Mexico to British Columbia

[Grampax5]

Hi everyone I’m looking to buy a Sloop in Mexico and sail to British Columbia. I’m looking for advice on how to do this, sail, motor or truck/ship hauler? I’m looking for timeframes as I have been told 10 days to 2 months. Any thoughts would be helpful. I also need to know if I truck who to call. Any names would be great. Thx

[Gudgeon]

Its called the Baja Bash for a reason. Time it will take depends on if want to go offshore and sail it in one shot, or harbor hop your way north. A lot depends on the boat. Some folks go to Hawaii then go north to more effectively use the winds.

[JPA Cate]

The answer to your question depends on a number of variables: how much time do you have to devote personally to getting the boat from Mexico to BC.? Will the boat be in seaworthy condition when you buy it? (Just getting it ready will take time.) Is the vessel appropriate for purpose? If your proposed boat is weatherly, and seaworthy, then you can sail, the whole way, or with stops to break the journey and repair what you broke. When we bought our first insatiable, we had a problem with the starter switch fuse, and it was me who broke: I got an ear infection and had to leave the delivery trip, so coastal hops had that advantage--access to a doctor and transport hoe to my residence.

And then the other question is about your own experience. You will be going from somewhere warm to somewhere a lot cooler; you will be going upwind and up current almost the whole way. It's roughly 2,000 n. mi from Cabo to Victoria, and you need to consider how the south setting current will affect your tacking angles and overall days' runs. If what I just wrote doesn't mean much to you, you may want to take crew or even a skipper with you to learn about the decisions one makes on difficult passages.

Ann

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Grampax5

Hi everyone I’m looking to buy a Sloop in Mexico and sail to British Columbia. I’m looking for advice on how to do this, sail, motor or truck/ship hauler? I’m looking for timeframes as I have been told 10 days to 2 months. Any thoughts would be helpful. I also need to know if I truck who to call. Any names would be great. Thx

Where in Mexico? What kind of boat? What kind of engine? What is the tankage? Does it have adequate electronics/autopilot? What size is the boat? Can it be trucked? Is the TIP in order? Does it need a chase-car?

Pacific Coast of Mexico is longer than the US coast, almost 2000 nms from Guatamala to Tijuana so location makes a BIG difference. Best case scenario is Ensenada - there are ships that run between Ensenada and Victoria. By the time yard fees are included on either end, you're looking at $12k-$15k on up, maybe a bit less for trucking, especially if your boat is small enough to fit on a standard flatbed and pulled with an F350. Again assuming Ensenada, it's over 1000 nms to BC. Assuming boat is strong, has adequate tankage, crew is experienced, and no abnormal weather, and the boat can sustain 150 nm/day, 7-10 days. Remove any of those variables and 2-months looks normal.

[Bowdrie]

I've singlehanded, (did have a friend on board for a couple of hops,) from Newport Beach Ca. to Astoria Or.
Looked at it as an adventure, (I'll get there whenever).
Spent most every night at anchor or tied-up somewhere, you can basically day-sail that part of the trip.
It took 6 weeks, but 3 of those weeks were spent in harbor(s) waiting for a weather window.
Yes, it's wind/current/wave on the nose most all the time, you can't be in a hurry, it's too easy to be caught in a tight situation.
As others have referenced, a good auto pilot is a must, along with a good engine.
Someone once wrote, "If you can sail the Pacific Coast, you can go anywhere".

[TrentePieds]

Grampax5 said: "I’m looking to buy a Sloop in Mexico and sail to British Columbia...."

Whyever would you want to do that when the B.C. coast is teeming with good boats looking for a new owner?

Buy a local boat, and you have some hope of finding moorage as part of the deal. Bring in a boat and you may have to go on the bottom of a five year long waiting list.

By the time you've paid the expenses of getting a boat from Mexico to B.C you can buy TWO equivalent boats in B.C. Or you can buy a bigger boat than the one you can have transported or one you can afford to buy in Mexico if you have to reserve money for over-land transport.

I think you'll do yourself a favour in all respects if you take your plan back to the drafting board.

Best of luck

TrentePieds - posting from B.C.!

[Slovak]

Highly recommend reading Travels with Aquavite: San Francsico Bay to British Columbia 2016 that details sailing conditions and ports in PNW.

[goat]

Hey Grampax5, I did that run last May. Puerto Vallarta to Prince Rupert. I did the boomerang run, going nearly to Hawaii, then riding the high back to B.C. It was an epic trip with a little bit of everything. Before I could give you any advice, you'll have to share a lot more info about you and your boat. Ready to offer advice if you are considering this route. Value of advice worth price paid. ;^)

goat