17-Jan-2009 -- I am the captain of an offshore tugboat. I tow barges up and down the waters of the US west coast and Alaska. I have been aware of The Degree Confluence Project for a couple of years, but due to routing, weather or other factors, I have been unable to come up with a successful visit.

On this day however, on a voyage from San Francisco to Los Angeles, CA, conditions were perfect. A large high pressure area was dominating the Pacific Coast, keeping the typical Northwest gales at bay. In addition, the marine layer which usually keeps visibility to a minimum, was far offshore and visibility was unlimited. The on scene weather conditions recorded at NOAA Weather Buoy 46011, nine miles southeast of the confluence, were as follows: Wind Direction: from 110 Degrees True
Wind Speed: 2 Kts
Wave Hieght: 1.8 Meters
Wave Period: 13.6 Seconds
Wave Direction: from 295 Degrees True
Barometric Pressure: 1022.0 Millibars
Air Temp: 56.3 F
Water Temp: 56.3 F

About 5 miles north of the confluence while on a southeasterly heading, I intersected the 121 Meridian. At this point I turned due south, following the 121 line on a course of 180 degrees true. I slowed the vessel down from her typical 10 knots to bare steerageway, approximately 3.5 knots. At 1034 Hrs local time, I passed over the confluence. The photos record the rest. I apologize for the dust spots on the photos; I neglected to clean my camera before shooting the confluence.