Victoria, BC to the Sea of Cortez

You made it! Enjoy the Bay.

Yee Haw!!!! Nothing like passing under the bridge. I surprised me how narrow the opening actually is....

Welcome to the SF Bay. I still have half share in a boat in Alameda. Hopefully that will become a zero share by the end of the month.

Richard

Welcome to the bay! How long do you expect to stay in the area? Any chance you'll be here for Fleet Week Oct 8-11? The Blue Angels will perform over the bay.

Congratulations! You've shown some really excellent seamanship on this trip. We used to boat out of Ballena Bay on the south side of Alameda, and I had an office over on the Oakland Airport side for a few years. Wish we could be there to help!

FlyWright said:

Welcome to the bay! How long do you expect to stay in the area? Any chance you'll be here for Fleet Week Oct 8-11? The Blue Angels will perform over the bay.

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We're planning to leave before then, unfortunately. I was here in 2005 for Fleet Week when I was in the Navy and it was a blast!

So...

Please tell us about your plans!

Where is your southern destination this winter? Or are you just exploring?

Are you going to head back north next spring?

I hope you know that you are breaking some old time Trawler Forum myths. Here you are Safely making a passage down the fabled Pacific Coast in a 36' regular folks boat. Not a huge battle wagon of a boat, just a normal couple, on a normal boat, cruising the coast.

VicTrawler said:

We're planning to leave before then, unfortunately. I was here in 2005 for Fleet Week when I was in the Navy and it was a blast!

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Zoom!

Stahhhhp Kevin. My Nordhavn stock options will never fund my retirement until we convince West Coast cruisers the only safe way to travel from Sausalito to Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point is in a passage maker.

CPseudonym said:

Stahhhhp Kevin. My Nordhavn stock options will never fund my retirement until we convince West Coast cruisers the only safe way to travel from Sausalito to Half Moon Bay's Pillar Point is in a passage maker.

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Yes Craig, I have noticed a distinct silence in this thread amongst the crowd that typically advocates than you need a boat with 1500 miles of range and 3/4" thick windows to cruise along a coastline

Funny how fact trumps fiction Eh...

Having taken a 25 ft Bayliner on its own bottom from Sausalito to Eureka and knowing a couple who made the WA to CA trip, and on to Guatemala in a 32-ish Bayliner, all it really takes is patience, preparation and common sense, all of which the OP has shown an abundance of. Oh, and some money if you're under power.

ksanders said:

Yes Craig, I have noticed a distinct silence in this thread amongst the crowd that typically advocates than you need a boat with 1500 miles of range and 3/4" thick windows to cruise along a coastline

Funny how fact trumps fiction Eh...

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Ha I have a friend with a go-fast Sea Ray (Dancing with Angels) that had a 250 mile range, so he had to dive in to the different marinas for fuel. He harbor hopped from SF all the way up to Seattle.......

Silence is golden....

The thing is that people come here with their dreams. They dream of a cruising lifestyle, but if they listen to the popular fables most will quickly give up that dream thinking they can't ever afford it.

So they move on to another dream.

This is a great thread. Let us please keep it that way. I can understand defending your choice of boat when someone is bad-mouthing it, but that didn't happen here on this thread, so let's not let this thread drift into a debate about boat choice.

My gut says my boat is stronger than I.

mahal said:

This is a great thread. Let us please keep it that way. I can understand defending your choice of boat when someone is bad-mouthing it, but that didn't happen here on this thread, so let's not let this thread drift into a debate about boat choice.

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Mahal

This thread is about a nice guy and I think his wife making their way down the pacific coast.

I aplaud them for their adventure.

There is no debate about boat choice, since they are actually making the voyage.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Ha I have a friend with a go-fast Sea Ray (Dancing with Angels) that had a 250 mile range, so he had to dive in to the different marinas for fuel. He harbor hopped from SF all the way up to Seattle.......

Silence is golden....

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Yikes! And here I am with a boat with a range of 1000 to 1500 miles and have yet to travel more than 60 miles away from home berth! Half tankage lasts me 9 months. Not that I'm complaining.

ksanders said:

Mahal

This thread is about a nice guy and I think his wife making their way down the pacific coast.

I aplaud them for their adventure.

There is no debate about boat choice, since they are actually making the voyage.

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I know what the thread is about. I am following it with great interest. And I believe the OP has the proper boat for their purpose, a 36' trawler displacing 22 tons. I just sensed a possible thread drift from your latest posts.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Ha I have a friend with a go-fast Sea Ray (Dancing with Angels) that had a 250 mile range, so he had to dive in to the different marinas for fuel. He harbor hopped from SF all the way up to Seattle.......

Silence is golden....

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I would be that friend. It's true, we made the trip from SF to Seattle two years ago. Now we are planning a trip north next year.

While not a "blue water" boat by any means. Proper preparation and the right weather most things can be accomplished. As far as I can tell my boat is the smallest Sea Ray to have made this trek.

ksanders said:

So...

Please tell us about your plans!

Where is your southern destination this winter? Or are you just exploring?

Are you going to head back north next spring?

I hope you know that you are breaking some old time Trawler Forum myths. Here you are Safely making a passage down the fabled Pacific Coast in a 36' regular folks boat. Not a huge battle wagon of a boat, just a normal couple, on a normal boat, cruising the coast.

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We'll see how far we can go, budget permitting, but the first target is the Sea of Cortez. We'd be very satisfied with ourselves if we can spend a winter in Mexico and beat back up the coast in the summer. That being said, we have loftier goals, but I'd hate to ruin the surprise.

VicTrawler said:

We'll see how far we can go, budget permitting, but the first target is the Sea of Cortez. We'd be very satisfied with ourselves if we can spend a winter in Mexico and beat back up the coast in the summer. That being said, we have loftier goals, but I'd hate to ruin the surprise.

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That sounds fantastic!!!

La Paz here you come!

I am following your journey while sitting at work and dreaming. 4 years and change, and I hope to follow in your footsteps.

ksanders said:

Yes Craig, I have noticed a distinct silence in this thread amongst the crowd that typically advocates than you need a boat with 1500 miles of range and 3/4" thick windows to cruise along a coastline

Funny how fact trumps fiction Eh...

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Since less than 1% of the US population can afford the vessels you are throwing rocks at Kevin, the 99% just has to make do, quite nicely as the OP is reporting on. No sense in castigating the 1%ers who one way or another keep our sport going. Sure hate to see TF become an envy baiting site.

My curiosity is how the engine isssues finally play out. Tank size only becomes debatable when heading south of the border IMHO. The specs and preparation advises for the upcoming FUBAR rally are intersting for those contemplating longer voyages..

As an aside, have some friends who just did Ketchikan to Dana Point non stop.

ksanders said:

That sounds fantastic!!!

La Paz here you come!

I am following your journey while sitting at work and dreaming. 4 years and change, and I hope to follow in your footsteps.

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Thanks again for following, and occasionally motivating me to keep everyone updated.

You don't quite want to follow in my footsteps, as we'll have to go back to work when all of this is said and done! This is more of a "time-out" than a retirement.

We just missed you guys in Victoria! Curious what will happen when you get to your final stop. Will you leave Your boat in a marina and fly home or cruise her back up the coast?

Bob & Jill

Bob Cofer said:

We just missed you guys in Victoria! Curious what will happen when you get to your final stop. Will you leave Your boat in a marina and fly home or cruise her back up the coast?

Bob & Jill

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Right now the plan is to cruise back up to Victoria once we've had our fill, however I know there are lots of people that have had similar intentions and ended up selling their boat, so we'll see!

SR400DB said:

I would be that friend. It's true, we made the trip from SF to Seattle two years ago. Now we are planning a trip north next year.

While not a "blue water" boat by any means. Proper preparation and the right weather most things can be accomplished. As far as I can tell my boat is the smallest Sea Ray to have made this trek.

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Welcome my friend! Following Mark and Eden on their great adventure and it reminded me of ours! We will begin our adventure next year too.

Go Mark and Eden, can't wait to see what is in store for them past SF!!!

OK, so where are you now?

Did you leave the Bay area, or still visiting??

ksanders said:

OK, so where are you now?

Did you leave the Bay area, or still visiting??

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So after a week in Alameda we are once again underway. We departed with our friends in S/V Tenacity and arrived in Half Moon Bay at 1730.

On the way out of Alameda, just before the Bay Bridge, we ran into S/V Buenaventura I who was with us in Newport and Coos Bay. They were going to be in the Bay area for a while, so we said our goodbyes and carried on.

I decided to take the main shipping channel on the way out while Tenacity took the South Channel which may or may not exist, depending on who you talk to. Ironically, we saw much rougher water in the main channel, as we went head on into 4-5 foot breakers. It was the tail end of the ebb and 15-20 knots out of the NW so that's going to happen in those conditions! Anyway, Halcyon I took it like a champ. We're covered in salt but I'm sure we'll find a place to wash off.

As soon as we exited the channel and turned south, the ride became significantly more pleasant. We eventually caught Tenacity at the first green buoy before Half Moon Bay and they followed close behind as we entered the first breakwater.

Knowing some other friends from Newport would be anchored there, the three of us rafted up and we had a great BBQ and reunion.

Looks like it'll remain windy over the next few days, and deteriorate further on Sunday. Tomorrow we're going to run another 50 miles and anchor in Santa Cruz. The next day or the day after we'll head to Monterey to find some shelter from all this wind!

Very little oil burn during today's six hour run, and dripped maybe 10 drops of oil into the engine pan.

That is Fantastic!!!

Please do tell about Santa Cruz when you get there.

If the wind is up, Santa Cruz will not be a pleasant anchorage. More like your Shelter Cove experience, exposed to whatever swell is on the Bay. But the NOAA forecast looks good. I went to college in Santa Cruz and still spend a lot of time there with family and friends.

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