[C38] Attn. West Coast sailors

Joseph Launie jlaunie at cox.net
Wed Mar 3 04:22:24 EST 2010


I do not want to rain on anyone's parade but leaving from Oceanside you 
have to go around Point Conception before you get to SF and the 
playground north of there. They do not call Conception the Cape Horn of 
the Pacific because of its shape. It can get really gnarly there. The 
aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln sailed from Santa Barbara to Bremerton, 
Washington a couple of years ago. On the way, they took a wave on the 
flight deck. The only thing remarkable about that is the flight deck is 
90 feet above the water line. I talked to a number of people who took 
that trip and they said it was really rough (on a 1,100 foot carrier). 
Joe Launie/Macavity

Les wrote:
> I'll second the close to shore approach.  There is a patch outside long
> beach called the potato patch, where on the calmest days you can hit
> 30kts of wind and confused seas with sharp edged chop that will cast
> foam and get you chilled.  Further on, you get to Point Dume which is
> west of Malibu, and the anchorage is about a mile offshore just outside
> some kelp, where it can be really nice if the wind is from the north, or
> a real ride if the wind is from the WSW or farther south.
>
> Oh, I almost forgot, check the charts and notice to mariners.  Sometimes
> the oil fields just north of Point Arguillo bubble up some of that
> coarse crude (crud is more like it), and it is a mess on your boat, and
> flamable, sometimes with raw natural gasoline in it.
>
> At this website you can get NON_NAVIGATION looks at the charts of the
> Pacific:
> http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/PacificCoastViewerTable.shtml
>
>
> North from there, you go on up to Ventura, and still farther to Santa
> Barbara.  The winds here are the coastal winds, funneled in shore by the
> Channel Islands.  It can be really nice or pure evil.  15knots is
> typical, and a lot higher on several days a month.
>
> That is about as far North as Nancy and I have gone.  As you go past
> this area, the harbors tend to spread out as the mountains run down to
> the sea.  The harbors that are there tend to have sand bars outside or
> large rocky upheavals, so make sure your charts are up to date and that
> you ask and listen to the locals.  It is BEAUTIFUL though, and I love
> driving the northern coast along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH as it is
> called.)
>
> Check Latitude 38 frequently also as they often have articles about the
> various ports.  Also check the various harbors websites to see if they
> have Links to the local edition of the LOG which is a series of
> newspapers that discuss local conditions and issues.
>
> Enjoy your trip.  This stuff only means its good sailors don't like
> land.
>
> Regards,
> Les H
>
> On Mon, 2010-03-01 at 18:37 -0800, Joseph Launie wrote:
>   
>> Steve,
>>     I would talk to several professional skippers. One who I have
>> discussed this with says to keep one foot on the beach - go up close
>> to shore because it gets a lot worse further out.  I would harbor hop
>> up with a lot more stops than you have mentioned. Joe Launie/Macavity
>>
>> ssorton at sbcglobal.net wrote: 
>>     
>>> This summer during July/August I'm contemplating sailing our boat
>>> from Southern California North to Puget Sound- some 1450 miles.  The
>>> distance actually traveled could be twice the point to point
>>> distance due head winds.  My question to the Cat 38 group is, does
>>> anybody have experience making this trip?  Do you follow the coast
>>> putting into 3 or 4 ports, or sail westerly and make a right return?
>>>  
>>> Thank you for any advice,  Steve Orton (Santa Susanna- # 304)
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________________________________
>>>
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>
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