PNW

[kewlrunninz]

Anyone done the trip San Francisco to BC.
And if so what month how was it.
I am thinking end of May

[tenchiki]

When I was researching the same trip (which I ended up not doing), the common advice I got was that the least bad time was August-September, where the northern portion was better in August, and the southern portion was better in September.

[Lepke]

I was a commercial fisherman and worked those waters many times.

In May the ocean is starting to settle down. Every month after May gets better until October. Often there is a pattern of storms that raise swells for about a week followed by about 10 days of increasing better weather. Then another storm comes thru. As you get into summer the nice days are more often.

You need to closely follow the weather. Plan on stops during storms. Outer Bodega Bay is the last good anchorage until Neah Bay. All the ports and rivers have bars to cross. All the bars are not bad to cross in average weather. In bad weather they are sometimes closed. So plan you trip and have contingency plans to get to the bar before it closes. Slack water, high tide gives the best ride across a bar. Don't try to cross a closed bar.
A friend tried crossing the Eureka, Humboldt Bay bar and pitch polled. A swell came in between the jetties lifted his stern and in the trough the bow touched bottom. Boat forward movement stopped. The swell lifted the stern over the bow. He lost his mast and commercial rigging, but he and the boat survived.

I run 25 nm off the shore. Swells are smaller and you get a better ride. Close to shore the swells become much steeper and closer together. I try to say in deep water, more than 100 fathoms.

[sv_pelagia]

and when you get to Victoria, welcome to the Pacific North East (or Canada's Pacific South West...) ��

[TrentePieds]

Do Listen to Lepke :-)!

But here is a clip of how it's done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8lJ...el=TylerTurner

It's Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast. One of the few hidey-holes between SF Bay and Neah Bay in the Straits of Juan deFuca. The weather is not uncommon.

Do not go there in a sailboat! You need the power this boat has, and the skill her helmsman has, to have any hope of getting through the entrance to Depoe Bay in one piece!

Do not create a situation where Coasties have to put their lives at risk by having to out to save you.

Look up the story of S/S Valencia that missed her turn at Cape Flattery and stranded off Bamfield on Vancouver Island. We built a lifesaving trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island in response to the lives lost in that incident.

TrentePieds

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Lepke

Slack water, high tide gives the best ride across a bar. Don't try to cross a closed bar.
A friend tried crossing the Eureka, Humboldt Bay bar and pitch polled

OP, the whole post by Lepke is good advice, I only quoted a part to ad reinforcement.
All bar crossings are cause for caution, but the bar at Humbolt has been the one that gave me a scare when conditions were "not quite right".
Generally speaking, the one at Coos Bay has a reputation as being one of the last to close when things start going downhill on the Oregon coast.
IIRC, the month of lowest average wind strength is July, the lowest average sea-state being August.

[A la carte]

I took a summer to do the trip from San Diego to the PNW a few years ago. I found the standard wind was 25kts from the north except for rare occasions. Often, 25kts was the nicer days. I enjoyed the passage, but wouldn't have minded a few more agreeable wind angles. My thinking is that May might be a bit early as you can still get some cold fronts dropping down. Never had issues with the bars, but did always check the Bar Advisories https://www.weather.gov/pqr/AllBars

[nmuir]

Did San Fran to Vancouver (Canada) 1st week of July.

Did not want to try any bar crossings so carefully watched the weather window so we could safely make it (a) to Crescent City (no bar crossing), then again to (b) around Cape Flattery.
Best IMHO to stay offshore to clear the many crab pots. From memory outside the 300' concour but don't quote me on that depth.
Good luck. We had rain and fog almost the whole way!

[Don C L]

This social group has a number of threads that might be of help to you.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...t+sailors.html