Ghost ships, haunted spirits, and spooky tales of doomed voyages across the Sea are a maritime tradition passed down for centuries. These stories have spawned much of the boating lore that still sends shivers down our spine to this day. But, like most ghost stories, these accounts are steeped in rich history, and the tales we tell to give each other a good fright were often based on real people who met an untimely death against the backdrop of the briny deep.
To get you in the mood for Halloween, we put together four of the creepiest places in California you can visit or view from the safety and comfort of your own boat. It is up to you to decide whether or not these stories are true or just legends that come back to haunt us from the sea’s dark past.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach
Decades before the Queen Mary became a tourist attraction, the infamous ship had a tumultuous life at Sea. Built in Scotland during the 1930s, the RMS Queen Mary was host to many celebrities as she traversed the Atlantic in comfort and style. When the British joined World War II, luxury liners across the nation took on a new function in aiding the war effort, and the Queen Mary was re-christened as the "Grey Ghost" for her new role in transporting soldiers to the front lines.
Now, centuries of maritime superstition tell us that it is bad luck to rename a boat, as Poseidon himself keeps a record of every vessel at Sea in his Ledger of the Deep. We may never know whether or not this superstition doomed the crew of the Queen Mary. But, what we do know is that after the christening, multiple deaths were recorded aboard the ship, ranging from accidental poisonings to being crushed to death by a mechanical door. Luckily, no casualties have been recorded since the ship was transformed into a hotel and museum. But guests have been known to encounter the ghosts of these former residents drifting through the corridors at night.
Fittingly, on October 31, 1967, Queen Mary set sail to the Port of Long Beach, California, where she remains on view today.
Channel Islands National Park, Ventura & Santa Barbara County
For those in Southern California, the Channel Islands are likely a regular backdrop for your boating adventures. But did you know the islands are rife with whispers of specters and ghosts? The uninhabited San Miguel Island has been haunted for hundreds of years after a conquistador put a curse on anyone attempting to set up permanent residence there. To this day, no one lives on the island, and many treasures are believed to be buried on the land and in the surrounding waters. The legend tells us that one such treasure is the jeweled sword of the very conquistador who cursed the island buried deep in an unmarked grave.
Santa Cruz Island, with its 77 miles of craggy cliffs and giant sea caves, is a popular hiking and kayaking spot for those looking for an adventure close to home that feels like worlds away. But in the nineteenth century, the island was very different from the pristine coastline and expansive beaches we enjoy today. Santa Cruz Island is rich with otherworldly accounts from its past as a fishing hub and the government's failed attempt to turn the island into a penal colony at modern-day Prisoner's Harbor. Many lives were taken during this period by the harsh working conditions and the devilish Sea. One such legend is of a Chinese abalone gatherer who haunts the area in search of a missing appendage after having no choice but to amputate his own hand or drown in the rising tide.
Lastly, Santa Rosa Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara, is home to the sinister Black Mountain and Soledad peak, where dramatic canyons break away to white sand beaches. Amidst this stunning backdrop, the ghost of a woman who took her own life out of loneliness is known to torment the surrounding area. Those who have glimpsed the apparition have described her as a luminous ball of light, while others claim to have witnessed a crying woman in a wispy frock.
The Channel Islands lie off the southern coast of California and can be reached by boat or ferry.
Point Sur Lighthouse, Monterey County
Sitting 361 feet above the shark-infested waters of the chilly Pacific Ocean lies Point Sur Lighthouse. This isolated beacon for approaching ships can only be reached by foot, down two jagged flights of stairs, and is still in use today to alert vessels as they approach the foggy coast. Its hazardous location perched high above the Sea has given the lighthouse a birds-eye view of the perilous coastline known to have taken countless lives. Shipwrecks were common in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries, but the most famous wreck was the airship USS Macon in 1935. Remarkably, only one of the 74-person crew perished in the wreck, but the crash solidified the point as a location not to be toyed with.
Nowadays, the lighthouse is visited by tens of thousands of people each year, drawn to its historical past and the hungry waters below. While modern navigation has made it easier for ships to bypass the rocky point, the lighthouse and its tower remain a symbol of its brutal past, where it is said that the victims of the countless tragedies along the coast haunt the tower and surrounding cliffs.
Volunteers at the lighthouse have reported the otherworldly spirits of past keepers walking the grounds. Famously, during one supernatural investigation, an eerie voice was captured whispering, "Now she wants you to go home."
Point Sur Lighthouse is located North of Big Sur in Monterey County. While we do not recommend approaching the lighthouse by boat, you can view the majestic point from afar. Just don't forget your binoculars!
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay
The history of Alcatraz is riddled with tales of tortured souls. The former military prison located in the turbulent waters of the San Francisco Bay is infamous for its formidable walls and notable inmates, such as American Gangsters George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Al Capone, aka "Scarface." The island can skillfully be approached by boat, where you can view the various buildings that make up the prison from all angles, including the feared Spanish Dungeon, where unruly inmates were housed.
Built to accommodate the most sinister of criminals, the maximum security prison has seen its fair share of attempted escapes, though none were successful. These attempts have become a large part of local lore as well as cinematic history. But long before Clint Eastwood or Nicolas Cage entertained the masses with their Hollywood portrayals, the rocky island was infamous for its extreme living conditions and brutal treatment of its inmates.
Alcatraz Island is located just a little over a mile off the shore of San Francisco in the San Francisco Bay. Since 1973, the prison has become a popular tourist attraction where visitors from around the world can rub shoulders with the tortured ghosts of the island's past. Book a boat tour out to the island or take your own boat for a spin at a safe distance from the jagged shore.