This also means the West Coast is a lee shore . Sailors dreaded lee shores because if weather conditions took a turn for the worse and your ship was close to shore a sail ship would be in certain danger. This is the case at Point Conception on the Santa Barbara coast. South of the point the California shoreline trends more to the east. This point marks a major shift in wind direction, while the influence of the offshore current is diminished.
Capes are also prominent landmarks aiding navigation.
For this reason, and in order to keep ships from running into them, many major capes have lighthouses on them. Make a list of what students know about each term. Explain to students that in order to fill in the picture on these and other geographic features the class will create a bulletin board illustrated glossary. Assign one term per group. Students should use a variety of sources to arrive at a definition.