Yes, that’s my next trip. This is a La Nina year meaning that the tradewinds are increased, which is good! More wind behind us is usually better.

Dates

These are very tentative but here’s the basic plan:

Eastbound

I want two overnight shake-out trips, and it’s better to leave from SoCal. So, then plan is to work for these two weeks remotely, and sail on the weekends. This gives plenty of time to fix anything broken. Ventura can even haul us out if necessary.

As for crew, Dave has said “yes” already and I think Jack and his wife are very interested. That leaves the spare cabin open!

The westbound leg is not free, which means you will need to pay for your portion of the food and fuel expenses (I expect about $200/pp for food and $200/pp for fuel, but it could be more or less).

  • Feb 13 - SF to Morro Bay - straight shot (187nm, leave in morning, arrive Sun afternoon)
  • Feb 20 - Morro Bay -> Redondo Beach? - straight shot (171nm, leave in morning)
  • Sometime week of Feb 22 - Depart for Hilo
  • Best guess on arrival is March 9, but could be a few days earlier or later.

If you want to stay on the boat while we’re in Hawaii, that would be amazing.

Return (eastbound)

The eastbound leg IS free, which means food and fuel are covered. I expect to do a lot more motoring as we’ll be skirting closer to the pacific high.

  • June 19 - Hilo to Seattle (straight shot)
  • July 4 - Seattle to SF (straight shot)

Fuel

If we do decide to just motor through the high, we’d probably make it just fine, especially with the ridiculous amount of fuel we can carry in the forward nacelle. For more on the fuel analysis, see my prior post about why I selected the Beta engine.

Additional Reading

  • Sailing Guide - Hawaii to California. Favorite quote: Once the trade winds are in your back, the air gets warmer and dryer. The sky will be clear and blue, as well as the waters. The next two weeks are a very enjoyable sailing experience. Most sailors agree that it’s one of the most pleasant ocean voyages there is.
  • Avoiding the Pacific High. Favorite quote: We’ve seen everything from a single five-gallon container to two 55-gallon drums sitting on deck on boats setting sail from Hawaii.

Blog Update - Comments

Since I now work for Facebook, seems like I should at least know how their stuff works. And the previous comments system I had was the free version, and I’m not sure I want to pay $10/mo for the real one. So, if you don’t have facebook or aren’t willing to sign in, you won’t be able to comment.

The comment system was down a lot before anyway, so your chances of commenting might actually be better now!

So be the first to put your face(book) on this post and let me know what you think. Shoot me an email if it doesn’t work!