Going north from the Bay area or San Diego, is it done?

[escapediver]

Just like the tittle says, I am looking to buy a boat in one of these areas and sail it north to Washington state. Does anyone have any experience doing this or can you point me in the direction of this info. Thanks.

[dabnis]

This is about the worst time of year to do that.
All uphill and shelter is a long way apart.
Some Links you might be interested in, kind
of long but lots of info:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruisi...ov-2008-a.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruisi...cent-city.html

Not a trip to be taken lightly regardless of the time
of year, especially now.

Dabnis

[escapediver]

Thanks,
I didn't ask the question very well. I will be having two more experienced sailors with me, and I figure it will take a few months to get the boat ready if I even buy it. The boats I am looking at are both late 80's vintage Erickson 38-200s.

[SlowButSteady]

That type of boat is perfectly capable of such a trip. I would suggest three things: have the sails/rigging set up as if you were going on a blue-water crossing, rather than a coastal cruise (i.e., be ready for anything); ALWAYS be prepared to hightail it for the nearest safe harbor, and wait out the weather for as long as it takes (even if that means losing a couple of hundred miles of "progress", and a week or two of time); have a good strong engine and plenty of fuel. Summer is by far the best bet for such a trip. Even late spring can be nasty. North of Pt. Conception the wind will almost always be on your nose, except when it's flat calm. So you'll either be close hauled or motoring most of the time. Along this coast, if you do catch a southerly breeze it will almost certainly be associated with low-pressure system, so it usually means it's time to find a place to hide from the weather.

On the other hand, if you allow yourself plenty of time, and have a well prepared boat, it can be a great trip, and will undoubtedly provide you and your crew with plenty of stories with which to scare others ("There I was...").

[BarryL]

Hello,

The March of Sailing magazine had an article on a guy who did a similar thing. He started in SF and sailed down to SD, and then back to SF. I'm on the East Coast, so that's all I know.

Barry

[dabnis]

Yes, it can be done. I made 2 San Francisco to Victoria, BC
round trips, courtesy of the US Navy on Destroyer Escorts
and got the stuffing beat out of us. I don't know if you read
the links I posted earlier but I think it would be worth your
while to read everything. I know they are long but the information
you asked for is all there.

Dabnis

[dabnis]

Escape,

Forgot this, if you go let us know how it went, or is going. One
can always learn from someone elses experiences.

Dabnis

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by SlowButSteady

Along this coast, if you do catch a southerly breeze it will almost certainly be associated with low-pressure system, so it usually means it's time to find a place to hide from the weather.

As well almost all harbours between Cape Mendocino and Gray's Harbour have bars and will likely be closed in bad weather.

[escapediver]

Maybe someone can recommend a good shipper and I can get a quote for having it delivered.

Another thought just occurred to me, So if you live north and sail south do you just leave your boat when it is time to return or do you sail to Hawaii and then back to the NW?

[dabnis]

Don't know what the trucking costs are but if you factor in
your fuel, food for crew, pay for crew?, wear & tear on the boat,
time involved, and so on, trucking it may not be that costly.
If you decide to sail it up things generally start to calm down somewhat
from mid June through September although it can be rough at
any time of year. A close watch of the weather forecasts is critical.

Dabnis