Living on the Hook in Santa Barbara - personal experience?

[windsaloft]

On our way up the coast last winter, we ended up hanging in Santa Barbara for 9 days waiting for a weather window for our next move north --- it was the winter of a couple monster storms, and a whopper of one for San Francisco.

We absolutely fell in love with the place, to the extent that we sought a way to get a slip there and live there for a few years. That was when the laughter started at the city marina office. We would need a 36' slip, and I think those go for more than my boat costs.

BUT --- we noted that there is a small community of folks living on the hook there. When the weather gets too rough, the come into a guest slip at the city marina. In fact, the city folks said that a lot of people live in the guest slip for max time, then do their "time away requirement" of two weeks or so out on the hook, and then come back in........

Anyone done this? How's it work out? We are in the Bay Area for awhile, but would love to find a way to hang there awhile while continuing to build the cruising kitty.......