Sailing a 32’ Hunter Vision from Seattle to San Fran and more!

[Dr. D]

JPA Cate and Paul L have great suggestions! Oh, and watch “Go North, Go Fast.”

[Stu Jackson]

I was thinking about this all afternoon, while I was repairing the top of my chimney on the kerosene cabin heater, applying Plexus to my dodger glazing inside & out, and emptying the fridge.

As I was driving home, I noted that the leaves on the deciduous trees have already begun to turn. It is September 2nd. Only...

I moved here on Canada Day 2016, so have three autumns under our belt. The first year it started raining a few weeks after we arrived on Sept. 18th, on October 1st. It literally didn't stop raining until April 1st. 2018 saw a December 20th wind storm that knocked out power and blew the marina apart. You'd be well south or better yet tucked in by that time.

But in none of those cases had the leaves turned this early.

I never thought I could be a sailor AND a farmer at the same time , but it's catching. I did grow up back east with seasons and summer camp from June to August. I was also the camp weatherman, daily reports.


I've lost some of my "identification powers" and couldn't spot a cumulonimbus from a cirrus these days.


But leaves do tell a tale.


Going south with the portent of an early winter in an untested boat with a green crew may not be a wise choice.


Recommendations for local long distance cruising makes a lot of sense.


Your boat, your choice.

[Pegu Club]

I have no west coast sailing experience. All I would say is take the advice you have been given seriously, these old farts know what’s up when it comes to sailing on oceans. It ain’t no joke when Mother Nature gets pissed off. I wish you all a great adventure, and hope it is super experience.

Oh, and by the way, weather windows are your only schedule. Your own dates, times, estimates, they don’t mean anything, you only move when Mother Nature says you can move. A schedule is a sailors worst enemy.

Fair winds,

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Paul L

If the OP are willing to winter over in the Puget Sound, then heading north on the inside end of May or early June, then down the outside of Vancouver Island would be a great shake down. Rounding the Brooks Peninsular is smallscale practice for rounding tbe Capes heading to SF. Get back in the Sound in time to make repairs/upgrades. Then prepare to head south looking for a good weather window around the third week of Aug. This approach is likely to end up with much happier campers who end up enjoying Mexico and the beyond.

(We did this before setting off fulltime cruising. Been out 10 years now)

Along with Ann's, this is really good advice. A practical plan with a good shot of learning bound up in it. No feeling of having bailed out, rather setting things up so that when you do leave southbound you will have a far better chance of succeeding... and you might even enjoy it instead of being seasick, fatigued and scared s-less.

Jim

[jharding]

I owned a hunter vision 32, loved that boat. I set it up to go cruising, all electronics including auto pilot, storm sails and three reefs in the main. Great boat in the fingerlakes of NY. Then I took it through the Erie Canal down the Hudson River past the statue of Liberty, wow what a great time and start of adventure. Then I was in the ocean, falling off the top of 10 waves with the round bottom slamming into the trough, sure changed my view of my boat and the ocean. The chain locker fills up with water and the salt water goes down the vent into your water tank, now no fresh water, then the forward mounted corroded water tank splits open emptying all the water into the boat. You fear the whole boat is going to break apart, never did but sure felt like it. My crew got thrown across the big salon, smashing his face on cabinet and breaking ribs on counter top.The gunk in the bottom of the fuel tank stirs up and clogs fuel filters very quickly, I had Big racors installed, the stock little filters would clog up real quick. You need to know how to change filters and bleed engine while you are in storm conditions, rocking and rolling, hot engine and diesel fumes, not easy, but always happens in a bad inlet, not much time before on the rocks. I had taken two different one week courses, living and cruising on sailboats, great way to learn, but we didn't get caught out in the bad ****, it is a wake up call. I made it through my Hunter adventures,luckily, everybody has to learn, I hope you don't learn the hard way with loss of boat and lives. Get some open ocean experience, a good weather window can go bad in 24 hours. Hope you get some good experience and have a great trip

[johnjuliano]

We just arrived in san francisco yesterday afternoon from neah bay, nonstop. We used predict wind for weather routing.

Seven days.

See our route at carobabbo.com. contact us directly through there if you would like.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by Glassdog

(snip)
Number two: go through your boat with a fine tooth comb, consult a riggerAnd have him check every aspect of your rig including chain plates.

No chain plates, per se, on either of the Visions (32 or 36). No backstay, no shrouds, just a fractional forestay. A dock friend used to have one, daysailed on it a few times. Stoutest mast for its height I've ever seen. That said, of course I agree about the rest of the inspection, and I personally wouldn't want to take it on the trip proposed, that's a rough ride! Downwind performance is good, but not much to weather. It's about the same displacement as a Catalina 30, but doesn't feel nearly as solid.
[/QUOTE]

[model 10]

According to Windy it looks like the WX is going to be good for setting sail on the 16th. You should realize that you're lucky, but it's fall in Oregon now... I and especially my wife, would be scared shitless for what's up along that coast this late in the year. We met a bunch of BaHaHa boats and they were pretty wonked out over that section and they went down way before this.
I was checking out Crescent City, I could see spending a few months there.

[TaylorHoliday]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to update you all and let you know that we did actually decide to wait it out another year, and we are spending the winter making some more money and doing some repairs in order to get ready to leave this August. Thank you all so much for your input and advice, we really appreciated it!

As of now we have 3 of us going on the trip, and being all from Colorado/Montana - we don't have many sailing friends or connections yet. We would love it if we found another, more experienced sailor to join us in the first passage from Neah to San Fran. Do any of you have advice for how to get hooked up with anyone who would want to come join or crew?

Also, we've been looking into joining the Coho Hoho group. Has anyone sailed with them / recommend it?

[neophytecruiser]

Check back next year when you take off. It will be good to follow your adventure. BTW, prudence is a sign of good seamanship.

[JPA Cate]

Taylor,

Plan to take the boat out in bad weather, to get practice a number of times, pouring rain, 40+ knots, and see how you do. Learn where to sheet the storm jib. Practice heaving to. Practice gybing when you can't tack. (It's called, "wearing ship".) Practice coping with seasickness. Do this where you can go back to dry and warm at the end of the day. It will not be like the open ocean, but the goal is to learn all the routines for doing the moves so that all of you can do them.

One of the ideas I like is to have the storm jib be constructed of high visibility orange cloth. Makes you lots more visible in gray weather--at least in the daytime. If you're going to have one, you'll need a plan for dropping the present headsail and stowing it on the moving platform that your boat is and setting the storm sail; and you'll need to decide and agree upon at what wind strength this will be done. Clues will include the dropping barometer.

Do not mistake people who have doubts about the suitability of your boat for "naysayers". Naysayers are the people who tell you not to go, period, not the ones who offer practical suggestions for keeping you safer. Fwiw, I would prefer a stayed mast, with a masthead rig, inline spreaders, and an inner forestay, for the storm jib. What you see as simplification with your Hunter's rig, my prejudices based on my experience see as unfit for ocean. Yet, we will do our best to give you advice that will help you do what you said you want to do.

I still think you should plan the circumnavigation of Vancouver Island before you leave for good. And, I think you should consider doing the trip in a more seaworthy boat, as well. Perhaps the Vancouver Island trip would lead you towards a similar point of view, or more trust in your Hunter. Who knows.

For the trip around V. Is. you will need to consider where to be at what times to catch which tides, and there are weather interpretation skills to learn; and provisioning; and water conservation; and there are bail out spots. It is possible to be closed out of harbors till you get to SF--and you'll want to make plans for such contingencies. Being a parent myself, I can assure you that a thorough plan will impress parents better than a carefree approach.

Ann

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by TaylorHoliday

Do any of you have advice for how to get hooked up with anyone who would want to come join or crew?

Check out Latitude 38's Crew Lists: https://www.latitude38.com/crew-list/

If you're not familiar with the magazine, Latitude 38 is based in the SF Bay area, and the former editor in chief is the Grand Poobah for the Baja Haha, etc. You can post your Crew Wanted listing there, be sure to include all the details.

Good luck!

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by TaylorHoliday

Also, we've been looking into joining the Coho Hoho group. Has anyone sailed with them / recommend it?

We've were in the Coho Hoho group a couple of years ago, but only as seminar sailors. The seminars are great and give you a wealth of information as well as letting you make contacts with a bunch of other folks going down the coast. Additionally there are multiple discounts at local suppliers, available to members. We will be in the group when we go down the coast in a couple of years.

Doug and Bob can give you all the info on it - well worth looking into

Capt. Doug Lombard - Coho Founder
Bob Vizenor - Coho Co Owner


https://cohohoho.com/

[billder99]

I was about to chew my nails reading your plans to launch in mid-Sept. You received lots of great advice... the really great thing is that you showed prudence and patience. There is nothing fun about being exhausted and wet and cold and terrified and unsure what to do. I hope this added year has been a huge experience builder for you.

So now late Sept 2021... did you make the trip south? In the Vision 32? Tell us about it1

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by billder99

I was about to chew my nails reading your plans to launch in mid-Sept. You received lots of great advice... the really great thing is that you showed prudence and patience. There is nothing fun about being exhausted and wet and cold and terrified and unsure what to do. I hope this added year has been a huge experience builder for you.

So now late Sept 2021... did you make the trip south? In the Vision 32? Tell us about it1

I just stumbled upon this Golden Oldie.


I agree. Hope they're all safe and well and happy.