San Fransisco to Baja

[canadanorth]

Hi all

We are settled in SE Alaska for the summer but will be back in BC by mid August, and plan to make the run to the
Bay area at that time.

I am hoping some of you can share what you think is an ideal time to go from SFO to the Sea of Cortez.

The hurricane season officially goes to November 30 but we understand people start to make the run at the beginning of November.

We would welcome any advice you can offer. Also, if there is a thread on this topic I apologize as I was unable to locate it.

Wendy
Arctic Tern I
57 Nordhavn

 

[mvweebles]

There are a few longer threads on this route but it's always fun to share again - @ksanders on a Bayliner 4788 has made the trip a couple times and is currently clawing his way north (recently in Santa Barbara) so your wakes will eventually cross.

The Baja Ha Ha departs San Diego around October 31 and seems to be the unofficial start to Baja cruising. Your insurance company may have a say in your permitted cruising grounds due to hurricane season.

On your boat (Nordhavn 57) the southbound trip from SF to San Diego is pretty straightforward almost anytime of the year (except for obvious weather events). The best weather however is a large high pressure dome forms over California's central valley and brings San Francisco it's 3-week summer season, usually in late September or so. Seas are usually flat along the central California coast.

Given your boats relative speed (210 NM/day) and range, a lot depends on your desires. You could make stops along the way or you could leave SF and make it straight to Cabo in 7-ish days. Stops I've enjoyed over the years are Monterey CA, Channel Islands Natl Park, and Ensenada MX (which, unlike Cabo and La Paz, is a surprisingly 'Mexican' city despite being a cruise ship destination and only 80-miles south of the border).

Although the Baja Ha Ha is a sail-oriented event, there are usually a handful of power boats that join (we did when we headed south in 2023).

Great choice of boat - the N57 is a personal favorite.

Peter

 

[NoRain]

There is also the FUBAR (now called the CUBAR) for powerboats. Lots of Nordhavens in it. Nordhavns Leads The Way In Fubar Odyssey - Nordhavn Yachts

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[ksanders]

Most folks hold in Ensenada until the 1st of November.

Two years ago we were going to get an early start, and were in Ensenada getting ready to go when La Paz got hit by a late season cyclone and we lost 43 boats the last week in October, so be careful.


Nobody local to La Paz thought we could get hit that late in the season, but...


We are in La Paz right now with a sick family member, but are going to return to California on the 14th of june. Our boat is in Santa Barbara, and we will be heading north from there at the first available weather window after that

Since you've never been on the Baja before I would suggest you take your time and see all the Baja has to offer.

We really like Asencion, and Mag Bay. Turtle bay a bit less, but it is also really nice. The funnest way is to plan on 3-4 weeks between Ensenada and Cabo.

The way to do this is make a reservation at Marina Coral. Miriam is the manager, and Fernando is the paperwork guy. Don't worry about pre-doing paperwork just show up with your original certificate of documentation, and passports for all on the boat when you arrive.