Salty insight - advice on cruise

[Bryissa]

I have officially been granted 1 month off work this summer to plan a sailing trip. My fist mate and I are planning on taking a round trip voyage from Monterey Bay down the California Coast. We are trying to evaluate if we can comfortably go as far south as Avalon Bay and still enjoy the trip.

We have an 1981 Ericson 38 that we have been sailing for a couple of years. The farthest we have been is north to Half Moon Bay (due to lack of time) and Stillwater Cove south. I have over 6 years of navigation experience as a submarine quartermaster. We I have 2 years of sailing experience together on our E38 in Monterey Bay and San Francisco Bay. We have spent several weekend getaways anchoring in Capitola, Monterey, Aptos, and a weekend in Stillwater Cove.

Time off is July 16th and returning to work August 16th.

I have a couple of good California Coast Cruising guides and I'm familiar with the general voyage.



My thought:
12-14 days down...overnights in San Simeon anchorage, Morro Bay, Coho anchorage, 2-3 Catalina island stops, Two Harbors, Avalon Bay

7-10 Days around Catalina Island possibly checking out other anchorages

6-7 days uphill....pretty straight shot with some overnight motoring and short stays


Please provide any insights, personal experiences, and your opinion if this is enough time to make the voyage that far south. We are looking to make no overnight sailing on the way down, and willing to motor/sail some night on the return.


Also for all you lucky people that are not tied down with work...we would love some company to join us down the coast (bring your own boat, booze, and food).

Thanks

Bryan Ellis
Ericson 38 - Lela Margariete

 

[Sven]

I'm really looking forward to seeing others' responses to your question.

Not having done the trek you are talking about I would just opine that rushing down and then doing a more leisurely return would be my first choice. The return is likely to be more difficult as it is and there is no sense in making it a death march ? Having to dash around Point Conception when the weather gods aren't smiling is probably not too much fun.

Like I said, I haven't done the trip so I'm not speaking from personal experience.

Sounds like a great month !


-Sven

 

[dwigle]

A month should be plenty

Last time we went south we were gone about five weeks from SF Bay.
A long day to Santa Cruz with an extra day there, overnight to Morrow Bay with a lay day there, a day to Coho, 2 or 3 days on Santa Cruz Island, over to Santa barbara for a couple of days, back to S.B. then harbor hop to Oxnard and Marina Del Rey To Catalina for a couple of days, reverse harbor hop to SB. Then a long slog north. SB to Coho, then Port San Luis with a lay-over, San Simeon with a lay-over, Stillwater, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, And back home with an extra day in all but Half Moon Bay.

I would allow more time for the beat back than the ride down, reverse the times of your up and down.

We're heading down this year around the first of July, Maybe we'll see you down there.

Don Wigle
Wiggle Room
E 38 #8
Pt Richmond, CA

 

[ChrisS]

I did this trip last summer, and had a great time. Left SF Bay June 20, and got back July 30. My wife and kids met me in MDR, and we spent two weeks at Two Harbors without moving the boat--from the other people I spoke with, Avalon was really crowded and got old after two days. There's a great book that outlines all the spots at Catalina, and we meant to check out some of the other bays--many have yacht club owned moorings--but we got really lazy and Two Harbors is an easy place to spend time.

My other favorite places are the south side of Santa Cruz Island and Becher's Bay on Santa Rosa Island. SB was also a good place to clean up and get provisions, and Morro Bay and Monterey were welcoming, but if I were to do it again I would max out my time in anchorages.

I took the boat from MDR to SF by myself and had to stop a lot to refuel my little Atomic Four. Everyone seems to think that Point Conception is the hurdle, but it was Point Sur that Put Me In My Place. If I had a diesel and crew, I would leave SB at 10 pm, and if conditions allowed me, bypass Cojo for Port San Luis. From there I'd then hit San Simeon, and wait for calm to go to Monterey. Give yourself time--six days sounds pretty tight.

All in all, a great time, Have fun.

 

[dwigle]

oh yeah

Don't forget the stern anchor. We don't use them much on northern Cal, but necessary in the islands, unless it's a Catalina mooring.

 

[Charlie B.]

My wife and I did a trip from SF to the Channel Islands 3 years ago on our Olson 34. Incredible trip! The only thing that I would do differently would be to go down in late summer (Aug-Sept). From the people who do this circuit frequently, they claim the winds are usually a little less and the anchorages are less crowded especially in September. We went down and back in the May June time frame and learned that they have saying: "May gray, June gloom!" The return trip was particularly cold and damp.

Our favorite stops were Monterey and Morro Bay. We spent a few days in Santa Barbara and found it vey nice, but the harbor police are a bit over the top. Great places to visit, eat and enjoy clean showers. Our favorite anchorage was San Simeon. Beautiful place with views of Hearst Castle and wonderful sunrises and sets. We visited the Channel Islands on a holiday weekend and had a rough time finding anchorages late in the day. It is definitiely a place worth exploring. We also spent a few nights at Cojo and watched the surfers at Government Point.

We went down with a few cruising guides and found this one the best:
The Cruising Guide to Central and Southern California: Golden Gate to Ensenada, Mexico, Including the Offshore Islands by Brian M. Fagan.

We were able to get up and down the coast without any overnight sailing. The longest stretch is from San Simeon to Monterey and I can confirm that Point Sur is every bit as tough as Conception. We sailed almost all the way down and ended up motoring almost all the way back (55 hours total). Going north we motorsailed with a full or at times a reefed main. We found that staying off the coast at depths in excess of 300 feet kept you away from most of the crab pots. At that distance (3-5 miles) I noticed that the sea state was a bit more regular because it seemed that there were fewer waves reflecting off the points and shores.

Dress warm and take lots of pictures!

 

[Blue Chip]

Americas Cup

StrictlySail had the Cup on display in Oakland last weekend. Pretty impressive set-up with red carpet and all. In case you have never seen it......