Crew Wanted: East Coast to West Coast

[designsailor]

East Coast to West Coast
The voyage begins on the first of September. Already some energetic and experienced individuals have reached out to me to be part or all of this adventure. I would like to make contact with you again while I am in Maryland working on the vessel, which is currently in Cambridge, MD. Sailing trials and shakedown cruising begins in July and August.
While I have sailed on the West Coast and to Hawaii, this voyage is something I need your help with. The boat is large and well founded having the hull design and rig of a true blue water yacht. It has all the equipment one would expect, and more. However how to maintain and handle all this is clearly beyond my abilities alone. I need help: help with navigation, mechanical maintenance, cooking, and on and on. I need someone who can help maintain the engine and associated equipment, and folks who have sailing experience and can really take the lead at times. I need your help and expertise.
Here is the voyage and all or part of this is available for crew:
1. September- MD to Charleston and/or Savannah to wait out the conclusion of hurricane season. Layover there for couple of months. This a potentially problematic part for me as weather patterns and currents can be notorious I have learned, but with a good window and course, the time of travel may also be exceptionally calm. It is a 4-5 day trip and I need 3-4 crew, preferably including some who have made this same trip South. Ironically this portion of the trip concerns me most due to my East Coast inexperience. However the folks on this leg may be along just for this portion if need be as I don’t expect anyone to sit in Savannah for a couple of months.
2. December-sail down Florida Coast to Miami, stopping and exploring along the way.
3. Mid December-to the Bahamas, spending until February exploring all the great places diving, sailing, cooking, and exploring. I am open to all suggestions on great locations and facilities. We’ll take it one day at a time, and pick our windows and destinations collaboratively.
4. Then it is off to San Antonio Bay on the North East coast of Jamaica. This will take us through the Windward Passage, hopefully with a nice breeze on our stern. Rather than beat East to leave Jamaica, we will follow the wind West to the resort areas of Western Jamaica and from there depart Southward to the Canal or… on to Cartegana, Columbia.
5. From there to the San Blass islands on the way to Colon and the canal, arriving there in late March when the reported lighting season ends.
6. After that it is exploring and long sails up the coast of Central America and Mexico until reaching San Diego, California by May.
7. After that I hope to leave for Seattle and the San Juan islands to spend that summer.
If you can join me for all or part of the fantastic journey, or if we have spoken before about this, now is the time to come and see the boat, meet me, and get to know each other. If you have a partner then they are welcome as well if they have skills to contribute. I am 66 this year and cannot do this without a great crew of fellow adventurers who get along well and enjoy the lifestyle. Our offshore passage making will generally not be longer than 4-5 days, but we could make longer trips while headed north from the Canal.
Please include your phone number and e-mail when responding, as well as a little about yourself. I will call or write you to discuss this and answer any questions. This is serious business and I will need a real commitment from any serious about participating.
Thanks so much for your interest. I look forward to speaking with you!
Doug Arrington
designsailor@hotmail.com

[donradcliffe]

Sounds like a fun trip. Need more specifics on boat, engine, sails, rigging, autopilot, dodger, and cost sharing.

[roland stockham]

Hi, I planned to do a similar trip this spring but starting from St Lucia. Didn't get very far as we had major steering problems of Columbia and had to abandon it. I am now looking at shipping overland from Miami. It actually works out about the same cost if you factor in canal transit and all the crew costs to do it as a delivery trip but my boat is only 35ft. (Decided she was to small for the pacific leg anyway)
Not sure what research you have done but just wanted to give you a head up on weather along the coast route from L/A north. It's almost like a trade wind belt but with winds from the north and the section from sanfransisco has a major wind compression zone giving rough sea and strong winds regularly even in summer. Most people seem to opt for a trip via Hawaii then head north until you get on the N side of the pacific High (usually just NE of Hawaii in June tracking N/W. After that head east for Seattle. Even though this is a long offshore rout it should give mostly down wind sailing at much higher speed and without the time getting in and out of port every few days so gets you there quicker. If you want to do the coastal rout as a cruise expect most of it to be motoring to windward which is very hard on the boat and crew, interesting but not the 'easy option'