Gorda Rock, 15 feet (4.6 m.) high, is a conical rock a little over 34 mile southward from Punta Gorda and 5% mile offshore.

Conical Rock, about 20 feet (6.1 m.) high, lies 300 yards off the point. A small, low rock lies 350 yards westward from it, with foul ground between.

From Punta Gorda to Cape Mendocino the hills back of the coast are lower than those southward; they are bare of trees and bordered by stretches of low, narrow, sandy flats with a narrow, low-water beach. The outlying rocks are not over 2 mile offshore until within 11⁄2 miles of Cape Mendocino, where they extend farther and terminate in Blunts Reef, 211⁄2 miles broad off the cape. At 3 miles northward of Punta Gorda a narrow submarine valley makes in, with 100 fathoms (183 m.) a little over 1 mile from the beach; and another makes in 42 miles southward of Cape Mendocino, with 100 fathoms (183 m.) 2 miles from the beach.

A sunken rock is reported to exist about 111⁄2 miles northwestward from Gorda Rock and 34 mile offshore. The position is doubtful. The Mattole River enters 2 miles northward of Punta Gorda. The north head is bare and about 360 feet (110 m.) high, and the south head is about the same height, partially covered with oak trees. A prominent sand dune is on the south side at the entrance to the valley.

Mattole Landing is situated at the head of the submarine valley 3 miles northward of Punta Gorda. The landing at Mattole has been abandoned for several years, and there is very little of the structure left.

A rock with 7 feet (2.1 m.) over it at low water lies 400 yards westnorthwestward from the end of the wharf, and another rock with 10 feet (3.0 m.) over it lies 200 yards west-southwestward from the end of the wharf.

Sea Lion Rock, 12 feet (3.7 m.) high, is the largest of a cluster of small rocks 1/2 mile offshore and nearly 4 miles northward from Punta Gorda.

Double Rock, 12 feet (3.7 m.) high, consists of two small rocks, close together, 800 yards offshore, and 12 mile northward of Sea Lion Rock.

Devils Gate Rock, 20 feet (6.1 m.) high, lies nearly 234 miles southward of Cape Mendocino and 1/2 mile offshore. It is low and pyramidal, with a smaller rock close under the northwest side. A reef extends 200 yards westward from the rock. Numerous rocks lie inshore.

Steamboat Rock, 46 feet (14 m.) high, lies 111⁄2 miles southward from Cape Mendocino and 600 yards offshore. The upper part is white and the lower black, somewhat resembling a steamer with a low, black hull and white upper works.

Cape Mendocino.-This mountainous headland is the famous landmark of the old Spanish navigators, and the galleons from the Indies. It is in the latitude of much climatic change. The winds do not blow home so violently in the bight south of it, and the amount of rainfall increases rapidly to the northward. The seaward face of the cape is steep, rocky, and waterworn toward the shore line; above the lighthouse, the general appearance is rolling and grass-covered, except in the deep ravines and upon some of the

steep hillsides where the northern exposure is covered with forest or brush. For three miles southward of the cape the beach is bordered by numerous rocks and sunken ledges, extending in some cases to over 12 mile offshore.

Cape Mendocino Lighthouse, a white pyramidal tower, is situated on one of the western spurs about 400 feet (122 m.) above the sea. The light is flashing white (flash 4.5 seconds, eclipse 25.5 seconds) 422 feet (129 m.) above the water and visible 28 miles.

Sugar Loaf Rock, 331 feet (101 m.) high, lies 250 yards westward from the cape and is connected with it at low water by a narrow neck of rocks and shingle beach. This rock is a prominent feature in making the cape from either northward or southward, but in thick or hazy weather care should be taken to avoid mistaking it for False Cape Rock, which it somewhat resembles, that lies in a similar position off False Cape, 41/2 miles northward of Cape Mendocino. False Cape Rock is about 216 feet (66 m.) high and is not so regular in outline as the Sugar Loaf, and from the west or northwest shows two large rocks, 90 and 46 feet (27.4 and 14 m.) high, immediately inside of it, whereas the Sugar Loaf stands solitary and compact.

Blunts Reef is the outermost danger off Cape Mendocino. It consists of two small, black rocks, awash at high tides, about 230 yards apart with 15 fathoms (27.4 m.) between. The southern and outer rock lies nearly 234 miles 283° true (W. 5% S. mag.) from the Sugar Loaf Rock. This is the larger of the two rocks.

Blunts Reef Lightship is moored in 28 fathoms (51 m.), 17% miles southwestward from the outer rock. It has a red hull with 99 Blunts on each side and two masts with a red circular grating at each masthead. The lights, shown from each masthead, are fixed white, 50 feet (15.2 m.) above the water and visible 11 miles. The fog signal is a steam whistle, blast 2 seconds, silent 28 seconds; if whistle is disabled, the same signal will be given on a bell struck by hand.

The submarine bell sounds 2 groups of 2 strokes every 30 seconds. The radio fog signal sounds single dashes for 60 seconds every 3 minutes. The signal is given in clear weather for the first 15 minutes of every even hour from 10 p. m. to 6.15 a. m., one hundred and twentieth meridian time. The call letters of the lightship are WWBU. The station receives and transmits messages.

Northward from the lightship, there is a ridge extending in an northeasterly and southwesterly direction with 14 to 18 fathoms (25.6 to 33 m.) over it. At the northeastern end of the ridge, 4 miles 17° true (N. 14 W. mag.) from the lightship, there is a rocky spot with 7 to 10 fathoms (12.8 to 18.3 m.) over it. This area was examined carefully, but was not wire dragged; therefore there is a possibility of less water, and the spot should be avoided. Breakers have been reported here.

A rock, with 9 feet (2.7 m.) over it, lies 11⁄2 mile 170° true (SSE. % E. mag.) from the outer rock of Blunts Reef. The Great Break, with 414 fathoms (7.7 m.) over it, lies 34 mile 194° true (S. 1⁄2 E. mag.) from the outer rock of Blunts Reef.

Eastward of Blunts Reef and the Great Break are a number of dangerous rocks and sunken ledges, a detailed description of which

is unnecessary. Vessels should not attempt the passage between Blunts Reef and the cape under any circumstances. A heavy westerly swell breaks even in 9 and 10 fathoms (16.5 to 18.3 m.) in this locality.

A submarine valley extending in a northwest and southeast direction comes to a head 10 miles northwest from Cape Mendocino. This feature was discovered in the survey of 1919, and is shown on the charts. Vessels are cautioned against mistaking this valley for one of those southward of the cape.

Cape Mendocino is the turning point for nearly all vessels bound north or south and, in view of the dangers in its vicinity, should be approached with considerable caution in thick weather, owing to the irregularity of the bottom and currents. The meteorological conditions northward of the cape are quite different from those southward. Fog is more prevalent southward and the rainfall is heavier northward. The strong northwesterly winds of summer are less violent southward of the cape, which forms a partial lee for vessels working their way northward. The currents at the light vessel are described on page 286.

COAST FROM MENDOCINO. TO POINT ST. GEORGE

From Cape Mendocino to Trinidad Head the coast trends nearly north for 40 miles and with the exception of the rocks off False Cape is free from dangers if the beach be given a berth of over 11⁄2 mile. The land is generally low with sandy beaches, broken by the mouths of the Eel and Mad Rivers and the entrance to Humboldt Bay, the only marked elevations northward of False Cape being Red Bluff and Table Bluff. From Trinidad Head to Rocky Point, 511⁄2 miles, the coast is rocky with numerous outlying, rocky islets, and sunken ledges; these, however, do not extend over 1 mile offshore. Above Rocky Point the beach is low and sandy, with several lagoons behind it for nearly 11 miles to the southern end of the Gold Bluffs. From this point to Point St. George the coast is rocky, the cliffs being from 100 to 500 feet (30.5 to 152 m.) in height and bordered by numerous rocks. The Klamath River breaks through the cliffs 16 miles southward from Point St. George.

From Cape Mendocino to False Cape, a distance of 42 miles, the coast is straight and bold and bordered by a broad, low-water beach. Bear River, a small stream, enters through a narrow valley about midway between the two capes.

False Cape is a steep, bold headland, rising to a height of over 600 feet (183 m.) in less than 1/4 mile from the beach. It projects but little from the general trend of the coast. It is covered with grass, but the gulches on its sides are wooded. The base of the cape is bordered by a narrow, low-water beach of shingle and sand. For about 1 mile on each side of the cape are numerous rocks and ledges which do not extend over 1/2 mile from the beach.

False Cape Rock, 216 feet (66 m.) high, lies nearly 12 mile westward from the cape, with two rocky islets, 90 and 46 feet (27.4 and 14 m.) high, between. It is not as regularly shaped nor as high as the Sugar Loaf off Cape Mendocino, and the top is much flatter. A

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rock, with 12 feet (3.6 m.) over it, lies a little over 1/2 mile westward from False Cape Rock.

Northward from False Cape the hills decrease in height, and 4 miles beyond the cape is the beginning of a stretch of sand beach and dunes that extend to Trinidad Head, broken only by Table and Red Bluffs.

Eel River (chart 5819) empties nearly 911⁄2 miles northward from False Cape. This is a stream of considerable size and is occasionally entered by light-draft vessels, but the channel over the bar is continually shifting. The depth on the bar varies largely with the amount of water in the river, depending upon the character of the winter, and has been at times as much as 14 feet (4.3 m.) but generally it is about 8 or 9 feet (2.4 or 2. 7 m.).

Table Bluff, 1214 miles northward from False Cape and 41⁄2 miles southward of Humboldt Bay entrance, is a prominent feature from seaward. The western face is 1/2 mile in length, 165 feet (50 m.) high, very steep, and has a narrow sand beach under it.

The radio masts and elevated tank at Table Bluff are prominent.

Table Bluff Lighthouse, near the extreme western edge of the bluff, is a white tower on dwelling. The light is flashing white (flash 0.5 second, eclipse 4.5 seconds), 176 feet (54 m.) above the water, and visible 20 miles. The fog signal is an air siren (blast 4 seconds, silent 26 seconds). The fog signal sounds five or six short, sharp blasts and blast of 15 seconds duration to warn the Coast Guard crew when vessels are in distress.

A United States Navy radio station with radiocompass service is located at the light station (call letters, NPW).

From Table Bluff to Humboldt Bay entrance the coast consists of a narrow sand spit for 4 miles, behind which lies the southern part of Humboldt Bay.

Humboldt Bay and entrance are described under a separate heading on page 131.

Red Bluff lies abreast the entrance on the eastern shore of Humboldt Bay and is a conspicuous feature from seaward on account of its color and elevation. While only 100 feet (30.5 m.) high, it is prominent on account of the surrounding lowland, and in a lowlying haze frequently resembles an island.

Northward of the entrance to Humboldt Bay the coast consists of sand dunes partly covered with timber for 11 miles to the mouth of Mad River, and for the first 7 miles forms the western shore of Humboldt Bay. Above the bay the land behind the dunes is low and marshy as far as the river.

From the mouth of Mad River the sand dunes, varying in height from 20 to 60 feet (6.1 to 18.3 m.), continue for 512 miles to Little Trinidad River, a small shallow stream. The north point at the mouth of the stream is rocky, and from this point the coast consists of rocky cliffs extending to Trinidad Head and farther north.

Little River Rock, 120 feet (37 m.) high, lies 34 mile northwestward from the mouth of Little Trinidad River and about 1/4 mile offshore. Several rocks and foul ground lie between it and the beach, and a rock, 10 feet (3 m.) high, lies about 100 yards northwestward.

From Little River Rock to Trinidad Head the shore is bordered by numerous rocks and sunken ledges, extending 1/4 mile offshore.

Trinidad Head lies nearly 39 miles northward from Cape Mendocino, and 171⁄2 miles northward from the entrance to Humboldt Bay. It covers an area 700 yards long and 500 yards wide, and rises to a height of 380 feet (116 m.). The sides are steep and covered with chaparral. From northward or southward it is generally raised as a dark, round-topped island. Near the northern end it is joined to the mainland by a narrow neck from the southern side of which Little Head, a rocky knoll, 125 feet (38 m.) high, projects into the bay.

Trinidad Head Lighthouse, near the southwest side of the head, is a white pyramidal tower. The light is group flashing white (three flashes of 0.5 second duration each; eclipses 3, 3, and 12.5 seconds), 196 feet (60 m.) above the water, and visible 20 miles.

The fog signal is a bell, sounding 1 stroke every 10 seconds. This signal is not sounded from December 1 to April I of each year.

A whistle buoy is placed 114 miles westward of the head.

Blank Rock, 100 feet (30.5 m.) high, lies a little over 1/4 mile westward from the head; there is foul ground between it and the head. A smaller rock lies 150 yards northward from Blank Rock. A rock awash and a ledge with 15 feet (4.6 m.) over it lie 275 yards southeastward from Blank Rock.

Off Trinidad Rock, 80 feet (24.4 m.) high, lies 1/3 mile northwestward from Blank Rock. It is considerably larger than Blank Rock, with two rocky heads of about the same height. A sunken rock lies 300 yards off its southwestern face, and numerous ledges extend southeastward toward the head.

Pilot Rock, 103 feet (31 m.) high, lies 1⁄2 mile southward from Trinidad Head. It is of small extent, conical, and whitish in color, rising abrutly from depths of 8 and 9 fathoms (14.6 and 16.5 m.) on all sides.

Prisoners Rock, 60 feet (18.3 m.) high, is the most prominent of the rocks in the cove, and consists of two rocks so close together that they are usually taken for one. From southward they resemble an animal lying down with its head toward the west. It lies 220 yards eastward from the eastern shore of the head. A rock with 72 feet (2.3 m.) over it, lies 150 yards north-northwestward from it. Prisoners Rock is marked by a fixed white light which is shown only from April 1 to November 1 of each year.

Flat Rock, low and small, lies 350 yards northeastward from Prisoners Rock; a rock, with 5 feet (1.5 m.) over it, lies 150 yards. southeastward from it.

A rock with 334 fathoms (6.7 m.) over it, lies nearly 1/4 mile 146° true (SE. 34 E. mag.) from Prisoners Rock.

Trinidad Harbor (chart 5846) is the small cove lying eastward of Trinidad Head. It affords shelter in northwesterly weather, but is dangerous in westerly or southerly weather. The cove is small and further contracted by several rocks, and as a rule there is always a swell even in northerly weather and the holding ground is only fair. There is a shore. whaling station and reduction works in the Small steam whalers fish in the adjacent waters. There is no wharf, and the bay is of no commercial importance at present.

cove.