Crew Wanted: Washinton State to San Fransisco, late July

[wolfenzee]

I am sailing from Washington State to San Fransisco in late July (I am up for suggestions though) non stop. I have been told to figure 10 days, but it's only 750 so should actually be faster. My boat is a quick, soild sea worthy ocean cruiser. 30' William Atkin design cutter, she has proven herself at sea many times over. Ideally I would like to have someone come up ahead of time to help get things ready. Cruisers & Sailing Forums - wolfenzee's Album: PNW as seen from S/V Waltzing Matida

[PutASailOnIt]

I'm interested in crewing for you and Waltzing Matilda. I've been sailing on inland waters and I'm looking to get some off shore experience. A non stop run to SF sounds perfect. I'm very dependable, not afraid to work hard, follow directions well, enjoy good conversation and can fix about anything.

Let me know if your interested and we can talk details.

Thanks

Jim

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

I am sailing from Washington State to San Fransisco in late July (I am up for suggestions though) non stop. I have been told to figure 10 days, but it's only 750 so should actually be faster. My boat is a quick, soild sea worthy ocean cruiser. 30' William Atkin design cutter, she has proven herself at sea many times over. Ideally I would like to have someone come up ahead of time to help get things ready. Cruisers & Sailing Forums - wolfenzee's Album: PNW as seen from S/V Waltzing Matida

If the northwesterlies have set in, you'll make it faster, depending on your headsail.

Follow the 100 fathom line, more or less, stay away from anything on the chart that has "Seamount" after it, and have a nice sail.

[joe3d]

Hello,

If you are still looking for crew members here is a bit about me. 34 year-old male, non-smoker, no drugs, social drinker. I grew up in South Carolina, and have some sailing experience with J-22s in Charleston. While that is the extent of my sailing experience, I can tell you that I know something like your trip would be a great experience and education, and that attitude would be apparent in my work ethic. So, while I'd like to be writing you with tons of experience, I can at least say I would come to your boat with respect, responsibility and a strong work ethic. There would be no ego - I'd happily cook, clean, do watches, and whatever else you deemed helpful.

I am currently in Los Angeles, and could come up to Washington early on to help prep.

All Best,
Joe

[Seajourner]

Hi,
I'm an off shore sailor on the east coast; Florida to the Grenadines. Boats have ranged ffrom 27-53', both monohulls and cats. I'm an engineer by trade so I'm really good at troubleshooting and fixing problems underway. Sounds like a great boat and a great time. Let me know if you're interested.

[zeehag]

count on more than 10 days--you dont know what will happen-- count on a month, prep for a month--and be happy when is less time.....gods and boat make plans change much.

pretty boat, btw...

[TacomaSailor]

I've done the trip four times in sailboats from 40' to 68' - as early as July 4 and late as September 25. Those trips varied: non-stop from PA to five stops and four weeks from PA to Half Moon Bay. Sometimes never got more than 35 miles off shore and other times over 100 miles out.

Plan on motoring at least 1/2 the time unless you can make way in apparent winds from more than 160 degrees and less than 8 knots apparent with seas from port stern quarter of over 5'.

I've not seen more than 50 knots and have only experienced more than 30 knots for a total of about 10 hours in all four trips. The more common problem is just enough wind (NNW 8 - 12 knots) to make it seem like sailing might work but not enough to keep the sails full while headed downwind in 5 - 7 foot long period swells. The main and the headsail fill then collapse as the swells make the boat accelerate and then slow – lot’s of banging and popping if you don’t manage the sails correctly.

Almost all the sailing has been with a poled out headsail or spinnaker.

The most difficult part of the trip is the cold damp night (and frequently daytime) air - that 52 degree water and constant NW wind direct from the Gulf of Alaska makes this one of the coldest ocean sailing trips I've done.

The restricted visibility in fog and low haze means radar is pretty essential. I've spent way more time stressing over visibility than I have stressing over wind or waves. On one trip we had to help out a 40’ sailboat from Alaska (didn’t have radar) which had been sitting for 24 hours in fog 35 miles off Coos Bay, Or. They were afraid to move in the 100 yard fog due to the heavy commercial fishing activity – purse seiners doing donuts in the fog. The sailboat had been suffering with the fog and low-vis since Cape Beal on Vancouver Island.

One of the trips only encountered fog for three or so hours the entire time – another saw three days of fog.

[Capt Phil]

It's down hill all the way so what possibly could go wrong! In a more serious vein, not a bad time of year to do the trip exceopt for the fog. Strings of crab pots out to nearly 5 miles, pleasure craft and commercial fishing boats out as far as 20 miles, cruise ships out from 15 to 30 miles and tankers out to about 40 miles. Outside of that, not too much traffic north and south but east and west commercial traffic out of Juan de Fuca, Columbia River and San Francisco. Watch for debris all the way down as the junk from the Japanese tsunami is hitting us now. Be particularly watchful entering San Francisco Bay from the north as fog and commercial traffic can be problematic and there is shallowing over the Potato Patch north of the Bay entrance.
It is a great trip to cut your offshore passagemaking teeth on as there several spots to hide out if weather turns bad. Check with USCG for bar conditions before attempting to enter where rivers flow into the Pacific.
Have a great trip.... Phil

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Delfin

If the northwesterlies have set in, you'll make it faster, depending on your headsail.

Follow the 100 fathom line, more or less, stay away from anything on the chart that has "Seamount" after it, and have a nice sail.

My boat is fast, but I have tweaked the rig from a 2/3 fractional (25'luff) to a cutter (40' luff and 25'luff). As far as headsails, for light air dead down wing I have twin 180 Gennys ....but on a broad reach I have main, 110 25' luff and 35'luff Yankee (or one of the 180s, possible with the 110)....lots of headsail choices. And yes I did plan on going out past the 100fathom mark (outside shipping lanes)....thanks. The boat moves along nicely in light air, is a heavy boat so doesn't speed up and slow down and is pretty stable with a quartering sea.....thanks for all your suggestions and help.

[TacomaSailor]

I can't overstate how hard it is to maintain sail shape and stop the filling and backfilling of the main and genny on the downwind.

I took a 68' 80,000 pound sailboat down the coast a few years ago - one stop from Gig Harbor to Monterrey. That big heavy boat with a 135% genny still had the same filling/back filling problem.

Pole it out and tie down to the toe rail - really tight.

Good Luck and Fair Winds

Here are a couple links to video of my last trip:

- Rolling down the Washington Coast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwWdNrEb-Ew

Northwest Misery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwWdNrEb-Ew

You can read thousands of words and stories about the trips down the coast at www.svmirador.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxvYpSX-Rwo

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

Northwest Misery:

It didn't look that bad to me. Heck, one guy wasn't even wearing a hat. No spary coming over the bow, or following seas in the cockpit.

I'm heading down in Aug and looking forward to it.

[wolfenzee]

There is a cutter trick (which I haven't had a chance to try out on this boat) which is supposed to stop rolling almost completely. Main out on on side, jib on fore stay on the other, then jib on head stay on the same as main.
Following seas very rarely come over the stern on this boat (according to account from someone who sailed her sister ship all over the Pacific, he was only pooped once). I have a combing across the back of the cockpit, with a radius for the tiller (builder originally had a tiller brake that clamped to combing).

[Jon Neely]

We will be making the the journey sep 1 weather depending...

[bobconnie]

Heck. it's a good sail down the coast if ya bear off and don't sail directly down wind !! A tack a day will soften up any roughness you might get running completly down wind !! Have always done this myself when the nw winds were steady as there mostly are ! Just a suggestion, try it for a day and see whay ya think !!

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Heck. it's a good sail down the coast if ya bear off and don't sail directly down wind !! A tack a day will soften up any roughness you might get running completly down wind !! Have always done this myself when the nw winds were steady as there mostly are ! Just a suggestion, try it for a day and see whay ya think !!

My boat sails better on a broad reach than down wind....sort of what I planned on.