Trip from Seattle to San Diego

[shuttersailor]

Good evening!
We are planning a trip from the Seattle area to San Diego this year, starting as soon in the spring as cruising in the San Juans is enjoyable, and ending in San Diego in time for the Baha ha in October. We are trucking our boat (Jeanneau 43DS) from Chicago to Seattle in April or so. Would really appreciate experienced guidance on timing and conditions. This is the start of what we hope is a LONG curise!

[Gene T]

First off, have a great adventure! It's a downhill trip, can be cold, windy and foggy. There will be some debate as to whether to stay in close or go outside of the shipping lanes. Once you leave the San Juans there isn't much except for a few small stops with some dangerous bars (at the river entrance, don't know about in the towns) until you get to San Francisco. Well actually there are a lot of places to stop, just not much there. Depends on how much time you have. Get ready for one of the most beautiful and rugged coastlines in the world. You might want to read

Cruising the Northwest Coast by George Benson and

Exploring the Pacific Coast by Douglass.

Plan on plenty of time in San Francisco Bay. There are several nice stops south of SF Bay on your way to SD. You could also ask over at this bb.

http://www.cs-bb.com/forums/CSBB/index.cgi

This is just a quick answer, I'll add more as I think of it.