Mexico to Oregon

trish196 · #1 12-13-2010

I plan to sail our 30' sail boat from Baja to Oregon. I do not want to harbor hop up Baja and plan to sail to Socorro island and Clarion island (18 22 N ,114 44 W) before heading to Oregon.

Any suggestions on routes and time of year to make the trip.

dabnis · #2 12-13-2010

Trish,

You might be interested in this:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/sailne...tml#post675245

Dabnis

GeorgeB · #3 12-13-2010

Not much in the way of harbors to hop on the Baja Bash. Your first (and last) fuel stop is Bahia Tortugas (near Cedros island). Probably the only reliable water stop too. After that it’s simple; Encenada, San Diego, Newport, Channel Harbor, Santa Barbara, Morrow Bay, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Ft. Bragg, Eureka, Coos Bay, Astoria. You get the picture. You will need water and fuel for weeks at a time (think 100 gals each). Plan on weather delays. The best time of year is the fall. Most small boats (like yours) go up to Guymas or Loreto in the SoC and ride north on a truck. Seeing that you are going out to Socorro/Clarion and if you had a bigger boat, you could consider doing the “Clipper Route” which is staying 200 – 400 NM offshore until you get to Astoria’s latitude. Can you fill us in on the details of your boat, crew?

sailingdog · #4 12-13-2010

Going from Mexico to Oregon is a pretty tough trip. Avoid June–October, since that is the hurricane season in the Pacific.

I'd point out that for a good part of the trip, you'll be sailing along a lee shore and beating into the prevailing Northwesterly winds. Prior to reaching that area, you'll be sailing into the prevailing Northeasterly winds... The whole trip is a beat to windward, and can be a pretty nasty one.

Also, while there is a current that can help you along the coast, you run into the issue of having current against wind, which can lead to very nasty conditions along the coast, starting along the Baja peninsula. If you go further offshore to avoid those conditions, you'll be going against the southeasterly California Current. (see page 261 of Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes for the currents of the North Pacific.)

I'd be curious to know what 30' boat you are going to be doing this in. A lot of 30' boats are really not well suited for doing this trip and moving the boat by truck would be far more reasonable and safe a way to do it.

trish196 · #5 12-13-2010

I sailed the boat from northern California to Canada and down to the sea of Cortez. I will NOT be harbor hopping/anchorage hopping on the way back. The boat is fully equipt. Life raft, sea anchor, drogue etc. The previous owner sailed her from Oregon to Hawaii and back twice. I have lived and sailed the boat for 10 years and know her inside and out.

Trucking the boat is $15,000+ and I would rater sail her back.

I will solo her home or maybe have my son (he crabs in Oregon) come along.

The clipper route sounds interesting. any other info would be appreciated.

sailingdog · #6 12-13-2010

Hawaii and back is in many ways simpler than going north along the coast.

GeorgeB · #7 12-13-2010

Trish, Sorry, I misread your OP, I thought that you wanted to harbor hop. Being a Mexico vet, you already know about the weather, currents, etc. One of my dock neighbors did the “clipper” and liked it, but said it was still a beat but the trade wind swells are further apart than along the coast so the bash wasn’t so bad. Most of my friends don’t have the one to two months to do the clipper so they just load up with jerry jugs and do the bash with stops in Tortuga, San Diego, Santa Barbara then home to S.F. I noticed in your profile that your boat is a Bayliner Buccaneer 305. Can you fill me in with some more details like your aux elec power generation, communications, self steering, water making capabilities and tankages etc. We did this year’s Ha Ha and on a friends boat and had a blast, but my wife is convinced that we need a boat considerably larger than our 34 footer.

Where are you at? We have good friends in Bandaras Bay as we speak.

bobmcgov · #8 12-13-2010

If you do sail a Buccaneer 305, how well does it go to weather? I notice it has a curious keel arrangement: shallow, long, and waaaay far aft. Prolly means it tracks well downwind. But to windward?

BUCCANEER 305 Sailboat details on sailboatdata.com

As GeorgeB and Sailingdog note, you're going to sail (or motor) close reach/right on the nose for 2500-3000 miles, in a swell, with a lee shore if the engine conks. I'd want a boat with a powerful motor or a reputation as a witch on a bowline -- not, unfortunately, a trait normally associated with Bayliners. Roomy, comfortable, but not real weatherly. A boat that can't point would make the coastal trip a nightmare under sail. I'd definitely go home via Hawaii.

trish196 · #9 12-13-2010

Have considered Hawaii. Also !/2 Way and the 300-400 mile line. I would like to hear from some one who has made one of these trips.

Have SSB, wind, solar, 200GPD water maker, radar, full electronics, autopilot, 80gal fuel, 30hp 3cly. volvo w/1100hrs.

Its a bayliner, it does not point well to weather but it does get there. Thus the off shore routes.