There are about 6,000 miles of open water between northern Japan and the Humboldt County coast, and the end result of such a long and unobstructed fetch is easy to see from this picturesque little harbor: constant surf. Usually, big surf. “We have one record of waves breaking over the top of our lighthouse,” said Trinidad’s mayor, Dean Heyenga. “That’s 90 feet above sea level.” That’s also a tremendous amount of power, which seems to invite a question: Could a solution to California’s energy woes be found right off the beach?
