kline of Santa Cruz Fire Department.
"Everything has been good and quiet today," Kline said.
Peterson said the third cold front in half a week will dissipate mid-Sunday after a night of heavy rain. He said the front's departure is forecast to cause thunderstorms and hail with gusts through Sunday night and Monday morning.
"This last storm is expected to be stronger than the previous two," he said. Then, the precipitation is expected to leave the area throughout the week.
"We may have a weak system moving in Wednesday, but it won't likely rain," he said.
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