trawler cruising from cabo to san diego

[jscot1947]

need information, when to go, how far off shore
for smoothe ocean? how long to plan for?
ï

 

[O C Diver]

need information, when to go, how far off shore
for smoothe ocean? how long to plan for?
ï

How fast is the boat?
Fuel range?
Size?

Hard to plan without boat parameters.

Ted

 

[DavidM]

How far offshore for smooth water? Maybe Hawaii. Seriously the seas will be on your nose the whole way.

David

 

[Imp]

Are you really going north from Cabo? Makes a big difference in time & experience going that direction. First Timers' Guide to Mexico free download <https://www.baja-haha.com/GuideIndex.html>; geared toward those participating in the annual San-Diego race, but useful info. Avoid race week, too many boats & people, some 3 sheets to the wind. Winter is your window going south, but check further for bash route timing. Although geared for sailing, Latitude 38 <www.latitude38.com> is extremely relevant for all cruisers, & the contact point for crew. Distance c. 900 nm. There are only 4 good anchorages & few resources, though I haven't done the outside of Baja since 1992. I stayed only c. 10-20 mi. offshore because it is a relatively short passage & I stopped at a couple of anchorages. If you are already in SoCal there are LOTS of groups, rallies, parties for cruisers. If you need education, Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa) has a sailing education headquarters in Newport Beach & offers many relevant classes year-round. They also have a super annual lecture series with world-class progams. San Diego has lots of cruising resources. If you provide more info, we can be more helpful--

 

[Opu]

This is a tough trip. There’s a reason it’s called the Baja Bash. Some thoughts:
— wind and seas are generally from the north
— there is a 1/2 to 1 knot persistent current flowing south
— there are only a couple of places to fuel
— and the fueling places don’t have anything but fuel. So...
— take lots of fuel filters, spare parts, fluids and such.
I haven’t done the Bash, but I know a lot of sailors who have delivered boats back from Cabo, PV, etc. (including my son). Typical reports are that it wasn’t a lot of fun.

 

[hollywood8118]

Have done it a few times, it all depends on the weather.. typically I have ran close in from Cabo to Mag bay, then run between the smaller capes. It is all about the weather and what the boat does with head seas.
Good Luck
HOLLYWOOD

 

[ksanders]

I have never done the trip but everything I have read echo’s what Hollywood mentioned.

I am planning on the trip though, and have researched it extensively. First off it’s called the Baha bash because you will face headwinds pretty much all the way. It is most often also done in a sailboat and they have challenges going directly upwind, and are SLOW.

Here is a pretty good article I found about running North along the Baja Coast.

How to Plan a Better Bash - Sea Magazine

My thoughts are to leave early in the year, March sounds great before the northerlies set in strongly. That also gives plenty of time to make it back to Alaska by late May

 

[Portage_Bay]

I've done it a handful of times. As all have said, you're in for a rough ride with few hidey holes and almost no support other than fuel. Another good resource is Charlie's Charts

It's good to have someone ashore to monitor the weather for you. Consider taking enough experienced crew to run round the clock of need be.

 

[Fletcher500]

I have travelled half way down to Cabo from SD on fishing boats...What everyone else said. The next couple of months are the best time to do it, but the Santa Ana, NE winds, start up again in early Sep, so watch the reports.

 

[Montenido]

I've done the Bash 3 times. All in June and July. Some like to go in April due to insurance requirements, but I have found that the later in June or early July that you can go, the easier it becomes. Summer also gives the chance of some southern weather influences such as swell and wind. Pick your weather window and go. I would run straight to Turtle Bay with no stops in between unless I was getting beat up. Take it easy, as the waves can really beat you up. BTW, my buddy took 3 1/2 weeks to do the Bash this year due to high northern winds!

Let us know how it went when you have done it.

Cheers, Bill

 

[MYTraveler]

I have done it several times. Not something to look forward to, but not all that bad (in "normal" conditions) either. The theory of staying close to shore and traveling at night does not make sense to me, unless you have a boat / crew that just can't take the "normal" conditions. From my perspective, close to shore means more debris, traffic and uncharted shoaling (you can't trust the charts, in some cases, they we be off by 1/4nm, so who knows how bad the depth accuracy is), and I really don't think the sea conditions are much different (maybe less wind, but the seas are about the same). I travel 20- 40 nm off shore where there isn't much to hit. Its a 4-5 day trip, so my approach has always been to leave an extra week for contingencies. One time, the conditions were marginal, but improving. We departed on schedule, half expecting to anchor up somewhere but once we got underway, we decided we would rather tough it out.