Sailing from LA down Baha pen

[tncutler]

Hello I am looking into the possibility of buying a sailboat in LA for $4000 or less to sail to around Baha in march to june I can sail, but am pretty green, I have read that this coast is not for rookies.

I have also considered same trip but in florida keys.


Thoughts?

[model 10]

You should do the keys. Baja could be pretty serious, a $4,000 boat might not make it. Along the cay's you could abandon the boat and live on but along Baja you could die.

[tncutler]

Thanks bud

[zeehag]

i have been sailing mexico in a 4650 usd boat. no issues. it is all downhill to cabo then up the gulf of mexico. be ready for BIIG winds from about 0400 south of cedros 0400-0600 chubascos 60+kt winds. other than that, is easy,. just stay off the beach. is a lee shore. once in soc, thumb nose at those recommending keys ha ha ha h aha ha h a

[jenders]

I don't think it matters too much whether you sail the Keys or Baja. What does matter is that your boat is seaworthy, and that you prepare yourself and your vessel as well as possible. Your attitude toward coastal/offshore cruising seems pretty relaxed. That can be dangerous.

[Kreef]

Originally Posted by tncutler

Hello I am looking into the possibility of buying a sailboat in LA for $4000 or less to sail to around Baha in march to june I can sail, but am pretty green, I have read that this coast is not for rookies.

I have also considered same trip but in florida keys.


Thoughts?

First you must learn to spell the word SAILING ,lol!!!!Sorry couldn't resist that.
I have sailed from Panama to LA the opposite way on a 44 ft Swan and that was a bash for sure.Read up on the Baja Bash and see if you can join that race .

[VAGABOND47]

After doing the voyage you are considering over 30 times, both solo and with crew I would suggest this you take a look at Latitude 38 magazine's crew section. The Baja HaHa regatta is departing San Diego in the end of October and many of the boats are looking for crew. Your intended route is not a beginners voyage, but it is a fantastic coastline that I wouldn't talk anyone out of exploring. Forget the Keys, they are littered with humans and are not going to be worth seeing again until a massive hurricane blows all of the marks of mankind off of the map.
The Sea of Cortez will show you magical surprises daily, if you are able to make way around Cabo and head north past LA Paz.

[tncutler]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i have been sailing mexico in a 4650 usd boat. no issues. it is all downhill to cabo then up the gulf of mexico. be ready for BIIG winds from about 0400 south of cedros 0400-0600 chubascos 60+kt winds. other than that, is easy,. just stay off the beach. is a lee shore. once in soc, thumb nose at those recommending keys ha ha ha h aha ha h a

Thank you everyone.

I originally picked the keys because from what i read it seemed to be easy to sail. then looking into the keys themselves I found them to be full of concrete and resorts.
So i am looking at alternatives.

My experience:
I grew up racing dinghy's, lazers and hobie 16 mostly

I crewed on a 45 foot sailboat for a month of the year for, 7 years ( friends fathers boat)
I spent 3 months sailing a 24 foot boat with a friend in the gulf islands off Vancouver island. ( ran aground off hornby island, coast guard pulled us off) other than running aground trip was fine. I bought this boat for $2700. gave boat away for free, sold engine for $800.

all of my sailing experience is around the guf islands, or vancouver harbour. The gulf islands are really tame in the summer, and often not enough wind. Right now my plan is to single hand, unless I can find a friend to come along.

[tncutler]

Originally Posted by tncutler

Hello I am looking into the possibility of buying a sailboat in LA for $4000 or less to sail to around Baha in march to june I can sail, but am pretty green, I have read that this coast is not for rookies.

I have also considered same trip but in florida keys.


Thoughts?

Thank you everyone.

I originally picked the keys because from what i read it seemed to be easy to sail. then looking into the keys themselves I found them to be full of concrete and resorts.
So i am looking at alternatives.

My experience:
I grew up racing dinghy's, lazers and hobie 16 mostly

I crewed on a 45 foot sailboat for a month of the year for, 7 years ( friends fathers boat)
I spent 3 months sailing a 24 foot boat with a friend in the gulf islands off Vancouver island. ( ran aground off hornby island, coast guard pulled us off) other than running aground trip was fine. I bought this boat for $2700. gave boat away for free, sold engine for $800.

all of my sailing experience is around the guf islands, or vancouver harbour. The gulf islands are really tame in the summer, and often not enough wind. Right now my plan is to single hand, unless I can find a friend to come along.

[tncutler]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i have been sailing mexico in a 4650 usd boat. no issues. it is all downhill to cabo then up the gulf of mexico. be ready for BIIG winds from about 0400 south of cedros 0400-0600 chubascos 60+kt winds. other than that, is easy,. just stay off the beach. is a lee shore. once in soc, thumb nose at those recommending keys ha ha ha h aha ha h a

60 Knot winds!!?? I cant do that

[RokNRich]

Another idea would be to go overland and get a cheap boat in either La Paz or San Carlos area....then explore the Sea...

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by RokNRich

Another idea would be to go overland and get a cheap boat in either La Paz or San Carlos area....then explore the Sea...

That's not a bad idea. There are folks who go south but don't relish the return. There are certainly good boats you can buy for $4000 but realistically you'll probably need to add another $4000 of stuff to get ready. That said, I have known of folks who sailed down on small inexpensive boats. Are you thinking of sailing back up or is this a one-way trip?
Here is a fun little slide show / video made by folks who went down in a boat just like mine. https://vimeo.com/145009504

and here are a couple for sale in that size range and vintage that seem pretty much ready to go... just to give you an idea...
Pearson Triton 28
32' Sailboat for sale
Both would need a self-steering vane added IMO

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by tncutler

60 Knot winds!!?? I cant do that

If you are prepared for it, you can.
There is no bad weather, only poor preparation.
At least that's what I heard once.

[model 10]

All those POS $4k boats ended up in Key West for a reason. It so easy, you can go outside the reef and sail if you want, you have the best wx radio, live the life etc. And if your $4k boat craps out, you could leave it in Key West.
You could leave it along the coast of "Baha" or any part of Mexico and it would be less of an eco disaster because it would be picked clean in a week. It would be just a matter of getting out of the country with your papers stamped.. In the keys you could just leave it and take the bus home.

[tncutler]

I thought about this, hard to find boats fr sale online. but maybe i just need to show up