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Hawaii to Washington
- Thread starter standardhuman
- Start date
[email protected]
Capri 25 - Jack
Excellent advice. No more cigars in the cockpit.
More of the same.
I've done several trips back to the BC from Hawaii, the best being 17 days from Hanalei to Cape Scott at the north tip of Vancouver Island with Haulback, and the slowest 31 days from Hilo to Juan de Fuca in my previous boat - a Gulf Island 29. All the rest were in to 20 to 24 day range. I recall the distance to Cape Scott is about the same distance as the entrance to Juan de Fuca - depending on how the weather shapes up for the trip home.
The basic drill for me, leaving Hawaii has been anywhere from 500 to a thousand miles more or less due north out of the islands, as close to the wind as I want to sail, then either motor (or in the case of the 31 day trip, drift for a day or two) before picking up some breeze and making of it what you can to where you are going. I would favour some extra northing early on as you make the turn, to look for the good westerly winds at higher latitudes
No sense trying to motor through the High on a rhumbline, do the sensible thing and sail over it.
There will be a few pleasant days between losing the trades with all that awful crashing to windward, before you get far enough north to get under the marine cloud layer, which may stay with you for days and days. Lots of wind, but lots of cold damp fog, some days I have had trouble even seeing the front of the boat. (my remedy: go below and read a book and let the boat find it's own way - I just get scared if I think about it too much)
Like any other stretch of the ocean you can have anything from nice sailing to a gale to no wind at all, but whatever it is, she's bound to change sooner or later.
I second the motion for going round the top of Vancouver Island. You will be positioned to enjoy some of the best cruising waters you will ever see. Head straight in to Port Hardy (There is a marina deep in Hardy Bay, or raft up at the commercial fish dock beside it) pick up the Hydrographic Service Tide and Current publications, and you're ready to go.
I am not too sure about using the customs guys at the airport to clear in with, but it might work. I have in the past phoned down to the closest port of entry, Campbell River a ways further down-island, and whined about a weeks worth of minor repairs, slow boats and big tides......they have cleared me in over the phone. One way or another it will work out, I am sure.
Take your time and poke around Blackfish Sound, the Indian Group at the bottom on Queen Charlotte Sound. If you are in a hurry you can make a dash down Johnstone Strait and pop out into the Gulf of Georgia through Seymour Narrows, but it would be much better if you take the back way and try to hit all the rapids and passes you can. Follow the current tables and 'there will be 'no drama' ........you will be rewarded with some wonderful scenery, great anchorages and lovely cruising. you might even catch a couple salmon for dinner along the way
If you do decide to enter Juan de Fuca, it's all pretty straight forward. If you rest up in Neah Bay and leave first light, you will be able to transit it in a day. The shipping lanes are down the middle of the Strait and mostly they stay where they are supposed to. if for some reason it is blowing SE, wait 'till it stops - your day will be a misery, and there are not many places to stop if you don't make it all the way in daylight. A NW'ly will usually get stronger as the day progresses and push you along nicely.
Anyway, hope this finds everyone well, I am watching preparations for the SHTP ''14 with great interest and a bit of envy. Haulback is just wrapping up a very nice little cruise over the last month-and-a-half down here in Tasmania. Lovely sailing, nice anchorages, a bit cool, but nothing a diesel heater can't fix.
Jim/Haulback
I've done several trips back to the BC from Hawaii, the best being 17 days from Hanalei to Cape Scott at the north tip of Vancouver Island with Haulback, and the slowest 31 days from Hilo to Juan de Fuca in my previous boat - a Gulf Island 29. All the rest were in to 20 to 24 day range. I recall the distance to Cape Scott is about the same distance as the entrance to Juan de Fuca - depending on how the weather shapes up for the trip home.
The basic drill for me, leaving Hawaii has been anywhere from 500 to a thousand miles more or less due north out of the islands, as close to the wind as I want to sail, then either motor (or in the case of the 31 day trip, drift for a day or two) before picking up some breeze and making of it what you can to where you are going. I would favour some extra northing early on as you make the turn, to look for the good westerly winds at higher latitudes
No sense trying to motor through the High on a rhumbline, do the sensible thing and sail over it.
There will be a few pleasant days between losing the trades with all that awful crashing to windward, before you get far enough north to get under the marine cloud layer, which may stay with you for days and days. Lots of wind, but lots of cold damp fog, some days I have had trouble even seeing the front of the boat. (my remedy: go below and read a book and let the boat find it's own way - I just get scared if I think about it too much)
Like any other stretch of the ocean you can have anything from nice sailing to a gale to no wind at all, but whatever it is, she's bound to change sooner or later.
I second the motion for going round the top of Vancouver Island. You will be positioned to enjoy some of the best cruising waters you will ever see. Head straight in to Port Hardy (There is a marina deep in Hardy Bay, or raft up at the commercial fish dock beside it) pick up the Hydrographic Service Tide and Current publications, and you're ready to go.
I am not too sure about using the customs guys at the airport to clear in with, but it might work. I have in the past phoned down to the closest port of entry, Campbell River a ways further down-island, and whined about a weeks worth of minor repairs, slow boats and big tides......they have cleared me in over the phone. One way or another it will work out, I am sure.
Take your time and poke around Blackfish Sound, the Indian Group at the bottom on Queen Charlotte Sound. If you are in a hurry you can make a dash down Johnstone Strait and pop out into the Gulf of Georgia through Seymour Narrows, but it would be much better if you take the back way and try to hit all the rapids and passes you can. Follow the current tables and 'there will be 'no drama' ........you will be rewarded with some wonderful scenery, great anchorages and lovely cruising. you might even catch a couple salmon for dinner along the way
If you do decide to enter Juan de Fuca, it's all pretty straight forward. If you rest up in Neah Bay and leave first light, you will be able to transit it in a day. The shipping lanes are down the middle of the Strait and mostly they stay where they are supposed to. if for some reason it is blowing SE, wait 'till it stops - your day will be a misery, and there are not many places to stop if you don't make it all the way in daylight. A NW'ly will usually get stronger as the day progresses and push you along nicely.
Anyway, hope this finds everyone well, I am watching preparations for the SHTP ''14 with great interest and a bit of envy. Haulback is just wrapping up a very nice little cruise over the last month-and-a-half down here in Tasmania. Lovely sailing, nice anchorages, a bit cool, but nothing a diesel heater can't fix.
Jim/Haulback
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Paul Elliott
New member
As Pogen mentioned, After the 2012 Pac Cup we sailed home to Friday Harbor. It was a great sail, with a fair bit of motoring. The first 1000 miles or so are much like to San Francisco return: Heading north as best as we can, and trying to make a little easting if possible. Watch the Pacific High, and as you approach 40 degrees latitude keep an eye on the low-pressure systems moving SE from the Aleutians. The High is often diffuse, and can settle on top of you with little warning. The North Pacific lows can compress the top of the high giving you a good, fast, path to San Francisco, or in this case, Cape Flattery.
But don't let the GRIB predictions sucker you into making a premature move eastward. I was trying to bring VALIS to the PNW after the 2010 Pac Cup, but took what I thought would be a good shortcut, sailing into one of these low-pressure channels, only to have it shut down, leaving me with an impenetrable maze of high pressure and contrary winds between me and Cape Flattery. Rather than fight it, I took an easier route to San Francisco (which was my "Plan B").
Our 2012 trip had us motoring for a couple of days (cumulatively) as we pushed through the NW edge of the Pac High, and later as we were within a hundred miles of Vancouver Island. In between we had some pretty strong winds and large seas, courtesy of a low pressure system that was moving east. We tried to thread the needle between that low and the Pacific High, and I think we did a decent job of it. Here's a video of that segment, taken by one of the crew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYnb5FGWjlM. The trip took us 17-12 days.
I blog about our return trip, and some of the routing decisions we made, here: http://sailvalis.com/wordpress_1/?p=519
VALIS will be sailing from Friday Harbor to San Francisco on (+/-) June 1, then racing in the Pac Cup (we're comms boat again, this time sharing the chores with Cayenne). If anyone would like to check their SSB, during our June delivery I will be running a daily radio test net. Details will be posted. After the race I plan to bring VALIS back home to the PNW.
But don't let the GRIB predictions sucker you into making a premature move eastward. I was trying to bring VALIS to the PNW after the 2010 Pac Cup, but took what I thought would be a good shortcut, sailing into one of these low-pressure channels, only to have it shut down, leaving me with an impenetrable maze of high pressure and contrary winds between me and Cape Flattery. Rather than fight it, I took an easier route to San Francisco (which was my "Plan B").
Our 2012 trip had us motoring for a couple of days (cumulatively) as we pushed through the NW edge of the Pac High, and later as we were within a hundred miles of Vancouver Island. In between we had some pretty strong winds and large seas, courtesy of a low pressure system that was moving east. We tried to thread the needle between that low and the Pacific High, and I think we did a decent job of it. Here's a video of that segment, taken by one of the crew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYnb5FGWjlM. The trip took us 17-12 days.
I blog about our return trip, and some of the routing decisions we made, here: http://sailvalis.com/wordpress_1/?p=519
VALIS will be sailing from Friday Harbor to San Francisco on (+/-) June 1, then racing in the Pac Cup (we're comms boat again, this time sharing the chores with Cayenne). If anyone would like to check their SSB, during our June delivery I will be running a daily radio test net. Details will be posted. After the race I plan to bring VALIS back home to the PNW.
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Great to hear from Jim on HAULBACK!
When leaving Hawaii, no real reason to slap the boat on the wind. Even if you sail a bit west of North, reaching is more comfortable, faster, and gets you to the offwind breezes on the western lobe of the Pac High sooner.
25 gallons of fuel should be fine. As Peter says, no reason running engine at max throttle. Half throttle or less makes apparent wind you can use to supplement motoring speed by motor sail. On six return passages with WILDFLOWER, average fuel consumption with 1GM10 was .18 gal/hour.
One thought, if sailing home alone, when motoring, rig a trip line from the cockpit engine throttle/gear shift down to your bunk. If reading below, or asleep, loop this trip line around your arm. Then when you snag some rope or net, you can quickly slow the engine and/or shift into neutral without wasting time climbing out of the bunk and ondeck. In this case, a few seconds can mean less grief.
When leaving Hawaii, no real reason to slap the boat on the wind. Even if you sail a bit west of North, reaching is more comfortable, faster, and gets you to the offwind breezes on the western lobe of the Pac High sooner.
25 gallons of fuel should be fine. As Peter says, no reason running engine at max throttle. Half throttle or less makes apparent wind you can use to supplement motoring speed by motor sail. On six return passages with WILDFLOWER, average fuel consumption with 1GM10 was .18 gal/hour.
One thought, if sailing home alone, when motoring, rig a trip line from the cockpit engine throttle/gear shift down to your bunk. If reading below, or asleep, loop this trip line around your arm. Then when you snag some rope or net, you can quickly slow the engine and/or shift into neutral without wasting time climbing out of the bunk and ondeck. In this case, a few seconds can mean less grief.