LA to Portland Nov 2008

[logos]

Hi, picking up a 1978 Hunter 27 in Long Beach, CA and sailing to Portland, OR.

I am considering two courses. Jump from coastal harbour to harbour or head out for the long tack and hope to find less of a foul current and less disagreeable winds and seas Then head in and hit San Fransisco or? Ideas, experience, pointers.

I know a lot about the "foul northern course" but I don't know a lot about the specific currents, tides and their affect on the current, where the best route is for motoring, for sailing? Is it to hug the land until the last possible moment around pt. conception and then make my long tack? And, what angle off the wind should I calculate for? I expect to be close hauled and about 45 of the wind and about 60 for course made good...

things like that- specific aspects of the Hunter and Channel island/S. California Coastal/ Channel Island specifics like how to take advantage of currents or at least decrease their effect... I am flying to Long Beach on election day... should be interesting.

[JohnRPollard]

Logos,

You are new here, so forgive me but I don't know too much about your experience level/background.

Have you made any trips like this previously?

How is the boat equipped, particularly with respect to safety equipment and sail inventory?

I have never sailed that patch of water, but from what I've read and seen, and been told first hand by those that have, once you get north of Pt. Conception it's a much tougher environment, with a nasty lee shore, and safe harbors few and far between. The H27 is a small boat for that voyage, so hopefully you've taken every necessary preparation.

I expect others more familiar with that coast will chime in, but you would give them more insight if you could flesh out some of the details about the boat and preparations taken.

[sww914]

November is typically when we start seeing more than 10' swells coming down from Aelutian storms and more local storms. It's likely that you will have wind north of Point Conception, hopefully less than 25-35 knots.
I surf and I have surfed in 20' conditions here in November. Not anymore, too old for that.

[sailingdog]

Logos-

I'll second what JRP said... not the friendliest section of shoreline, especially this late in the year.

Knowing your background and experience would go a long way to being able to give you good advice. So would knowing how the boat is equipped and what experience your crew, if you're going to have any aboard, has.

There have been several threads on this previously, and weather delays are going to be inevitable, so knowing how much time you have to make the delivery would also be useful.

Most of the Pacific coast of North America is a nasty lee shore...and the harbors are not ones you can get into if the weather goes bad... if you've seen what the Columbia River Bar entrance can look like on a bad day, you'll realize how dangerous this type of trip can be.

TO give you an idea...this is a photo of a very large ship crossing the Columbia River Bar:



Consider the size of the tanker in this photo and the size of the waves breaking over its decks and think about how an H27 compares... Get the picture now??

BTW, here's a photo of a "calm" day crossing of the Columbia River Bar:

[doubleeboy]

Not only is the Columbia Bar a disaster waiting to happen, but so is the bar at darn near every port on the OR coast. Calm and polite one minute, nasty as can be a half hour later. Bandon, Florence, Newport just to name a few are very tough to cross when the weather kicks up, in a lightly built 27' forget it. There is good reason few people pound north in the fall or winter.

michael

[logos]

I like the pictures! The Columbia River Bar is the main Crux of this voyage- the other just being the long slog on ship and crew. But the bar is only impassable in a storm or unusually high, breaking seas. You're absolutely right though, the November winds and storms are coming in the north west coast. If winds are in the 10- 25 knot for the trip to San Fransisco I will be happy.

But trust me, decommissioning the boat and trucking it if it's condition, the weather or cost/benefit out determine otherwise since the boat is mine, not a delivery in those terms.

[sailingdog]

DEBoy—

I just use the Columbia River bar as an example, since I know they have good photos for it...

[logos]

Oh, about my experience. I am an able bodied sailor. I have sailed primarily the North West Coat and Rivers since I was born and raised here. Father had a boat when I was a lot younger and started there. It became "mine" for 7 years through college and some early positions. Then moved on to larger boats and finally suffered a personal loss and worked at the premier boat yard's in this area but also one of the best boat builders in the world- right now they are working on two 65ft cat's... on the web of course... anyway- know the beasts inside and out... and plan to spend some time shaking it down as I'm not in a terrible hurry.

[logos]

equipment I think necessary: (don't have a full manifest yet) besides all required safety equipment:

back up gps
back up, hand-held, marine radio
offshore personal gear:
suit
vest
harness
synthetic layers
gloves
sunglasses
goggles
heat supply on boat
extra fuel
extra food & water
charts
sextant & tables/calculator

epirb like ACR AquaFix 406 MHz GPS I Personal EPIRB

life raft with survival kit...
would like at least a thousand feet of rode... could use it as a warp if needed

you know pretty much what the racing committees require lol I guess... anything else?

[Faster]

Put it on a truck.. honestly. This is not the season to be trying that patch of water in a H27.

"The Columbia Bar is only accessible in foul weather".. true enough but, as with all the (many) bar harbours along this coast the times you most likely NEED to get across could well be in foul weather, at which time you're locked out with nowhere to go.

The $3K (or less - just going to Portland) you're looking at to truck the boat home will be money very well spent. If you want the coastal experience do it next year - sail up to BC and Puget sound for starters in late spring or early summer...

The "gales of November" is not just a Great Lakes tale.. I doubt you'll find anyone to wholeheartedly recommend this plan esp at this time of year and esp in that type of boat.