Hi - this is slightly different than what you plan to do, but a some of it does apply.
I took a 300-ft tramp containership from
Cuba up to
Seattle in February. My only cargo was a 65-ft military gunboat carried as
deck cargo, and it was craddled on a total POS
aluminum dry land
storage cradle that would come apart if a seagull farted.
This was the only trip in 5-years that I did not guarantee my owners that I could get the cargo to the
destination, so I had permission from them to "do what you can" to get it there in one piece if it all hit the fan.
I could make 12-kts (we weren't very fast!), so did have a speed advantage over you.
Now what applies to you:
By watching the
weather fax reports like a hawk, it was possible to adjust my speed so that the ship was always on the right hand side of the approaching lows and I had either calms or southerly winds the entire Pacific coast leg of the trip -
Panama to
Seattle.
So REALLY watch the
weather reports!!!!
I have been into Morro Bay on a couple of sailboats, and if you have any kind of weather it can be incredibly dangerous. So my 2-cents is to stop either before or after Morro Bay if you have to wait for the weather.
Make sure you carry extra
fuel filters as it can be a bumpy trip, and be sure you know how to bleed your Volvo's
fuel system if you have to change filters at sea. Carry a good (big)
anchor and long
rode in case everything goes wrong.
Take a crewmember or two so you can relax - make your life easy!
Good luck!