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Sailing time from San Diego to Monterey,CA

6K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  aloof 
#1 ·
Hi,
I just purchased a 1984 Gecco 39 down in Dana Point near Los Angeles. What is the average travel time to move her to Monterey,CA given the usual head wind? She is fin keel with a skeg rudder and reasonably fast.

Thanks,

Charles
 
#2 · (Edited)
Have done this many times. Sailing from Dana Point thru the Channel Islands is usually pleasant. Can be slow from lack of wind. The Santa Barbara Channel can get rough giving a hint of what might lie ahead. North of Point Conception to Monterey can be a challenge to sail. My summer home overlooks this stretch. Almost everyone motor sails this leg. Short tacking up behind each cape. The ten to twenty miles around each cape can be tough from March thru June: Conception, Arguello, Piedras Blancas, San Martin, Big Sur. Best to just power into it. Turn around and retreat if it is too much. Round the capes after sunset, before noon. Timid sailors miss the easy days by waiting for incorrectly forecast "windows."

How long it takes depends on how fast you can sail in the early light stuff. Then how fast you can power up the second half. Have spent five days in Santa Barbara going out each night to try to get around Conception. I've done it motoring into the gale at 2.5 knots....do the math. One knot of favorable eddy current is often found close in for many miles under the capes. This can really help compared to the one or two knot current further out.

Smart sailors take *all* the cruiser gear off the deck. Stow that heavy anchor and chain in the bilge. Plan on having a reef in the main.

That said, I have done the trip without getting a drop of water on the deck, too.

Do you have a slip in Monterey?
 
#6 ·
If you love sailing, yes, sail out to Hawaii and back. It will be nice. Otherwise up the coast, motorsailing, one foot on the beach, is the way to do it.

Exactly how close depends on hazards. I have often been only a hundred yards off the hazards. Depends.
 
#5 ·
Charles, Moss Landing is a very nice harbor. Full of interesting things. A great place for metal work is Santuary Satinless.

I agree with Aloof's advice. I understand why he warns against waiting for the perfect forecast window, because there are a lot of nice days that aren't forecast. However, I keep a careful watch on those forecasts. They do give me general information that can be accurate and important. They also can warn of specific weather issues coming down the coast. As Aloof mentions, the trip between Santa Barbara and Monterey is a major undertaking. With proper care, it can be a wonderful trip. Good Luck.
 
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