Sailing south from the PNW

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Given the fact that at the right time of year it is a downwind trip, a dodger would make little difference other than having good handhold going forward.

Not always - I went at the 'right' time of year and had mostly light/medium southerlies, with a heavy 30+ knot northerly every 3-4 days. It really wasn't a fun trip, lots of motoring from bar to bar and hiding. And very, very cold.

Agreed that it's not a trip for beginners - one of the boats I left Neah Bay with got lost trying to cross the Columbian river bar and had to get rescued by the coast guard!

Also that's a great trip report you wrote - I remember using that a LOT in 2018(along with a similar one) when I was going down the coast and trying to work out where to stop next

[jdazey]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

As you are now retired, are you planning on living on the boat for a while? Single handed? Do you have any other reasons for staying in the PNW?

I deliver race boats up and down the west coast, and don't consider a dodger essential to going south. If I had to choose, I would prefer a boat with a good (below decks, hydraulic drive) autopilot to one with a dodger.

At some point in late September or October, the weather window from the PNW to San Francisco will close with winter storm fronts. Once you are in or south of SFO, its relatively easy to move down the coast to San Diego as long as you watch the weather.

As you are new to the boat and overnight sailing, I would recommend bringing an experienced skipper along at least as far as SFO to teach you the systems and techniques on your boat.

Don sums it up nicely. You don't need a dodger; you do need to get south before late September to avoid southerly gales. A good autopilot is a wonderful thing.



If the goal is to get to Mexico/join Ha Ha, go offshore early September at the latest. If the goal is to explore towns along the way, go now.


Dodgers are nice. You can have one built in Mexico.

[Auklet]

Originally Posted by alctel

Not always - I went at the 'right' time of year and had mostly light/medium southerlies, with a heavy 30+ knot northerly every 3-4 days. It really wasn't a fun trip, lots of motoring from bar to bar and hiding. And very, very cold.

Agreed that it's not a trip for beginners - one of the boats I left Neah Bay with got lost trying to cross the Columbian river bar and had to get rescued by the coast guard!

It’s basically axiomatic: “Good weather, good cruise; bad weather, bad cruise.” I’d think that a sailor would have the most “control” over the weather confronted via best use of weather windows. That implies waiting, or hiding out, for one to appear. A 10 to 15-day “good” weather window along the CA coast might be expecting a lot, but not something unheard of.

A first-time boat owner/skipper probably has not had enough contact with marine weather to safely launch such a cruise. Landsiders just don’t pay the same amount of attention to forecasts and deviations from forecasts as do Mariners. One can trust a forecast only so far. Years of on-the-water experience are also needed.

Cruising Mexico may also not be the ticket for all showing interest. Several months ago some friends lost their boat, a 44-footer, in bad weather in the Sea of Cortez a few weeks after arriving via the HaHa. Others I’ve known, folks with little cruising experience that have made the trip on their own boat, have not come back glowing with satisfaction, etc. The opposite for them, never to go again. Yet “established cruisers” may go and return multiple times. (Although they didn’t necessarily leave from the PNW.) The point is, a successful cruise of course depends on a lot more than just boat handling. And IMO, a successful cruise is more than just arriving at a planned destination, etc. We wish both adventure AND fun!

[Auklet]

Originally Posted by jdazey

Dodgers are nice. You can have one built in Mexico.

A recent report from someone I know who took that option. Several weeks to get a hard dodger built and installed in Ensenada; big boat however.

[Paul L]

Sailing down the PNW coast can be really cold, especially at night. Having a dodger to hide under on your 3am watch is really nice. Fatigue is the big killer offshore. Fatigue leads to bad decision making.
I don't agree at all with the advice above of being able to daysail to San Franciscio. Relying on this prepassage plan is a recipe for disaster. You can't daysail without dealing with far too many and too dangerous bar entries and exits.

I've done the Puget Sound to San Fran 4 times. For the typical boat and crew that have not recently been offshore, I think the third week of Aug is the optimum time to look for a weather window and start your trip south. You can usually easily break the passage with a couple of stops at safe entrance ports and have a decent, if not cold, trip. The heaviest weather is usually at one of the Capes off southern Oregon or northern Cal. These are often unforecast, 40kts from the NW for a night.

For boats and crew that have recent offshore experience, then leaving as late as mid Sept is probably OK. The earlier date gives you more opportunity to wait for weather and fix your boat while heading down, prior to the Fall storms starting.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by alctel

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Agreed that it's not a trip for beginners - one of the boats I left Neah Bay with got lost trying to cross the Columbian river bar and had to get rescued by the coast guard!

Also that's a great trip report you wrote - I remember using that a LOT in 2018(along with a similar one) when I was going down the coast and trying to work out where to stop next

Thanks for the kind words.

[sailingabe41ds]

What ever happened to the OP, Beancounter? I thought he was also moving to Costa Rica for three years in a previous post?

Abe