Other boats sailing form San francisco to San Diego in Nov.'12

[beaverpilot777]

Hello Everyone!
We are brand new here, although we have been reading posts while we have been looking to buy our new (new to us) boat! Well, we did it! Bought our first boat. Take delivery in the next two weeks when we head to Ca. and south to escape the Alaskan winters for a change! Gonna try to sail everday out of Alameda while in the Bay area.
We are planning to soak every bit of knowledge we can, while sailing and getting used to our new boat and learning more and more about sailing...but plan to sail her to San Diego toward the middle and end of November (coming up fast!).
Sorry for the long winded start...but we were wondering , as this is quite the undertaking for our first trip...if their are any others planning this trip soon, or at the same time frame we are and wondered if it's possible to 'fleet up' for lack of a better term, to kinda sail somewhat together, keeping check..keeping company, enjoying the stops along the way...making new friends...etc...??

[Cheechako]

Watch the weather! Have fun.

[EzzyD]

Originally Posted by beaverpilot777

Hello Everyone!
We are brand new here, although we have been reading posts while we have been looking to buy our new (new to us) boat! Well, we did it! Bought our first boat. Take delivery in the next two weeks when we head to Ca. and south to escape the Alaskan winters for a change! Gonna try to sail everday out of Alameda while in the Bay area.
We are planning to soak every bit of knowledge we can, while sailing and getting used to our new boat and learning more and more about sailing...but plan to sail her to San Diego toward the middle and end of November (coming up fast!).
Sorry for the long winded start...but we were wondering , as this is quite the undertaking for our first trip...if their are any others planning this trip soon, or at the same time frame we are and wondered if it's possible to 'fleet up' for lack of a better term, to kinda sail somewhat together, keeping check..keeping company, enjoying the stops along the way...making new friends...etc...??

Welcome to C.F. and watch the weather...... The further south the easier it gets..

[Bash]

Originally Posted by beaverpilot777

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the long winded start...but we were wondering , as this is quite the undertaking for our first trip...if their are any others planning this trip soon, or at the same time frame we are and wondered if it's possible to 'fleet up' for lack of a better term, to kinda sail somewhat together, keeping check..keeping company, enjoying the stops along the way...making new friends...etc...??

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on the new boat.

The correct term would be "buddy boating." There are a few things you should know about the practice. First, it's best to buddy-boat with boats with similar hull speeds. If a fast boat buddies with a slow boat, they'll both end up frustrated.

Second, buddy boating should never be a substitute for self sufficiency. More than once I've been asked to buddy with someone who didn't have a radar because he thought I could keep a lookout for his boat using my radar. No thanks! If you're not 100% certain that you can make the voyage safely on your own, don't go.

Third, different cruisers have different cruising temperaments. For example, some boats turn on their engines whenever their speed falls below four knots, while others want to keep sailing. Likewise, some boats like to put up their spinnakers and blast while others prefer to reef and take it slow. My general rule is that if the going is good, I keep going--so it doesn't work for me to buddy with someone who wants to put into harbor every night before sundown.

One final thought. It's a great idea to sail your boat out of Alameda every chance you get between now and your departure. An ever better idea is to spend as many nights on the hook as you possibly can. That's a skill that seems to come harder to newbie cruisers than the actual sailing, believe it or not. So learn to get some Z's while at anchor.

Your best bet, if you really want to find a buddy, is to let everyone know what type of boat you have.

[beaverpilot777]

Ahhhhh....excellent advice and all things are pretty important and could certainly make or break a trip, for sure!
People would have to have some kind of a fit, thats for sure.
We have a C&C 41, and the boating experience I have, (growing up in Alaska in a fishing family) sleeping while on the hook, is pretty nice!!! Its the sleeping while seven different sideways' is going on I dont' ever look forward to again! lol Or during a puke-a-palooza....
I do feel comfortable in my ability and most importunely my knowing 'when to say when' and go/no-go....I am a pilot in Alaska, and weather is our business for sure! We are looking forward to the trip (getting more excited everyday, and 25 degrees outside is helping!), our thinking was that of making new friends and 'hey, if we're going in the same direction...'
I sure wouldn't want to be responsible for someone else, and would never want them to be for me.
Thanks for the welcome, and the great advice and well wishes, as we look forward to lots more!

[beaverpilot777]

And also, Not allowed to spend too many nights on the hook, till we get the new windlass...so I am told...or mutin y will come quick!
lol

[gjordan]

There are several good threads on CF about anchorages on the Calif coast, and some good recommendations on books. As long as the wind stays out of the NW there are a number of good anchorages, so you dont have to sail overnight if you dont want to. I have done the trip many times and I almost always anchored most nights. Days are short in Nov. and the nights are long so short runs are needed. Its a great trip.____Grant.

[Cyndimarcus]

We are leaving the Delta about Oct 30 but will probably be out the gate before you leave, but you never know!
SV Rebecca Tayana 37
Cyndi and Marcus

[Livia]

Here is a place to find other Southbounders:

southbound_group : The Southbound Group