Leaving Seattle for Mexico

[cyberkitty]

I heard the best time to leave Seattle to sail to Mexico would be in August. What has been your experience on the best time to leave to stay ahead of bad weather?

[svTOTEM]

August is a good month to sail south from Puget Sound (we left there August 21, 2008). BUT, you don't stay ahead of bad weather along that stretch of coast. There is only less bad weather in August.

-Pay attention to weather forecasts
-Be patient, be patient, be patient...
-Don't rush out to beat the gale "approaching" in 36 hours (I know of several boats that went south in 2008, that tried this and got hammered, including a Canadian couple that had to be rescued and have their boat towed in by the CG)
-Neah Bay, Newport OR, and Crescent City CA are good places to hole up during weather without having to cross a bar.

[Randyonr3]

We Came down in April one year.. and harbor hopped between fronts... spent a couple days in Cresent city waiting for one to pass, a week in Eureka, and a few days in Fort Bragg, and a couple days in Bodega Bay... For us it wasnt a rushed trip and we injoyed the time to explore and see the sights..
Once you get into Oregon, you can day-trip being at a harbor or at anchor every night.. with about 60 to 80 miles between stops.. If you're leaving in the spring, plan a good day and get out befor dawn on every leg.. you'll be in befor dark..

[Randyonr3]

Just read that you are looking for a boat.. what you might concider, is looking in somewhere closer to where you want to go.. There are many boat avalable in the San Francisco area... buy one there and spend the summer on the boat and sailing SF.. or go further down.. LA and San Diego area has a mass amount for sail and the channel islands are a great place to sail and you wouldnt have to make the trip down the coast.. If you are going to Mexico, theres a lot of good deals south of the border where people have outfitted the boat, sailed it south and now want to get out of it..
A trip to LaPaz would be injoyable and Might prove to be profitable in finding a boat of your needs..

[highseas]

I left Neah Bay August Aug. 11,had to motor almost all the way to Cape Blanco.From there it was one gale following the other.Ducked into Port Orford for 5 days of 40 knots+,no bar(anchor next to old C.G. station).When weather cleared ,headed for SanFran.,off Cape Mendocino got hit with 45knots&20ft. seas( for 18 hrs.)through to Pt.Reyes.What a ride!Newport IS a bar entrance,always check with C.G. on 16 before entering any bar entrance.

[Kay Koudele]

Cyberkitty-
We left Portland, Oregon in August for the run south and were glad we did. Those who left later, got hemmed in by several strong fronts. We had the strong NW summer winds, so made good time, but occasionally had fog- thick stuff! We appreciated our radar. I agree with others that have commented above. We really enjoyed shorter hops and visiting ports along the way. We didn't enter Mexico until after Thanksgiving, which gave time to see lots of fun stuff in the US.

[Bash]

Hurricane season in Mexico extends through October, which means you probably want to delay your departure from San Diego until Holloweenish, depending on your insurance.

[Stillraining]

Until recently I have not heard the term Hurricane Season for the West coast of the Pacific..has this now changed?..Hurricane force winds predicted yes but no real reference to a season or actual Hurricane's... Have I missed something all these years?

[Stillraining]

I guess I have been living with my head in the sand for 50 years....I sort of was comfortable there too..

[CharlieCobra]

Hurricanes every year down south, more in El Nino years...

[highseas]

The west coast of North America has storms and Hurricanes.Hurricanes are soley born out of tropical waters.Storms are generated in cooler waters of the North Pacific,almost year round,winds can reach hurricane force, but are still called storms.Hurricane season off western Mexico goes from June1 to November 30.

[Stillraining]

Thanks Guys...............I think

So much to learn so little time.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Until recently I have not heard the term Hurricane Season for the West coast of the Pacific..has this now changed?..Hurricane force winds predicted yes but no real reference to a season or actual Hurricane's... Have I missed something all these years?

One of the reasons the Baja Haha rally leaves when it does every year is that many boat insurance policies prohibit passages south of Ensenada prior to November 1st.

Here's a link to a brief exploration of the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season. Historical Look at Hurricanes in Baja
Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated to include Hurricane Jimmena which came through Baja last August.

[Kay Koudele]

If you have insurance on your boat, some companies require that you not be in certain waters at certain times. They consider Mexico's Pacific coastline Hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30 as Highseas has stated. That is why we, and many others, left San Diego for Mexico after Thanksgiving. We also had to be on into Central America by June 1.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Bash

Here's a link to a brief exploration of the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season. Historical Look at Hurricanes in Baja
Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated to include Hurricane Jimmena which came through Baja last August.

Great link - thanks.