We will be moving our new to us Downeaster 45 from Blaine, WA to Los Angeles in early August this year and I am beginning
route planning for the trip.
After doing some basic
research here and in various
books (e.g. World Cruising Routes), it seems as though we have two main options.
Head out to sea then turn south or hug the coastline in case we need to pull into port (knowing that we would encounter more traffic, crab pots and sand bar entrances).
I am leaning towards staying somewhere around 30nm off the coast and making as few stops as possible. I am really only planning on stopping in
San Francisco so we can do a crew change, resupply and have
family visit us mid-trip before continuing on to Los Angeles.
Is this a reasonable approach? If so, does anyone have some suggested waypoints for navigating this
passage?
We plan on sailing Blaine to Port Angeles the first day, then continuing on when the tide and
weather cooperate for a departure from the Strait of Juan De Fuca. We will have ~6 people on board for each segment of the trip.
I would love to hear any suggestions on the
route, waypoints or really anything else that may assist our voyage.