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Old 10-12-2014, 05:48   #46
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

if you think your boat your looking at is small go to youtube look at cruising lealea it is a 27 albin vega they go from Hi to AK and back several times worth looking at
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Old 10-12-2014, 09:28   #47
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

I am amazed at the number of comments about sailing up the coast from Panama to SF. I'm guessing those who think it is not doable have only read about it. I have done it, in a 42 foot Jeanneau, after my wife circumnavigated the globe . The last thing I wanted to do after nearly three years and 30000 miles of sailing was to make 2 more ocean passages and sail another 10000 miles to get to SF.

We left Panama in January of 2009. Got to Ensenada in April, waited till May 1st to head up the US coast. With many pleasant stop we made it to SF and then to our home port of Olympia, WA by June 28.

We motor sailed north when needed to get to a port or anchorage and although we sometimes had to return to port and try again we where not unhappy to spend another night being comfortable in a safe place.

The prejudice presented in this thread is unwarranted and uniformed in my opinion. If you read the San Diego to Seattle guide (by the Douglas'?) you'll find that many people sail or motor up the coast and enjoy the trip.

Nearly all the participants in the Baja Ha Ha use the coast route to return to their home port. Most of them do not have the time or the inclination to sail to Hawaii to get to San Diego or points north.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:07   #48
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Originally Posted by Tiva View Post
I am amazed at the number of comments about sailing up the coast from Panama to SF. I'm guessing those who think it is not doable have only read about it. I have done it, in a 42 foot Jeanneau, after my wife circumnavigated the globe . The last thing I wanted to do after nearly three years and 30000 miles of sailing was to make 2 more ocean passages and sail another 10000 miles to get to SF.

We left Panama in January of 2009. Got to Ensenada in April, waited till May 1st to head up the US coast. With many pleasant stop we made it to SF and then to our home port of Olympia, WA by June 28.

We motor sailed north when needed to get to a port or anchorage and although we sometimes had to return to port and try again we where not unhappy to spend another night being comfortable in a safe place.

The prejudice presented in this thread is unwarranted and uniformed in my opinion. If you read the San Diego to Seattle guide (by the Douglas'?) you'll find that many people sail or motor up the coast and enjoy the trip.

Nearly all the participants in the Baja Ha Ha use the coast route to return to their home port. Most of them do not have the time or the inclination to sail to Hawaii to get to San Diego or points north.
Thanks for this post. When I first got into boats as a sailing club member my progress to boat ownership and such was delayed by some years precisely because of all the club members naysayers around me at the time. "Oh, owning a boat is expensive, oh, you won't have the time to enjoy it, oh, this and that". Few years after I bought and sailed my first boat, a 27footer, I bumped into the club's owner who glibly upon learning of me owning my own boat, iquired if I had time to enjoy it. I told him not only did I have time but I sailed when I wanted where I wanted, I equiped to boat to my needs and all for about the cost of his yearly membership for similar sized class of boats. He was not amused.

Since my first boat I keep a tally of all my expenses and days sailed and over the past 10 years I am way ahead of what I was getting out of supposedly "cheaper" alternative to boat ownership in that sailing club. And every step of the way I came across 2 sorts of boat owners/sailors. Ones are the naysayers who explain in great detail as to why this or that can never be done or will be extremely dangerous, expensive, foolish or all three. And others who just do it. Even among my two marine pro best friends I get one of each. )) The one who was a boat bulider all his life is the naysayer and will overbuild any component or repair "just in case". And the one who circumnaved twice will just slap this part to that part (albeit professionally well done), test it for strength and will sail into the sunset. Bouncing their ideas and methods against each other I feel like I am in continued marine ed.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:11   #49
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiva View Post
I am amazed at the number of comments about sailing up the coast from Panama to SF. I'm guessing those who think it is not doable have only read about it. I have done it, in a 42 foot Jeanneau, after my wife circumnavigated the globe . The last thing I wanted to do after nearly three years and 30000 miles of sailing was to make 2 more ocean passages and sail another 10000 miles to get to SF.

We left Panama in January of 2009. Got to Ensenada in April, waited till May 1st to head up the US coast. With many pleasant stop we made it to SF and then to our home port of Olympia, WA by June 28.

We motor sailed north when needed to get to a port or anchorage and although we sometimes had to return to port and try again we where not unhappy to spend another night being comfortable in a safe place.

The prejudice presented in this thread is unwarranted and uniformed in my opinion. If you read the San Diego to Seattle guide (by the Douglas'?) you'll find that many people sail or motor up the coast and enjoy the trip.

Nearly all the participants in the Baja Ha Ha use the coast route to return to their home port. Most of them do not have the time or the inclination to sail to Hawaii to get to San Diego or points north.
I have sailed that coast and know dozens of other people who have done it. Most people do arrive in the end, but I don't know a single person who enjoyed it. You might luck out with a weather window, but in general it's grueling. In my opinion, you would have to really hate ocean sailing not to prefer the Hawaii route, but of course, to each his own! The combination of contrary wind and contrary current is particularly devilish, since the current opens your tacking angle and makes it doubly difficult to make miles upwind!

It's probably not a lot worse than what I did this summer -- 1500 miles upwind from Finland to the South Coast of England. But I can tell you -- if I had an alternative which was not dead upwind, I would have sailed even a couple thousand miles extra to take it!
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:30   #50
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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There aren't, which is why some one should at least read pilot guides, or other references, before making recommendations like, "Of course you should go up the coast" if one has not been there themselves.

It would be like me making a recommendation for someone to cross the Bay of Biscay in February. In a 34 foot coastal cruiser. I wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about, and I would not embarrass myself by suggesting something I was not familiar with. Gosh, one might as well suggest a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island in winter time.
Jeez dude. Chill-a-bit.

If I recall, you've done a good deal of that yourself in the bluewater threads we've been bouncing around. Does "generator and watermaker" ring a bell?
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:31   #51
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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I have a hunch SmackDaddy can provide you with names of plenty of boat shippers.
Nope. Not a one.

I'd sail it.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:34   #52
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Phffft... walk in the park. I see it is calm. Think I should get a MacGregor to do it in? Might be good practise for the Bering Straights.
Yes you should.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:38   #53
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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You have a way of being disagreeable or aggressive when there is no need or justification.
Agreed. It's a bit strange...considering.
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Old 10-12-2014, 11:43   #54
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Originally Posted by Tiva View Post
I am amazed at the number of comments about sailing up the coast from Panama to SF. I'm guessing those who think it is not doable have only read about it. I have done it, in a 42 foot Jeanneau, after my wife circumnavigated the globe . The last thing I wanted to do after nearly three years and 30000 miles of sailing was to make 2 more ocean passages and sail another 10000 miles to get to SF.

We left Panama in January of 2009. Got to Ensenada in April, waited till May 1st to head up the US coast. With many pleasant stop we made it to SF and then to our home port of Olympia, WA by June 28.

We motor sailed north when needed to get to a port or anchorage and although we sometimes had to return to port and try again we where not unhappy to spend another night being comfortable in a safe place.

The prejudice presented in this thread is unwarranted and uniformed in my opinion. If you read the San Diego to Seattle guide (by the Douglas'?) you'll find that many people sail or motor up the coast and enjoy the trip.

Nearly all the participants in the Baja Ha Ha use the coast route to return to their home port. Most of them do not have the time or the inclination to sail to Hawaii to get to San Diego or points north.
Thanks for the reality check.
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Old 10-12-2014, 13:15   #55
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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My wife and I are planning to leave for a nice bluewater cruise in March from Delaware. We are currently planning to sail from Delaware to San Francisco through Panama but do not want to feel restrained if we decide to hop across the Pacific.

I bought our Hunter 356 as a step between our old Cal 25 and a larger bluewater boat but I am having second thoughts about moving on from the hunter. The boat serves all of our coastal sailing needs and is very comfortable - fun to sail.

So here is the question. Any 356 owners with significant bluewater experience? Any recommended upgrades to take my 356 out for a circumnavigation? Any reasons to move on to a dedicated bluewater boat? Anybody have spares for sale

I feel your boat is just fine and my suggestion is to just head out with the normal boat equipment and figure out upgrades later. It all depends on the route you take as to any upgrade. It is probably just a waste of money and time to fit all out for a major ocean crossing if you coastal hop because you aren't in a hurry.

So just cover basics of communication, charts, steerage, safety and go!


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Old 10-12-2014, 15:14   #56
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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My wife and I are planning to leave for a nice bluewater cruise in March from Delaware. We are currently planning to sail from Delaware to San Francisco through Panama but do not want to feel restrained if we decide to hop across the Pacific.

I bought our Hunter 356 as a step between our old Cal 25 and a larger bluewater boat but I am having second thoughts about moving on from the hunter. The boat serves all of our coastal sailing needs and is very comfortable - fun to sail.

So here is the question. Any 356 owners with significant bluewater experience? Any recommended upgrades to take my 356 out for a circumnavigation? Any reasons to move on to a dedicated bluewater boat? Anybody have spares for sale
Our prior boat was a Hunter 450. It was "fun to sail" and "serve[d] all of our coastal sailing needs and [was] very comfortable" like your boat. That stated... we had enough sense to know that our boat would NOT be up to the task you wish to undertake, that's why we decided it would be absolutely necessary to upgrade to a more heavy duty boat prior to setting off to cross oceans. Most of the reasons have already been discussed on this thread and others, there's no need to repeat.

It's sufficient to say, that at times during your journey, you will encounter sea conditions that you normally would not encounter harbor hopping down the coast. For example: Leaving Mallorca on what seemed to be a nice day last summer on our way over to Ibisa, we got caught in the middle of a thunderstorm 40-50 knot winds.... wasn't forecast. Ask yourself... How will my Hunter 356 handle that? What if there are wind blown waves 10-20ft high to go along with it? Oh yeah... the wind and waves are blowing you towards a rocky Mexican shore. How's that going to work out?

I've also noticed on your thread, that most of the Hunter owner folks offering you encouragement.... haven't done ANY offshore cruising themselves. Most are just dreamers and cheerleaders.


For most of your planned voyage, your boat will be just fine, but when you start saying that you also plan to cross the Pacific and/or head north along the Mexican coastline etc., you need to take a much closer look at the boat and it's capabilities.
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Old 10-12-2014, 15:17   #57
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

Careful Kenomac, You'll invoke the wrath of the Dynamic Duo
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Old 10-12-2014, 15:32   #58
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Careful Kenomac, You'll invoke the wrath of the Dynamic Duo
I'm on an Ipad, all I can do is smilies
Heh-heh. I'm very familiar with Keno's interesting views on Hunters.

OP - just avoid facing an F7 while at anchor in LA Harbor and you'll be fine.
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Old 10-12-2014, 15:32   #59
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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Our prior boat was a Hunter 450. It was "fun to sail" and "serve[d] all of our coastal sailing needs and [was] very comfortable" like your boat. That stated... we had enough sense to know that our boat would NOT be up to the task you wish to undertake, that's why we decided it would be absolutely necessary to upgrade to a more heavy duty boat prior to setting off to cross oceans. Most of the reasons have already been discussed on this thread and others, there's no need to repeat.

It's sufficient to say, that at times during your journey, you will encounter sea conditions that you normally would not encounter harbor hopping down the coast. For example: Leaving Mallorca on what seemed to be a nice day last summer on our way over to Ibisa, we got caught in the middle of a thunderstorm 40-50 knot winds.... wasn't forecast. Ask yourself... How will my Hunter 356 handle that? What if there are wind blown waves 10-20ft high to go along with it? Oh yeah... the wind and waves are blowing you towards a rocky Mexican shore. How's that going to work out?

I've also noticed on your thread, that most of the Hunter owner folks offering you encouragement.... haven't done ANY offshore cruising themselves. Most are just dreamers and cheerleaders.


For most of your planned voyage, your boat will be just fine, but when you start saying that you also plan to cross the Pacific and/or head north along the Mexican coastline etc., you need to take a much closer look at the boat and it's capabilities.

You guys should all relax. This is an endless and ultimately stupid argument.

Naturally you will much prefer to be in Kenomac's million dollar plus heavyweight Oyster. Much prefer! In a storm, than in a Hunter. It's much stronger and much more seaworthy and much easier to deal with in a blow. Incomparably more so. Ken is right so far. Of course -- if you can afford it, and you are setting out on long distance blue water adventures, by all means, buy a big Oyster. The key words, however, are "if you can afford it".

But you WILL NOT DIE in your Hunter, either, with reasonable seamanship and preparation. It will just be somewhat harder, less comfortable, and somewhat riskier -- all things only you can decide whether or not to accept.

Ken is also right about that rocky, 2000 mile long lee shore between Panama and San Francisco. But guess what? You don't want to be in Ken's Oyster there, either! The difference is only the degree of misery

Peace, my brothers!
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Old 10-12-2014, 15:47   #60
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Re: Hunter 356 Bluewater Capable?

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You guys should all relax. This is an endless and ultimately stupid argument.

Naturally you will much prefer to be in Kenomac's million dollar plus heavyweight Oyster. Much prefer! In a storm, than in a Hunter. It's much stronger and much more seaworthy and much easier to deal with in a blow. Incomparably more so. Ken is right so far. Of course -- if you can afford it, and you are setting out on long distance blue water adventures, by all means, buy a big Oyster. The key words, however, are "if you can afford it".

But you WILL NOT DIE in your Hunter, either, with reasonable seamanship and preparation. It will just be somewhat harder, less comfortable, and somewhat riskier -- all things only you can decide whether or not to accept.

Ken is also right about that rocky, 2000 mile long lee shore between Panama and San Francisco. But guess what? You don't want to be in Ken's Oyster there, either! The difference is only the degree of misery

Peace, my brothers!
Well said!
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