Hi! I'm New Here. Thanks For The Welcome.

[Slant]

Hi, my name's Slant. My Dad and I have just bought a 48' Ferro ketch which we plan to retire aboard in warmer climes. However, we plan to sail her first up to British Columbia. Eventually we are aiming to sail to the Carribean and relax with assorted rum drinks in hollowed out coconuts. Little umbrellas if they have them. hehe At this point I'm looking for information about sailing North from Half Moon Bay in California to Vancouver Island. We're not greenhorns, but we don't have a lot of offshore experience. Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Slant.

[Lighthouse]

Welcome aboard. Congrats on your recent acquisition - wishing you great times out cruising.

I would suggest that you pose your question on the "Cruising" or "Regional" section.

We hope to hear much from you.

Make yourself at home.

[MMNETSEA]

Hi Slant, Welcome to Cruiser Log

Is the boat a Hartley design ?

In the meantime, the 740 odd nautical miles would look like this if you left today :-

Half_Moon_to_Bc.gif

Really a tough slog into 30 knot head winds for 3 or 4 days.

Richard

[JeanneP]

Hi, Slant

Do you read the sailing rag, Latitude 38? You can go online and read past issues and their letters sections going back many years. They're a West coast rag and offer a lot of information and advice about the part of the world you are in. And it's free. And they are cheeky and opinionated and they tend not to tolerate the "but, but, but it wasn't my fault!" excuse for making mistakes. Latitude38

You really want local knowledge for a bit of that trip, and certainly you must have good weather windows.

Are you familiar with the means to obtain good weather information for you and the boat? I hate to tell you what you already know.

Ask away.

[Istioploos]

Welcome Slant

May you and your father enjoy many many years and happy landing on your new boat.

[Stormy]

Hi Slant,

Welcome. I'm sure that you and your Dad will get as much out of Cruiser Log as I am.

Smooth Sailing.

Shane

[MMNETSEA]

Hi Slant,

The forecast given on the 29th Nov. lived up to its expectations :- CLICK

[Slant]

Thanks for all of your replies. I've been doing a lot more research since my first post, and I seem to be hearing that the way to do this passage is via Hawaii. A lot longer trip, but a lot more comfortable. We're not necessarily in any hurry, and hey, neither of us has been to Hawaii before either! So, there's our change of plans. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on this, and I thank you in advance.

Mmnetsea, it's a Joe Hartog design. And thanks for heads up with the wind graph.

JeanneP, I used to read Latitude38 when I lived up that way. It's a good resource, thank you. Any thing you can tell me about obtaining good weather reports would be more than welcome. Thank you.

Shane, I've already got a ton out of this forum, but there's always room to learn!! As me ol' Dad says, when you stop learning, you're dead!!

[Slant]

Lighthouse, and Istioploos,

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement.

[JeanneP]

Weather. You want the most up-to-date weather, of course. There are so many weather sites, I'll just mention a few.

My favorite is downloading GRIB files. With the caveat that they are raw data, give wind speed and direction with, if you select the option, isobar lines (but no pressure info or wave height), and rain, they are very good for getting a quick visual idea of current conditions. As with any weather data, it can change significantly in 24 hours, so although I usually download 5 day forecasts, we usually base our decision on the immediate 24 to 36 hour forecast. And the morning we plan on leaving we check . just . one . more . time before heading out. Download UGRIB program for GRIB file downloads

NOAA gives excellent information. It's in the process of revising its alerts pages, here's a link to start your search of appropriate weather for a particular location. Email notices should be possible, and RSS feeds are available. NOAA weather - beta site, will change I believe

Probably the easiest to use. Passage Weather

Everybody has a favorite, so other suggested sites and how you like them are welcome.

always,

Fair winds,

J

[Slant]

Thank you very much!!

[redbopeep]

Hi Slant!

Welcome aboard. We are down in San Diego but will be doing much the same trip as you to get to the Pacific Northwest before heading onwards (south) to other cruising locations. Most folks who make the trip just motorsail up the coast ducking into harbors when the going gets a bit too much. I won't say "when the going gets rough" because the northward slog is rough pretty much no matter what. You can go offshore and up around the Pacific High or, as you plan, go all the way to Hawaii to get around the high. From So Cal, the Hawaii and up route makes sense. From SF area or North, I'm not so sure that it isn't just better to motor sail up. I know a fellow who motor sailed up two years ago, alone, from San Diego to Sitka Alaska--in the August thru Oct timeframe and in his Rawson 30. I can put you in touch with him if you decide to take that route, just PM me.

Best to you

[Slant]

Hi all! Well, once again things have changed with our plans. (The best layed plans of mice and men, etc!) Indulge me, if you would please. I'm a Canadian citizen, and as such I am only allowed to be in The United States six months at a time. Rather than spend money on a flight to touch base in Canada to fulfill this requirement, I was thinking of sailing south to Mexico, and checking in there. That would effectively check me out of the states in time for the six month deadline. And that is, incidentally, the only deadline we have. We're not in any hurry. My questions start here. Where along the coast would be my first/best chance to check in with Mexican customs? And, what are the weather patterns, best times, for sailing to Hawaii from there? Once again, thanks in advance for your help.

Slant.