North 'Merica: Long Beach to Cape Flattery inquiry

[Amgine]

I am experiencing severe sea fever and coming up with ludicrous ideas to get back on the water.

So there's this boat is SoCal, a variety I like, looks to be in mostly-reasonable (read: perfectly sailable, serious appearance/comfort issues) condition. Trailering/shipping is at least twice the cost of the boat.

I keep looking at Windy and the bastards are predicting light northerlies.

Would it really be as bad a bash/slog to sail up the left coast as I really know it would be? or should I let my overly-optimistic fantasy side tell me "No problem! a tough delivery, maybe, but you can do this!"

[Adelie]

No, it would be worse than you could imagine. Maybe next summer but not now.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Adelie

No, it would be worse than you could imagine. Maybe next summer but not now.

And even then it will be a major motor trip.

[Amgine]

<fake long sigh> I hate reality. Fantasy sailing would be soooo much gooder.

[Skipper Kenny]

Originally Posted by Adelie

No, it would be worse than you could imagine. Maybe next summer but not now.

Are you talking about the current weather pattern we've been having?

Many moons ago I crewed a Cheoy Lee 42 from Astoria to Shilshole and there was a whole lot of motoring up the Washington coast. Things had really calmed down by that point.

[Adelie]

OP posted about going Noel th from SoCal in Feb.

[Zzmeyer]

Years ago I new a guy who did it in a Catalina 27 and a nine hp outboard. As I recall he said it wasn't that bad.

[Adelie]

In February?

[roverhi]

Buy George Benson's "Cruising the Northwest Coast". He did it in a modified Coronado 25. Stayed inshore and anchored out in hooks protected from the prevailing strong NW winds almost every night.

Play the weather and be content to stay in harbor, inshore and/or motor a lot. Winter is actually a good time to go north as there are many periods of southerly and/or light winds. Do have to be very cognizant of the weather as the Lows blow through on one to two week intervals and you don't want to be going north, or anywhere out there actually, when one hits. Also a lot of the anchorages which are safe hide outs in Northerlies are untenable in southerly winds. I've made the trip down three times and North from Santa Cruz to SF once. Two of the southerly trips in January/February had strong NWesterlies that I wouldn't want to be going the opposite direction in. That last trip south in March had strong NWesterlies forecast for a week that forced me into Monterey with rigging problems. And then had a week of no wind so powered all the way to Oceanside there after. The sail up from Santa Cruz to SF in March was in light southerly wind window that lasted for three weeks.

For sailing the Pacific Coast in Winter YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO PLAY THE WEATHER AND STAY IN PORT IF CONDITiONS DICTATE. Last winter, not the one just ending, was a particularly bad year to be out there. Needed to get the boat in a new slip by the end of March. Waited for a good weather window for three months to get a decent 5 day forecast. The Lows blew through one after another with only a couple of days, and sometimes no days, in between almost three months. T\A couple of years before alked with a couple in Seattle heading to Alaska from SoCal in a Tartan 43 in the winter. They said they had a great time mostly sailing in favorable winds. The T43 is particularly good sailor to windward, FWIW.

[Zzmeyer]

February would suggest gene pool cleansing.

[Skipper Kenny]

Originally Posted by Zzmeyer

February would suggest gene pool cleansing.

I didn't figure he was going to leave without a month or two of prep.

NEXT summer implied 2020 to me.

Been a LONG winter up here.

Last week's race was canceled due to wind. Reminds me of the the Harley Davidson recall due to 'too much chrome' (tongue firmly in cheek).