# How long? Seattle to East Coast US



## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Is the following doable? 

July 2009 - August 2010 

Month 1 - Prep for trip
Note: We'd buy the boat in Nov 2008-Jan 2009, it would be in good shape and require minimal refit and we'd do a few sea trials between the time we bought it and July. Let's assume that's OK, not focus on whether we'll be prepared enough, and just talk about the actual trip time frame 

August 2009 - August 2010

Seattle to California to Mexico to Panama to VI's to East Coast US to Maine

Is that itinerary absolutely pushing it? 

Thanks! Chris


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

What size boat? How much fuel? How many crew?


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## artbyjody (Jan 4, 2008)

The Panama Canal has been a bit tricky lately... on other forums - downright that boats have been stalled for 6 months or more... if you are trying to get over it may actually be cheaper to transport over land if a time schedule is important.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Would this be a delivery, or a fast cruise? It'd be a shame to have to "blast" past some gems like Belize if the main objective is to move the boat.

If a delivery then you'll probably be better off long run to truck the boat. If a cruise then perhaps you'll want a less rigid time frame. It's a long uphill slog for east Panama to anywhere. I'd think you could do it in a year, and your timing is probably good for the Caribbean/Gulf Hurricane season.

A friend recently did the reverse, from the Islands to Vancouver via Hawaii in less time, but that's mostly the downhill way. We didn't hear of any problems at the canal. (Last year)

Hate to get hung up at Panama, though, if Jody's on the money......


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Sailboy - family cruise, 52'-58' boat, large tankage but hoping to sail as much as possible, not motorsail. 

Jody - I wonder if your waiting time can be made a function of how much you pay to get through. We're not looking for this to be a delivery, but an interesting and educational cruise for myself, my wife and our two kids. I'd rather go through the canal than around it, but 6 months of waiting wouldn't fit well in our timeframe.

Faster - I would think 12 months would be more than just a delivery . I would consider it a fast cruise, but I'm trying to figure out if it's too fast.


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

For those who have been following my questions and are wondering where this "out of left field" question is from... we have found a few boats in WA state that may meet our requirements. Because of their location, our original thought of the St. Lawrence Seaway, around Nova Scotia and down the east coast wouldn't work, so we're wondering if this other itinerary would just be pushing it too much. We know it's accelerated, but we're wondering how accelerated. I haven't done any trip planning for this route so I don't know the distances and stops involved.


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## artbyjody (Jan 4, 2008)

labatt said:


> Sailboy - family cruise, 52'-58' boat, large tankage but hoping to sail as much as possible, not motorsail.
> 
> Jody - I wonder if your waiting time can be made a function of how much you pay to get through. We're not looking for this to be a delivery, but an interesting and educational cruise for myself, my wife and our two kids. I'd rather go through the canal than around it, but 6 months of waiting wouldn't fit well in our timeframe.
> 
> Faster - I would think 12 months would be more than just a delivery . I would consider it a fast cruise, but I'm trying to figure out if it's too fast.


Nah there was a deal on one of the Piracy forums (not meant to scare you btw)... that there are segments on the western end of Panama canal that the government / policia are going to a bit of extremes of handling passages (esp Americans)... Mind you I read this two months ago - and if it would be something you should research on your own... Myself was alarmed because normally Panama canal is one of the safest routes but the US no longer owns the rights and it should be expected that the rights of passage change as well...


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

labatt...how would you plan on getting to the VI's from Panama? You can't sail there directly (trade winds in your face!) so me-things you'd have to prep for a South America leg then to Trinidad and up the island chain to the VI's. Not sure I'd want to visit some of the places along that path with kids on board. Consider Dockwise also.


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## Robby Barlow (Apr 23, 2006)

For the planned trip, in theory the schedule after departing from Seattle in Aug, would be to reach southern Cal by November, which doesn't seem too difficult. Then south to Panama, favored by northerly winds along Mexico. The direct route from Panama to VI's is just over 1000 nm and at the beginning of summer SE winds are not uncommon, so you could probably head round the west side of Puerto Rico and then on to VI. From there offshore (via Bahamas) up north to your destination will probably be the toughest stage.
So IMHO possible yes, but unfortunately the hurricane season doesn't give you a lot of room, or time, in the more interesting places you might want to visit on route. Then again given the choice I'd go for it, sounds like a fun trip.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Labatt's looking for his mythical next bigger boat with a bad case of 12-foot-itis.  That trip sounds a bit rushed, and if you run into any delays might get seriously borked for it.


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

labatt said:


> For those who have been following my questions and are wondering where this "out of left field" question is from... we have found a few boats in WA state that may meet our requirements. Because of their location, our original thought of the St. Lawrence Seaway, around Nova Scotia and down the east coast wouldn't work, so we're wondering if this other itinerary would just be pushing it too much. We know it's accelerated, but we're wondering how accelerated. I haven't done any trip planning for this route so I don't know the distances and stops involved.


Labatt,

Your original plan was sound. Why not just stick with it and truck the boat across? Yes, that's a big boat to truck, but it can be done, and the cost is marginal compared to the purchase price.

You could save some money by just bringing the boat across to Lake Superior, and starting your cruise there. A bee-line for the St. Lawrence Seaway would be a lot easier than slogging down and through the Panama Canal, and it would all take place in US/Canadian waters, which is where I'd want to be during the shake-down phase of an extended family voyage.

Just an alternative suggestion...


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Somewhere around 7000 miles..total. I would agree than the hardest part is Panama to the States. On a boat that size you can skip huge sections of coastline. Probably make it to La Paz in 2 weeks, another 2 weeks to Panama etc... That gives you some serious flexibility when it comes to coping with delays. As long as you are willing to buckle down and do some time off the coast. Also gives you some room to flirt with hurricane season. You would have more than enough time to get to a hidy hole and ride it out. It sounds good, but even the simplest of delays can cost you an easy month or more. I would plan for about 50/50 motor(sail)/sailing. Particularly as have already been mentioned, heading east from Panama, and north from Florida. Nothing wrong with motoring... thats why they put such big and powerful engines in sailboats these days, get you places with a schedule to keep!


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Chris-
I would suggest Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes" book, which contains routing information for most of the major routes, including best time of year and typical weather to be encountered for each leg. A used copy should do well enough, then a look at some of the US buoy data if you want to get more granular about wx enroute.
Some folks don't mind sailing upwind...others do.<G> Sure would be a magnificent trip if everyone was looking forward to it!


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## GySgt (Jun 11, 2007)

Go for it labatt, if you get into trouble SailingDog will come bail you out. Make sure you blog it so we can laugh/cry/look for you.


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## bestfriend (Sep 26, 2006)

I'm with the sarge, keep a good blog/log. Thats a trip I plan to do, SF to Virginia. But I will stop and surf along the way. Just make sure you are far enough north by august at the end of the trip.


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Yeah... well... I forgot about the trade's so I'm just not feeling this.. I'm trying to expand my search pattern for the right boat (for us). I'm also not feeling trucking a 58' long (actually 55', 3' is the sugar scoop), 16.5' wide boat too far, but dockwise might be an option. Thanks all for your input!


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## lharmon (Jul 26, 2005)

*West to east*

Labatt;

You might want to e-mail Lattitude 38 and ask them to seek out their readers advice. Lots of west coast sailors do the run each year and may have good solid information for you. They may put it forth in their electronic version weekly e-zine.

www.latitude38.com

Best regards;

LH


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## lharmon (Jul 26, 2005)

*Baha ha ha too*

I also meant to add that you could join the west coast rally and possibly fina a boat or two heading your way possibly with kids aboard.


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

I just asked an "over the water boat transport company with specialized cargo vessels" for a quote to bring a 58' LOA, 16' beam boat from the Pacific Northwest to the Atlantic Southeast. The transport is between $50k-$60k depending on some stuff! I expected it to be expensive, but more like in the $30k area. Oh well - guess that gets rid of west coast boats for us, unless we find a remarkable deal.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Chris,
It would be cheaper to sell your house and move to the west coast!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Just imagine what it will cost when the dollar and fuel prices finally adjust...
In 2001 I had a boat trucked from South Carolina to LA. Total price: $4000, of course that is "Road Legal" but it was still done on semi truck. Price to move a boat similar # of miles in 2007: $18,000.. I sailed it instead


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

I couldn't even imagine trucking an oversized load (if it would even be possible) from WA to NY. The escort vehicles, permits, etc. alone would be big money!


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

Sounds like it is very doable, in terms of time, to me. I to would be concerned about running up the east coast during the early part of the hurricane season. I would probably rush the first half to get some time in hand. The west coast south of Juan de Fuca is pretty dull until you get to Mexico. South to San Diego is a week or two. Then down to Cabo in another couple weeks and wander from then on. I would try to be sailing past Florida in early spring. Lots of windward work in the Carribbean but favourable currents on both the west coast and the east coast.

Need crew?

Gaz


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

What about JOhnRPollards suggestion? I like his idea. I would think the shakedown in the Lakes would be less mind boggling and safer with the family with you. Should you need repairs or work done on the boat probably more user friendly trip also. Less worry about weather. What would it cost to have the vessel trucked to Lake Superior? How much would the canal passage cost? You might actually save having it trucked to Lake Superior.

Just a thought...dont give up as of yet.

Dave


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

labatt said:


> I couldn't even imagine trucking an oversized load (if it would even be possible) from WA to NY. The escort vehicles, permits, etc. alone would be big money!


Oh its possible:










On its way from SD to Chicago


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd hate to see that sucker jackknife.. How big is that boat anyways?? Looks like 75-80' LOA


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

SD- Don't you know how to use the Internet???? A simple Google search finds a bunch of articles. Next time learn how to search   (all said in jest)

First off, she's 86 feet, a maxZ86.

"For Windquest, the relatively short sail from San Diego was a routine final leg following an arduous overland trip to California from its home in Holland, Mich. The truck and extra-long trailer hauling the mast and keel slipped off a road in Arkansas. The 125-foot spar was twisted out of shape and had to be replaced with one shipped from the East Coast."

A few more pics:



















OK... maybe there's not THAT much...


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

JohnRPollard said:


> Your original plan was sound. Why not just stick with it and truck the boat across? Yes, that's a big boat to truck, but it can be done, and the cost is marginal compared to the purchase price.


I'll have to look into this. I'm wondering how they deal with the height. The boat I'm considering has a 7'2" keel. Add the height above the keel and we've got to be talking 16'-18' total height. I'm thinking that's higher than most bridges.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

16' Is usually considered the absolute maximum. I had my 30' trucked 5 miles. It's height was 14' 6" (on a cradle, not the best possible method), and 9' beam. I had to hire a police escort and the trucking company files for some sort of permit (every locality is different). For *5 miles* the police charged around $100. The trucking fee was $600. If you had to get an escort, or have power lines lifted in every little town.. gonna cost you big. Windquest was long and wide, but no house and they took off the appendages. If you search the net you will find other peoples stories about bent spars, sheared off cabin tops.. the usual..

For reference these are the legal trucking limits: : 13ft 6 inches overall height, Max. 8 ft overall width

Some places to start researching:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/commercialvehicle/
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/sw/permit_report.htm

Sail it!

(If you need crew for part or all let me know)


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

labatt said:


> I'll have to look into this. I'm wondering how they deal with the height. The boat I'm considering has a 7'2" keel. Add the height above the keel and we've got to be talking 16'-18' total height. I'm thinking that's higher than most bridges.


Wow. Are you sure 7'2" isn't the draft of the boat from keel tip to waterline? Rather then the span of the keel?

If it's 7'2" draft, you should be under the 16' maximum height Sailboy21 mentions above. You will be travelling the interstates for 99% of the distance, so no police escort necessary (might need chase and leading vehicles though) and no need to lift power lines except maybe between the on/off ramps and the points of origin and terminus.

It's pretty wide open northern wasteland between Seattle and Duluth, and the distance is only about 1400 statute miles.


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

A bigger issue than the height will be the beam... If the trailer is designed properly, you can probably come in under the 16' mark, unless the boat has a really tall pilothouse. A 52' boat might be 16' or so wide...


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

I was just looking at the charts to go from Lake Superior to Albany (down the Erie Canal)... Wow! That would be a several week trip if you stopped for the night - and that's pushing!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

> How long is the New York State Canal System?
> The NYS Canal System is 524 miles long.
> 
> How long does it take to cruise between Albany and Buffalo on the Erie Canal?
> ...


from http://www.nyscanals.gov/faq/index.html

Free canal, free locks at the Sault.. about 2 weeks but you get to sail from 600 ft above sea level down to zero, thats kinda cool


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

Sailboy - that's just the Erie Canal... that doesn't count crossing ALL of the Great Lakes to get there... long trip.


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