Orange County to San Diego

[sded]

If you belong to a yacht club, the free slips are available, but I assume you don't. There actually is an anchorage in Newport Beach-see Newport Mooring Association (NMA) Visiting Boat FAQs . Plus reasonably priced moorings. In Dana Point, the North anchorage isn't too bad in most weather. There are paid guest slips, but they are $1/foot/night. Oceanside is about the same price, So Dana Point to SD is the long leg to deal with. The Police Dock at SD has low priced slips generally available, although there are also anchorage areas with various rules. You can get pretty good information at San Diego Waterfront, the first place for news about San Diego Bay, it's yacht clubs, sailing, boating, chartering, yachting, racing, fishing, scuba diving and surfing .

[Zartarian]

I do belong to a sailing club, so I will first check with them to see if they have an available slip for us. If not, then Ill probably go with either an anchorage or mooring

[Bash]

First time I sailed into San Diego there was some sort of naval exercise going on. Right as we entered the channel, a submarine was exiting. It must have been pushing 15 knots, and it was still surfaced. Whoa! To this day, I've never crashed through a bigger wake.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Bash

First time I sailed into San Diego there was some sort of naval exercise going on. Right as we entered the channel, a submarine was exiting. It must have been pushing 15 knots, and it was still surfaced. Whoa! To this day, I've never crashed through a bigger wake.

I had a sub coming at me on a collision course off the SD coast. I was sailing I had the right of way and I had a Naval Officer at the helm of my boat. As soon as I verified that we were going to hit I told the Naval Officer to bear off for the subs stern. He argued with me a for a little bit and then the Sub gave the throttle some juice and it crossed my bow easily. I know I had the right of way -- but they have Nukes and machine guns. LOL

[Capt Phil]

Couple of things to keep in mind on your trip south... there is a military reserve area off Camp Pendelton that they now enforce after 9/11 so steer clear of that. It is clearly marked on the chart and a rhumb line from Dana Point can take you right through it. Secondly, time your entrance to hit a flood tide entering San Diego. It will make it easier after sailing for 12-15 hours from Huntington Beach not having to buck the tide through the harbor entrance. If you enter on the weekend, be prepared for lots of traffic morning and afternoons and, with the exception of navy vessels, not all demonstrate they know what they are doing. Keep a channel 16 radio watch and have a pleasant trip... Capt Phil

[Zartarian]

Hey guys! Leaving for SD this thursday at about 3pm. Planning on sailing through the night and making a straight shot to SD, arriving from around 7-9am . I am going to try for a police slip, which is first come first serve. As far as tides go, I have some research to do to find out when the flood tide occurs, etc.

The only thing I am not happy about is the fact that I will be sailing through the night, which means I will not see much of the California coast from the ocean perspective. I guess I will have to time my return so that I can see all of it. As far as charting goes, how necessary is it? I am chart-competent and know how to efficiently read them and navigate by use of them, but I have never actually put my skills to use on a boat, since single day sails rarely require them.


Last question! Does anyone recommend any nice coves or exploratory destinations? After all, who's not a sucker for beautiful nooks/coves?

[rebel heart]

In San Diego if you have an anchor you can drop it for free on the weekends in La Playa Cove. Nice place. Free to get a permit; just call or go pick one up after you drop the hook. It's a ~30 minute walk to the police dock from La Playa, or you can dinghy it over there. It's a very nice place to spend a weekend.

La Playa Cove

[Zartarian]

Update: The sailing trip was a success. It was an amazing experience. Ran into some trouble snorkeling off of Point Loma with the anchor getting snagged in the kelp (wasnt much fun pulling it up in rising swells), but other than that it was a blast. We had amazingly calm seas on the way down and up.

Took 18 hours southbound (moving along at a comfortable 4knots) and 20 hours northbound. Motoring through the night was really not bad at all. Unlike others on the boat, the ocean at night was really interesting/exciting to me. I didnt have any issues staying up.

Looking forward to doing the trip again. To say that I enjoyed it would be an extreme understatement. Thanks again for all the info posted...