A Newby . . .

[darcoboss]

I am new to this, and want to sail from Everett, Wa. to San Diego sometime in Sept.... suggestions as to route and distance from land.

on my "Bucket List" is to sail under the Golden Gate on the way down.

[ActiveCaptain]

ActiveCaptain will let you lay out various routes and give feedback on distances, etc. Then you can download your route to move to different devices.

We're also about to release route sharing that allows you to view other people's routes. Once that is on, you'll be able to see a few thousand of existing routes to see where others have gone before.

[Navigator38]

We are sailing Ericson 38 from Charleston S.C. to Connecticut @ June 11.
Anybody sailing at the same time?
Danny.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard CF and enjoy

[darcoboss]

Originally Posted by darcoboss

on my "Bucket List" is to sail under the Golden Gate on the way down.

do they have real people on here that have made the trip down, and can share or just commercial enterprises?

I am betting you won't sail under the Golden Gate Bridge...LOL

[beetle]

Originally Posted by darcoboss

I am new to this, and want to sail from Everett, Wa. to San Diego sometime in Sept.... suggestions as to route and distance from land.

What's your goal? If you want to zip down the coast to San Diego, stand offshore a bit over 100 miles to get out west of the tanker traffic and beeline it for San Diego; if you want to harbor hop and see the coast on the way down, you'll have a completely different plan.

How much time do you have for the trip? And what's your offshore experience and how well is the boat set up for a passage and how tested is the boat and equipment?

And whatever you do, watch the weather patterns.

- rob/beetle

[darcoboss]

ok...... now we are cooking... a human that asks the right questions... I am a seventy year old phart on a 37 ft rifiki, with all new gear and sails, and very little experience... will have laptops to navigate with, and want to get to the Golden gate to mark off one of the lines on my "Bucket List" to Sail under the golden gate, and around alcatraz.... so how do I check weather out one hundred miles, other than to see how bad the boat is heeling, and the laundry stretched????

Originally Posted by beetle

What's your goal? If you want to zip down the coast to San Diego, stand offshore a bit over 100 miles to get out west of the tanker traffic and beeline it for San Diego; if you want to harbor hop and see the coast on the way down, you'll have a completely different plan.

How much time do you have for the trip? And what's your offshore experience and how well is the boat set up for a passage and how tested is the boat and equipment?

And whatever you do, watch the weather patterns.

- rob/beetle

please understand, I do not want to get in situations where my bung-hole is gnawing on my "Whitey-tighties"...

Hey rob.. thanks.... I have radar, and all that craparama too.... do not want to hear the women screaming all the way though, and don't want to be disposing of a lot of depends overboard either....LOL...Tim

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by darcoboss

ok...... now we are cooking... a human that asks the right questions... I am a seventy year old phart on a 37 ft rifiki, with all new gear and sails, and very little experience... will have laptops to navigate with, and want to get to the Golden gate to mark off one of the lines on my "Bucket List" to Sail under the golden gate, and around alcatraz.... so how do I check weather out one hundred miles, other than to see how bad the boat is heeling, and the laundry stretched????

The phrase "very little experience" covers a broad range, so I apologize if I'm suggesting the obvious.

1. NOAA web site is a great starting place full of resources, both charts and weather.
2. Read your local magazine 48 North, you might find some local folks that you can meet with and
3. there is always the option of posting for experienced crew to assist on the trip.

BTW, welcome to the CF neighbor. it is a good place for advice but I've noticed a descriptive title works best on posts. Like yours might get more attention with the Title "What is smoothest route from WA to San Diego ?"

Best of Luck

[beetle]

Originally Posted by darcoboss

so how do I check weather out one hundred miles, other than to see how bad the boat is heeling, and the laundry stretched????

I'd investigate NOAA WeatherFax broadcasts - you can pick them up via SSB/Ham/shortwave radio and route them into your laptop for viewing with suitable (and free if you want) software. If you have email capability via SSB or satellite telephone you can also obtain GRIB files. These two data sets will provide a 4 day weather outlook, the first two days of which will be reasonably accurate.

Carry a barometer on board - and watch for rising or falling pressure. You can correlate the pressure changes to forecast High and Low movements.

If you don't have those then I'd consider staying closer to shore where you ought to be within range of VHF NOAA weather radio, and be prepared with charts of available harbors (and bar crossings) on your wan down the coast. You might find yourself needing to hop into a refuge harbor if a significant storm system appears.

If you have minimal experience, I'd think seriously about bringing along some crew that have strong offshore experience - you'll learn a lot from them. The coastline you're traversing is not particularly forgiving if something goes wrong, as there are few harbors along the route to San Francisco.

- rob/beetle

[DiverChick71]

Awesome advice, Rob/Beetle. I'll be looking for you in a couple years when I'm in the same position.

Rafiki 37'...nice!'. Beautiful boat...on my short list but my boyfriend wants >40 cc. Something about traveling with two Maine Coon cats...and visits from our children..sigh.

Good luck and keep us posted! I hate it when I see threads that catch my interest only to see them disappear...

[DiverChick71]

Oh and another suggestion... Jimmy Cornell's World Sailing Routes. I have that book read from front to back and all stage in between. It's a great starter reference and then he gives local guides for each area. I'm not out sailing *yet* but I would think that book is a must have for a general planning guide.

[darcoboss]

do not worry about stating the obvious.... I am the type of person that tries to learn something from everyone I meet...... I am a "Self taught" sailor, and learned to trim by following the best, until I could pass them...... most good sailboats come to shore..... most idiots fall off the boat with their pants unzipped......LOL

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by darcoboss

do not worry about stating the obvious.... I am the type of person that tries to learn something from everyone I meet...... I am a "Self taught" sailor, and learned to trim by following the best, until I could pass them...... most good sailboats come to shore.....

I agree and I am grateful for your question and the advice from Beetle and Diver Chick. I hugged the shore before and am interested in gradually venturing further out.

I recently loaded the free open source software OpenCPN to my laptop. I have not figured it out yet, but I saw several posts on CF regarding it. The software uses the NOAA RNCs (Raster Nautical Charts) which I have only viewed with Internet Explorer.

Pacific Coast NOAA Nautical Charts

Nautical Charts & Pubs

Looks like a lot of evening reading ahead for me.

Originally Posted by darcoboss

..... most idiots fall off the boat with their pants unzipped......LOL

LOL, Just read the large majority of MOB's actually occur when men are standing on deck relieving themselves of beer . Serious stuff, but I couldn't help laughing.

Cheers.

[darcoboss]

just to say thank you for all input, and I love to communicate...... yes..... the women do it right when there is a crisis........ they sit down to pee..... but....... I have nice ficilities on my boat, and so don't have much of an occasion to pee overboard..... I am seventy, and very agile for my age, but I have a mountain climbing harness that I put on if I go up on deck while outta sight of land...I wouldn't trade a PFD for it as your boat can go for a lot of miles without you, as you bob in your PFD... The boat ain't leaving without you in your climbing harness.... I have not practiced doing it, cause I ain't got the balls to try it out....LOL... it caribiners to the safty lines, and has a belaying line that I can pull myself to anyplace on the boat if I do happpen to get overboard..... I am the worlds biggest "Whoosie" and will do anything to not go in the drink, but can dang near walk on water to get to the ladder...LOL... God invented pansie on me.......Tim

I have the magellan charts and gps..... I love it and hope to get to San Diego, via San Francisco with it...
also with it I can see where I am in relation to everything on the laptop... even the ports and dock, and the Golden gate bridge..... no matter our age.... we all wonder.."Are we almost there"?????? Mr. Magellan shows you...... Wheeeee.....!!!!!!

What is the smoothest route from Seattle to San Diego.....*GRIN*... we are getting close to pushing off on the adventure of a lifetime...... never sailed much in the ocean....... going to sail off shore on a tack to about fifty miles and set course to San Francisco, with enough fuel to get there in crisis...... brand new sails on roller furlings, and a new mainsail..... gonna have the wind-vane on too, and auto pilot for back-up....., an d the "NO wind" situations..... Is anyone else sailing south this time of year?????

I have heard it would be neat to have someone crew that has experience, but can you imagine putting up with a wierdo for twelve days confined to a boat..??????? but I think they would get over me....LOL......Tim

For those of you that give a crap about a "Thread"... sister and her son chickened out of the sail from Seattle to San Diego so I am mounting the wind vane">aries wind vane to help on the tiller, when I get tired. have not see any good weather windows to head south from Neah Bay.... am on hold for now..... Tim

[ssanzone]

no need to give up. just last week Goon (cf member) was looking to gain some experience.

it is your dream, not your sister's dream

u dont really wanna be between the gate and bay bridge in the afternoon so plan accordingly.

gl.

-s