San Diego vs. Tampa

[ceepod]

Is there an objective resource discussing the sailing experience in different locations? For example, what are the pro/cons sailing San Diego vs. Tampa?

I'm looking for something like the "Places Rated Atlas" which ranks cities by various categories like cost of living, arts, entertainment, schools, crime, unemployment etc.

In the marine version, I'm interested in categories like: number of good weather sailing days a year, number of sail clubs, number of regattas, marina costs, access to cranes that handle 22' beam, etc.

If there's nothing, then maybe at least comment on San Diego vs. Tampa if you have experience sailing both.

Thanks!

[zeehag]

if you enjoy 38 f in cyclonic deluges with up to 90 kt winds, all winter, got o san diego.
if you want to be able to sail icw in winter an d sail daily even if it is stormy, go to tampa. i have btdt both places.

san diego is not the ideal place folks who only sail there in summer make it out to being. it has a winter season from hell. i have lived on moorings in sd in every part of that bay... tampa at least has access to other parts of fla without having to wait out frigid cyclonic pnw storms.
at least in fla the cyclonic storms are few and far between.

if you dont believe me about the storms--look em up---lol--and watch their pattern..

but then what would i know i only lived on board year round at anchor and on moorings from 1995 to 2011. rodlmao

[rebel heart]

Are you chartering or living there? Big differences between life in the city of San Diego vs Tampa. The winter storms that hit San Diego come from the Gulf of Alaska, are generally short lived, and can be seen coming days in advance by Stevie Wonder. A bit of a difference compared to tropical cyclones which can and do impact Floriday.

Tampa Bay is listed as the #1 (by the weather channel) most vulnerable and overdue cities for a major hurricane.

Also depends on where you want to go. If you want to do the coastal thing, Tampa is much better with all the Floridian areas and the Caribbean.

If you want the Pacific or Indian oceans, Asia, Oceania, or any of that, California is a great jumping off point.

[rebel heart]

With a 22' beam I imagine this a is a big boat and the services in San Diego are honestly best in the nation, or certainly tied, for farming out all the work or doing a lot yourself although there aren't a lot of DIY yards left, if at all, in San Diego. You can still work some grey area there though.

San Diego has tons of marinas, no decent long term anchoring, and long wait lists for moorings.

[Sand crab]

Well, I lived in St.Pete and SD and they have one thing in common.
NO WIND! The Tampa Bay area is hot and muggy and has skeeters and no seeums and no freakin wind especially during the summer. The sand is too hot to walk on today. I'd take SD over TB for living aboard except for the price. Florida is better as a starting point for cruising during the season.

I think Zee exaggerates on the extreme cold in SD. She's livin' in the Sea of Cortez in the summer for cryin out loud. Only place hotter than Fla. Man, I'm sweating just thinking about it.

[zeehag]

if you wish to spend much more money on stuff for boating than in east coast or floriduh, come to windy cold sd--is incredibly expensive in san diego and i didnt notice any difference in quality of work put out ---i have seen yard work done in both tampa bay area and in sd...i would go to tampa. more bang for your bucks..

those pnw storms, IFF you actually WATCH them , come from so pacific as cyclones that head up to japan and then across to alaska and then down the coast,..

inaccurate weather assessment will only get anyone a job at noaa, not save your life when counting on the directionality of a system that is different than YOU THINK it is.

i lived in many many many storm systems on the water in both lost angels and in sin dieego as i have only lived on board since 1990 and followed and studied weather patterns and such since i was introduced to sailing at age 7, almost 60 years ago... but then i may not know anything as i dont have a piece of paper i bought that says i am smart.

also water temps in sd never actually get above 65, and that is in an el nino or la nina year when the lil nasty kid makes more wet down coast in winters...tampa water is a reasonable temp in winter--btdt.



by the way---I HAVE sailed in both area's waters
extensively..


por supuesto----that is buy the way in espanish----I DID LIVE IN SAN DIEGO ON TH WATER , MOORED OR ANCHORED FROM 1995-2011. yes i KNOW san diego altogether too well i do NOT exaggerate about the measured 38 degree farenheit winters, no. go live there an d feel it yourself. you will not appreciate folks lying about the reality of the climate there. according to th folks i have taking care of my ericson, the climate there ha s not changed in the 3 years since i left.... rodlmao

only season with NO WIND in sd is summer--winter has up to 90 kts of icey wind ...come on over to lovely sin daygo..they do not have that in fla--fla has wind, yes, when fronts come thru . and in tboomers at 71 kts in fla... seems you were out on the wrong days--if you want to really know the weather--ask someone who anchors and moors full time.

[Bash]

Welcome to the forum.

San Diego is a great place to stop off before heading down into Mexico. Otherwise, it really doesn't have much to offer in terms of sailing. Some good boat-watching, especially if you count aircraft carriers and submarines. But it's more a place you sail through than sail to.

[TacomaSailor]

San Diego has to be the most benign sailing in the continental US - I've spent four years living aboard and sailing in San Diego Bay. That crap posted earlier about "it has a winter season from hell." is ridiculous. I spent over 30 years sailing year-round in Puget Sound and do know a little about nasty winter sailing. San Diego is very pleasant and mild during their abbreviated 'winter season' of mid-December thru late March.

And those of you who say it never is windy in San Diego have not lived and sailed there. I can count on 10 - 16 knots almost every afternoon from 1 PM to dark. I sail a lot there and seldom find myself motoring unless I am trying to get somewhere quickly. I live on Harbor Island and seldom see less than 10 knots on the boat wind gauge every afternoon.

The big problem with San Diego sailing is there are few destination places to sail to - there are very few anchorages or even dock side destinations.

From San Diego bay - where I currently live aboard it is

- 5 miles to the Zuniga Jetty anchorage - rolly and exposed
- 8 miles to Mission Bay (three day anchoring limit)
- 40+ miles to Oceanside (no anchorage)
- 50+ miles to Dana Point (very limited anchorage with strict rules)
- 62 miles to Ensenada (pay to check in and check out)
- 80 - 95 miles to Catalina depending on where you anchor or moor - very expensive!
- 110+ miles to other Channel Island destinations
- 132 miles to Ventura
- 157 miles to Santa Barbara

Every trip listed above, except Ensenada, is dead up wind - the prevailing winds (90% or the time) is out of the NNW and the coastline going north trends westward so it is a dead beat to go anywhere except to Mexico. The constant NNW waves/swell is not large but is annoying and makes upward progress a real project.

The other BIG problem with a boat in San Diego is that you will pay 1.25% (?) property tax on your boat if it is in a Mariana anywhere in California on January 1.

The other BIG problem with sailing offshore San Diego (once outside Pt Loma) is the low clouds and fog. I'd estimate that half my days sailing in the Pacific east of the Channel Islands is under low stratus and/or fog and is relatively cool. It can be 85 degrees and clear just a mile or two east of the coast line but the pacific waters will be cloudy and cool.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by ceepod

Is there an objective resource discussing the sailing experience in different locations? For example, what are the pro/cons sailing San Diego vs. Tampa?

I'm looking for something like the "Places Rated Atlas" which ranks cities by various categories like cost of living, arts, entertainment, schools, crime, unemployment etc.

In the marine version, I'm interested in categories like: number of good weather sailing days a year, number of sail clubs, number of regattas, marina costs, access to cranes that handle 22' beam, etc.

If there's nothing, then maybe at least comment on San Diego vs. Tampa if you have experience sailing both.

Thanks!

Cost of living is markedly lower in Tampa, but the "land" experience will be much more varied in San Diego -- not all that far from another country, mountains, desert, an overnight trip (by land) to San Francisco or Napa Valley.

There's lots to do in Florida but the terrain and climate are quite predictable.

[sardinebreath]

Having lived in San Diego on and off for the past 50 years I can confirm that there are many things there that might be improved upon. Sailing aside, the weather is not one of them. The biggest problem with the weather is San Diego is that, no matter where else you go, you will likely find yourself dreaming wistfully about how much nicer it would feel to be walking along the boardwalk at PB. Yes, a hundred years ago it got down to 25 F for a moment and once in a blue moon it will dip below 40 F--giving the locals the main topic of conversation for months to follow. And, yes, there is the occasional winter storm, but comparing them to hurricane season in Florida is like comparing your neighbors at the marina to aircraft carriers.

But from a sailing perspective, there just isn't enough wind in SD to make it really interesting.

[zeehag]

all you who bitch about no wind in san diego have not been there in winter. there is a big difference between summer in sin diego and winter.

occasional winter storm???? rodlmao==you have never spent winter in san diego , amigo...not on the water.. try it. you will learn.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Are you chartering or living there? Big differences between life in the city of San Diego vs Tampa. The winter storms that hit San Diego come from the Gulf of Alaska, are generally short lived, and can be seen coming days in advance by Stevie Wonder. A bit of a difference compared to tropical cyclones which can and do impact Floriday.

Tampa Bay is listed as the #1 (by the weather channel) most vulnerable and overdue cities for a major hurricane.

Also depends on where you want to go. If you want to do the coastal thing, Tampa is much better with all the Floridian areas and the Caribbean.

If you want the Pacific or Indian oceans, Asia, Oceania, or any of that, California is a great jumping off point.

The coast of Florida itself makes for great cruising.

We haven't had a DIRECT hit by a hurridane here in over 80 years, but a number of tropical storms have done a fair amount of damage, and just because you don't get the eye wall of a storm doesn't mean you're free at home base.

If you're going to have a boat anywhere in Florida you have to have a Plan B for tropical weather. My Plan B is to move her to a more sheltered marina. I have neither the skill set, the knowledge nor the equipment to find a "hidey hole" and tie her up securely, but that's what my Dad used to do with the tugboats when I was a child -- they would literally take them into the Everglades, tie them to mangroves or whatever, and then airboat out.

Yes, that's a true story, and no, I don't have pictures.

[sardinebreath]

Wikipedia:

"The Climate of San Diego, California is categorized as semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh or warm steppe). It enjoys mild, sunny weather throughout the year."

"Average monthly temperatures range from 57.3 °F (14.1 °C) in January to 72 °F (22 °C) in August, although late summer and early autumn are typically the hottest times of the year with temperatures occasionally reaching 90 °F (32 °C) or higher."

[sardinebreath]

Wind & weather statistics San Diego Airport - Windfinder

Average winds are single digits year around.

[Sand crab]

I have 20 years in Fla and 6 in SD. I remember many a day sitting in our beach cat or the with almost no wind in TB. That's a typical summer day. In my mid 20s I became a damn good windsurfer and for some stupid reason moved to SD. Well there was a girl involved but that's another story. It seems you need about 12 knots just to get your board planing and I was denied countless days. We ended up driving to K38-K39 in Mex or up to the LA area or further north for wind. If you don't believe me then check out the AC race with Dennis Conner.
The weather in SD is fairly pleasant year round and I would be surfing, body surfing, or windsurfing (on a long board) right now without a wet suit. The saying among locals is that it only varies 10 degrees from winter to summer and it seems like we were about 5 degrees off according to Sardines post. In fact the weather is boring. HA

I love Zeehag but I think she would be comfortable in a pizza oven. Actually that is what the Sea of Cortez is right now.