Seattle to Portland Oregon in January

[wrwakefield]

Docrn,

It sounds like your main priority is to legally avoid paying sales taxes in an area you do not reside.

We were faced with the same circumstances in mid 2014 when we bought our current cruising boat in the Seattle area. I don't mind paying taxes, but not for an area I don't reside in. [And besides, the ~US$26k saved made for a nice electronics refit budget- much of which was purchased from WA resellers...]

At that time there were several options available to us;

• Leave WA waters within 45 days of purchase
• Have work done on boat by WA vendors [who can issue extensions 30 days at a time]
• Apply for what was then called a 'Cruisers Permit' [CP; not to be confused with US CBP CP for non-US recreational vessels entering US waters]

The WA CP was a 12 month extension with the caveat that if the vessel returned to WA waters within 48 months after departing under the WA CP, taxes were due.

All of this is from memory and needs to be validated in case anything has changed since 2014 [or my memory is faulty... which never happens if I remember correctly...]

Having been offshore this time of year, I would say your chances of a reasonable Wx window are slim to none for a smaller vessel; making any of the above choices preferable if taxes are the primary reason for asking this question.

Best wishes sorting it all out in your favor.

Cheers! Bill

[1Sunseeker]

Don't even think about it. Put the boat on the hard (no WA tax) and wait until Spring/Summer. Save yourself, your marriage and your boat. Find a nice pub and watch the SEAHAWKS all the way to the big bowl.

[Dooglas]

Originally Posted by captmikem

PZZ150-160145-
Coastal Waters From Cape Flattery To James Island Out 10 Nm-
834 AM PST Sat Dec 15 2018

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING


TODAY
SE wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt in the
afternoon. Combined seas 11 to 14 ft with a dominant period of
11 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning then a chance of
rain in the afternoon.

TONIGHT
SE wind 30 to 40 kt. Combined seas 12 to 15 ft with a
dominant period of 10 seconds building to 18 to 21 ft with a
dominant period of 14 seconds after midnight. Rain.

Ah, that doesn't sound like fun to me. And Captmikem, I've got to comment that a January gale looks a lot better from inside the heated wheelhouse of an ocean going tug than it does from the open cockpit of a 39' sailboat.

[Dooglas]

And that is to not to mention conditions at the Columbia River bar -

PZZ210-160030-
Columbia River Bar-
318 AM PST Sat Dec 15 2018

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR IN EFFECT
THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

.IN THE MAIN CHANNEL...

- GENERAL SEAS...Seas 12 to 13 ft today, subsiding to 11 ft
this evening. But, seas will build back to 16 ft later this
evening, then 20 to 22 ft on Sunday.

- FIRST EBB....Around 1045 am today. Seas near 15 ft with
breakers.

- SECOND EBB...Around 1045 pm today. Seas near 18 ft with
breakers.

- THIRD EBB...Around 1145 am Sunday. Seas around 25 ft with
breakers.

[captmikem]

Just to give you an idea of what goes on here, this is the current condition via Windy. lows in the NA form and seem to suck right up into the gulf of Alaska, you can see two here. They bring S and SE winds to the Washington coast, (and really nasty wx in the gulf of Alaska). So if you watch and see none following the current one, once it passes, you have a few days before the next one forms and head to Alaska. That is the time to head south off this coast.

Siberian Sea gave you some good advise, there is a 'towing lane' that is relatively free of gear, you can find it at:
https://wsg.washington.edu/wordpress...13Towlanes.pdf


And Dooglas, I have to agree with you there.

Here is the shot of the NA at the moment:

[Scorpius]

You'd be crazy to sail it in January! As people have said, come to Canada for a bit, or register in Oregon and be a "visitor" to Washington until the weather improves. Or put it on a truck and take it down the I-5. It's not all that far from Tacoma or even Seattle to Portland - certainly MUCH shorter than by sea. And MUCH, MUCH safer. You don't want to be crossing the Columbia River bar in mid-winter.

Congratulations on your new boat and may your time aboard be plentiful, pleasant, and safe.

[GregW1309]

You can stay in Canada as a visitor as long as you leave before 12 months are up. Lots of marina's around Sidney BC, I'm in one of them with a USCG registered sailboat. You can be in Washington as an out of state visitor (with permits) for up to 6 months.

[GregW1309]

If you want to go the truck route try Associated Boat Transport, they brought my 44' boat to Washington from Virginia, and were great to work with, no damage to boat or mast. They are based in Marysville, WA, just north of Seattle. See below:



Kimberly Cohen
Associated Boat Transport
www.associatedboat.com
www.facebook.com/associatedboattransport
800-247-1198Associated Boat Transport <info@associatedboat.com>

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by 1Sunseeker

Don't even think about it. Put the boat on the hard (no WA tax) and wait until Spring/Summer. Save yourself, your marriage and your boat. Find a nice pub and watch the SEAHAWKS all the way to the big bowl.

I appreciate your optimism but it's not gonna happen.

[fatherchronica]

Years ago Cruising World had an article that interviewed 5 famous cruising couples with a minimum 200,000 miles of sailing. Only 2 couples were ever in what they considered survival conditions, both were off of Oregon and Washington. I do not remember the months involved, but I would venture that January would be the among the most dangerous months. We encountered 55 kt. plus winds and 25 foot breaking seas 90 miles west of Neah Bay in October 5 years ago. I live on the North Spit of Humboldt Bay now and Solspot predicts 46 foot waves at the Harbor mouth tomorrow evening. Heck, we had 65 kt. winds coming North a year ago September just South of Cape Mendicino and we are hundreds of miles South of Portland. Imagine trying to enter the Columbia with 45 foot seas pushing you. I would not do it personally.

[Watermann]

Probably not the ideal trip to do in a new-to-you boat, but...


I've made this trip countless times, mostly as captain on commercial tugs.

Given a good boat and your adequate experience level, it really comes down to the specific weather conditions and forecast for any given time. January is not such a great time of year, but February is often (not always) surprisingly "nice". March can be just as bad as January. I've had glass calm trips in all three months - and also had our butts kicked or jogged in the strait or sat at anchor for days awaiting a good window.

The good news for you is that you can (usually) at least hop your way out to Neah Bay and then await a good window there. There are many good WX stations/buoys out in this area that you can use and the forecasts are generally pretty accurate.

You probably already know this, but the northern WA coast is pretty rugged and isolated. The only two places for you to duck in once out on the coast are La Push and Grays Harbor. Both entrances would be downright dangerous in significant weather (they're both bar crossings). If you feel you do need to go in due to deteriorating weather, that decision needs to be made firmly and quickly. If you're already in bad conditions, forget about making either of those harbors safely. If you're still far north, the only real option is to retreat back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If you're further south, well....

Watch out for any lows and forecasted winds/seas out of the S or SW. Often (but not always), waiting 24-48 hrs behind a low passing through is enough time to let more settled weather calm things down. If the systems are only spaced a day apart though, there's not enough time for a good calm to set in - you'll still be in slop, making slow progress.

Stay in the "towboat lanes" for less of a chance of running into commercial fishing gear. I emphasize that these lanes are completely voluntary (by both sides) and does not guarantee anyone anything.

Expect a northerly surface current for considerable time after multiple systems have passed through. There's almost always going to be some sort of swell, even if the wind and wind waves are turned off. Not so much in a dangerous way, but if anyone onboard is prone to seasickness, they probably won't like it.

As for the CR bar, aim to get there at daylight on a flood or at least slack to flood. Keep in mind with lots of rain and runoff, the ebb at the bar hangs on for much longer than the table predictions say. Safest is to wait until well into the flood. The Clatsop Spit WX buoy (46423) is a PORTS buoy and is a good resource for wave conditions on the bar. https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/po...mode=composite



Overall, big thing is to not be beholden to a schedule. You may be lucky and have a nice quick easy trip down - or you might get stuck for days or weeks. It really just depends. Like I said, I've had glass calm trips in February - and horrible trips in March. Know what your limits are and stick to a decision to not go unless you're 100% comfortable. It is doable though.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by docrn

May need to make this trip next month.

Italics added. (I italicized "need" and "next month" but it is not being formatted correctly.)

This is the essence of risky cruising. You need to keep your vessel and crew safe; against that, keeping a schedule pales.

You may be able to do this, but there is a good chance you won't. If you can afford to hang around for days, weeks, or even months for a "safe" window then proceed; otherwise consider the alternatives. If you do attempt it then know that you could get stuck in Neah Bay or Westport for an extended time (I would not recommend La Push - do some research if interested). IIRC Neah Bay marina pulls the docks out of the water in the winter (good anchorage though); in any event it is a very small and isolated village - not a place to get stuck. Westport is mostly a summer tourist spot, and closes up in the winter - long trip into Aberdeen.

All that said it is possible that there is a long break where the seas have time to come down and it is just a boring motor trip. However, it would be quite easy to get stuck in Neah Bay or Westport and exceed the tax time limit, so that is another risk. Taking the extension and not being able to return for 4 years would close the door on PNW cruising, so that is to be avoided. The safe answer is to go to Canada, which I would do in a heartbeat. There is better cruising there anyway, the Loonie is weak at the moment, the natives are friendly (well, perhaps not to Trumpistas), and there are many marinas and interesting destinations.

I appreciate that this seems a bit theoretical. Having twice found myself aboard Carina in scary conditions off the PNW coast I can assure you that you do not want to be taking any risks here - things can go very bad very fast, and when they do there is no harbor of refuge available after Neah Bay. In both of my experiences the weather forecast predicted much better weather (they were 25 years ago, so maybe more reliable now). Canada should be looking better...

Greg

[CarinaPDX]

The Tow Lane info is a little out of date. Get the current data here:
https://wsg.washington.edu/community...-and-meetings/


Greg

[evm1024]

Two thoughts:

First, I've been offshore in a gale as you might expect to find off the Washington coast. 45 KT winds with gusts to??? 18' seas with the highest peaks closer to 26'. We were going with the wind and waves and having a blast surfing a 29' Cal at up to 14 kts. My crew thought we were going to die. The winds were from the south.

If you head south in the winter expect to meet these on the nose and it would not be a sleigh rude. Plus the Columbia is nothing to be underestimated.

>>Seriously<<

Number two. I do not recommend, endorse or suggest that you evade Washington state tax. I am only offering observations.

Washington boat registration expires on June 30th. Whatever stickers you have on the boat will not be obviously out of place til then. I would work to get your boat south at the soonest, safest, and reasonable time. Your intent is to get the boat out of Washington and thus taxes are not due till you overstay. And if you were to have to leave the boat in Washington until there is good weather and it happened in the spring then so be it.

If no one asks for taxes then fine, If they ask for taxes then pay them. Don't go looking for trouble.

Your intent is to get the boat south and out of Washington. The weather has prevented you from doing it as soon as you would like. If they ask, pay.

[Mithril Bham]

You will usually find a week of great weather at the end of January or beginning of February.
No. I would not do it unless you enjoy life threatening experiences.