# Sailing down the west coast anyone?



## takeiteasy (Dec 22, 2006)

We are planning on sailing our Newport 33 down the coast from Washington to San Diego this august/september, then joining the Baja-ha and headed to Mexico. We have spoken with several people who've made the trip, and all of them have said "no problema, enjoy!".

My offshore sailing experience is very limited; southern Cal stuff, and w. coast of Vancouver Island. We're very concientious about our sailing - keeping abreast of the weather, proper outfitting of the boat, safety, etc...

I would appreciate hearing from those of you who have made this trip, and hearing any suggestions you may have.

Thanks!!!


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

This thread will help you..
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/cruising/36789-how-best-deal-oregon-coastal-waters.html


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

Someone on the Newport mail list is asking about truck transport from LA to Seattle. You might contact him and save a few bucks sailing the "I-5" inland route 

http://list.sailnet.net/read/?forum=newport


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Made that trip several times from Ventura on down, i suggest staying close to 10 miles off shore. are you going to be stopping into port at night? if so calculate 50-60 miles per day if not comfortable sailing at night. use Ventura Harbor, Newport Harbor (maybe Catalina Isle)and plot your ports to that figure. when pulling into port use channel 16 on the VHF to contact the Harbor Master. inform him (or Her in some cases) that you are looking for a berthing slip for the night. they are all very helpful and some will come out to greet you.


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## JiffyLube (Jan 25, 2008)

Made the trip from San Fransico to San Diego last April, as spring is the first good time to make that run. There are plenty of marinas or ports down the coast, so you could pull into one everday if you wanted. Not as many places to anchor off that are considered safe, at least until you get around Pt Conception. We sailed/motored almost all the way down, but I understand that sometime after April you should be able to sail all the way.

If you pull into San Francisco take the main channel, watch out for commercial ships, and time the tide so you get under the Golden Gate bridge at slack...best time I think. A must stop is Monterey with the best transient accomodations down the coast, and a very friendly habor master's office. There is plenty to do, and a good place to rest up before going further south.

Once you get down to the Channel Island marina, you'll find it faster to jump over to Catalina Island then down to Oceanside marina (if you're in a hurry), then to sail straight down the coast...but you'll miss some interesting stops.

If you make the Catalina run you have two harbors to moor at (Avalon...lots to do, or Two Harbors...more kick back), but it can get crowded during the nice months. You can anchor off at many places, but because the whole island is a conservatory you can not dingy ashore.

I would get a guide book covering the coast for information of what to expect, watch the weather (it might slow you down), and don't be in a hurry...have a good time...I did!


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