How long to get to Seattle from newbern n.c.

[pdjb]

I am thinking about taking my boat which is a willard 8 ton sailboat from newbern n.c. to Seattle, wa, QUESTION is how long would it take to sail, and how much would it cost.give some idea how you would plan this trip. Any one

[jordanbigel]

I would figure 9 months, but it could be done faster if you like bad weather and cold.

You need to leave NC in November after hurricane season, figure one month minimum to get to Panama, 2 months to have time to see some of the Caribbean. Then transit the canal (this alone could take 2-4 weeks because you will wait for a slot) and then work up the coast of Central America and Mexico to reach California before the end of May (to avoid the next hurricane season in Mexico which starts June 1, roughly speaking) - that's a maximum 6 months to get to San Diego.

If "how long" means "what is the shortest amount of time possible", then you can figure 3 months to get from NC to California, but the pace will be grueling and you may find yourself pushing so hard you do not have enough time to wait for the "best" weather (ie. there are parts along the West coast of N. America where you will want to wait for good conditions, and that could add weeks to the trip - eg. Gulf of Tehuantepec). At that pace you could find yourself in California in February, which is not a great time to sail up the coast (again, unless you like crappy weather) it can be very cold and rough off N. California, Oregon and WA at that time of year. So, minimum I would say 5 months.

If you take the full 6 months to get to California, you will be there at the start of summer then have all summer to work you way up the US coast. You definitely want to be in Seattle by end of August in my view.

[pdjb]

What would you say about cost?

[jordanbigel]

Originally Posted by pdjb

What would you say about cost?

Depends on what breaks on the way!

Also depends on how much you use the engine, diesel is very expensive now, but on a 30 footer you probably can't carry much diesel anyway, so that probably won't be a huge drain.

Food should not be a huge factor either, you gotta eat no matter where you are and once you get to Panama, basic provisions should be very affordable, until you reach California...

If you stop at marinas along the way for extended periods, that could also add a huge chunk to the cost - so it's hard to predict without knowing how many nights you plan to stay in a slip.

You can research the cost of the Canal, it's not cheap, I think a few thousand dollars now (costs have gone up dramatically in the last 5 years I think, maybe before that even) and you have to hire crew to transit the canal, rules require (I think) at least 3 line handlers plus the skipper, plus a canal authorized pilot who you have to feed along the way (takes 2-3 days I believe).

Typically you will arrive at Colon and meet other cruisers who are also transiting, then you will volunteer to be line handlers for one or two boats, and then other cruisers will then reciprocate when it's your turn (one of the reasons it can take several weeks to make the transit, especially if you are solo and don't bring your own crew to act as line handlers).

I've never done the canal, others with recent experience may provide more details.

[JPA Cate]

1.35 times the square root of the waterline in feet will give you hull speed for the boat, close to 6 knots. Do not plan on that for your average day's runs, but a conservative average of 4.5 knots may not be far off for what to expect when you can sail for 24 hr. runs.

Now, open up Open CPN and figure out your route in nautical miles, and plug in that hypothetical average speed, and you can approximate your sailing days. If nothing breaks, and nothing goes wrong, I make it about sixty 24 hour runs, no stopping at all. You won't be able to do that.

Honestly, to the PNW from NC, is all upwind against a south setting current, from Panama north. I don't know what that would mean for you, but it is a lot of wear and tear, on a boat that is not known to be super sturdy. Have you done anything to beef it up?

How much would it cost? Hard to say. it would partly depend on how much motoring you do (fuel and oil expenses), and if you only stop for fuel and water and the occasional look-see, and what you spend, we don't know your spending habits at all. But if you do the arithmetic, you'll see. Do your route planning, and see how many marina nights you'd want to have, and look at the marinas on the net and see what their charges are. I'd be interested to see what you come up with. The food costs will be roughly what you spend now.

If you were to ship the boat to the PNW the costs might be less, but you wouldn't get the adventure.

Ann

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by pdjb

I am thinking about taking my boat which is a willard 8 ton sailboat from newbern n.c. to Seattle, wa, QUESTION is how long would it take to sail, and how much would it cost.give some idea how you would plan this trip. Any one

Likely around 2 weeks, assuming you’re sailing on the back of a truck. In all seriousness, unless you’re wiling to dedicate a year of your life to it, just hire someone to truck it over.

My Ericson 27 sailed on her own bottom to San Francisco from Puget Sound, but when she came back, it was on a truck. I think it was 3 to 4 thousand to haul her back, but we were backloading the usual migration which goes the other way.

[TrentePieds]

pdjb:

You will also want to consider that not for nothing is the west coast of Northern California, Oregon, Washington and the Canadian Province of BC called the "graveyard of ships". From Eureka north there are no bolt-holes. entering places like Depoe Bay is not for the faint-hearted or those unfamiliar with the location, experienced though they may otherwise be.

As Ann sez, the current set south along the coast and it tends to blow from the northwest. Consequently, people who do the trip tend to go by way of Hawaii

Just like a Boeing 747 is the best and cheapest way to cross oceans, so a truck is the best way to get a boat from the east cost of NA to the west coast.

All the best.

TrentePieds

[stormalong]

Considering the cost of trucking you are better off selling your east coast boat and buying another one in the Puget Sound area. Put the money into upgrading your new to you boat instead of trucking cost.

[mvweebles]

Owner of a Willard 30 Trawler (very similar hull to OPs 8-ton) with Yanmar 50hp went from SE Alaska to La Paz MX (along with some SoC exploration). He left Alaska last Sept and returned home a few weeks ago. His logs show just under 10,000 nms. Average speed was 5.1kts; average fuel consumption was 0.8 gph for a fuel economy of 6-1/4 nms/gal. He burned just over 1600g of diesel for the trip; adding about 2000 engine hours so he did 8-10 oil changes along the way. He single-handed the entire trip.

His return trip from La Paz to SE Alaska; almost 3000nms took about 7-8 weeks as he paused a couple times due to weather.

While I have been through the Panama Canal, it's been a long time. Noonsite would be best info for current Canal costs and requirements. Smaller boats struggle with minimum speed requirements.

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

As Ann sez, the current set south along the coast and it tends to blow from the northwest. Consequently, people who do the trip tend to go by way of Hawaii

Just like a Boeing 747 is the best and cheapest way to cross oceans, so a truck is the best way to get a boat from the east cost of NA to the west coast.

All the best.

TrentePieds

Imean, it can be done safely. I helped deliver a Moody 46 from Marina Del Rey to Puget Sound, and we did not do the Hawaii route. That said, we also didn’t sail until we got around Tatoosh and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. But there are several ditch points all along the coast, you just have to plan for things.

For the most part, we’d stay out for 2 or 3 days, then come in to top off tanks, grab supplies as needed, swap crew, and then continue north. But there were a few times when we elected to stay out at the 100 fathom line as the bar crossings into Oregon weren’t favourable.

[pressuredrop]

I did this trip from Nov 21' to Sept 22'. Stonington Maine to Bellingham Washington.

We spent December in Annapolis, January in south Florida, February in Bahamas and Jamaica, March in San blas and thru the canal. April in Mexico (Acapulco, Mazatlan, lapaz, mag bay, ensenada) arrived in California may 1st and spent 2.5 months there so the owner could handle business at home. Late July we took off for pillar point harbor and spent two weeks there. Made then straight to Bellingham WA...


Now I was in a 64' motor sailor with 1300 gallons fuel, and a 2500 mile range, which made the job very easy. you will be motoring most of the stretch from the canal northward up the west coast, and in a small boat you will need to plan for allot more fuel stops.

[Senojev]

The OP asked for a trip from Seattle to NC. Going the other way is a totally different trip. With June to November blocked out for insurance reasons and the hurricane season, it will take over well over 1 year if you make any effort to explore along the way. You can count on have delays for maintenance The cost of fuel is probably around $10,000 plus at least $2000 for the Canal. Truck the boat unless you are not worried about economics, and potential risks along the way and want a truly potential great experience.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Senojev

The OP asked for a trip from Seattle to NC. Going the other way is a totally different trip. ...

It appears to be a reading comprehension issue for both the OP and the title of this thread. What he wrote was:

Originally Posted by pdjb

I am thinking about taking my boat which is a willard 8 ton sailboat from newbern n.c. to Seattle, wa, QUESTION is how long would it take to sail, and how much would it cost.give some idea how you would plan this trip. Any one

I brought my boat from SF to BC in 2016, 1650 nm, 8 Aug to 18 Sept, stopped every night, lots of places. 1/2 gph in 21 hop diesel, Catalina 34, motored all the way except for the last day well inside the Gulf Islands, Juan de Fuca was dead calm, go figure.


Stu's Trip I've posted our log here:

Travels with Aquavite: San Francsico Bay to British Columbia 2016

[HeywoodJ]

No one has mentioned the offshore route, which would likely be quickest. We did this a few years back, albeit from other places in the Caribbean rather than NC.

Leave NC in January, timing winter storms. Arrive in Panama February and arrange transit. Leave Panama in March for Hawaii, should be a 4-5 week passage. You need to get out of Panama before the monsoon shifts in April (late March to early May). You'll arrive in Hawaii in April, hang out for a couple of months until winter storms subside in the north Pacific and Pacific High builds. Leave Hawaii June/July, sail around high, arrive PNW after 6-7 months of generally fun sailing (but some verrrrry long passages).

Costs? Food and beverages for six months, Canal transit (~$2500, but I haven't checked in a few years), boat maintenance + gear breakage.

[SV-Viento]

I’ll add another vote for shipping truck or cargo ship. Unless you simply want the adventure of sailing her on her bottom than I would ship. Cost is close to a push whether you sail her or ship her. Whatever works for you - you will not regret. Go do now.