Transit from Seattle for the 2014 SHTP?

[glennp]

Anybody in the PNW thinking of transiting to SF for the race? I think I will sign up and do my offshore qualifier on the way down to SF next spring - late May early June perhaps. Iam interested in corresponding with any PNW skippers who may be thinking of doing the race.

Thanks much,

Glenn Brooks

[WBChristie]

Hi Glenn, I'm based in Brookings, Oregon and have signed up for the race. I will PM you

[BobJ]

I guess this question belongs in a "Return" thread, but do you guys have a favorite cruising guide for Puget Sound/the Salish Sea?


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[glennp]

Hi Bob, "cruising guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands" is pretty popular. Also Wagners Cruising Guide seems to be in all the marine book stores. Mostly I dont use one around the Sound as its all deep water and very few rocks, with a handful of very obvious places to put in. But once north of the San Juans, up into Canada there are lots of shoals and narrow passess, plus tremendous amounts of remote scenery and deeply indented fjords, so Gulf Islands and beyound a cruising guide would be quite valuable. Haha, mostly My cruising guide is a tidal current book, as in-stream tidal flow is often stronger than my boat speed!

[BobJ]

It sounds like the Bay vs. the Delta down here, but with much better scenery. The Dreamspeaker guides look good but are pricey: http://www.dreamspeakerguides.com/

I've always wanted to cruise in that area and it's a lot easier to get there from Hawaii than from San Francisco. I'd also like to race in the Northern Century.

[peter00]

Glenn, I've made the trip to SF from Vancouver (BC) many times including for the 2012 SHTP. Glad to communicate off the forum if you like pheiberg@yahoo.com but the basic plan is to get to Neah Bay and anchor out if you're poor and have a dinghy or use the marina. The native community there has a good community center with free computer access. I prefer to just sit and watch PassageWeather until a suitable high forms which usually will get you to SF in one shot. It will blow like hell off Mendocino normally. Best place to hide out (all weather entrance) Crescent City, Let me know if I can help more

[peter00]

Replying to the other question. I would recommend Charlie's Charts. the Canadian coast is relatively easy to get to from Hawaii and very little further than SF (due to the wonders of the Mercator projection) the main problem is there are no ports of entry. You've got Prince Rupert in the north, Nanaimo in the middle of Vancouver Is (but on the inside making it useless). Other than that you have to enter at Victoria or Sydney from Juan de Fuca and travel north. Probably the best thing to do is go to Alaska but believe me, none or very few of our boats are suitable for the endless motoring of the inside passage.

[DaveM]

Hey Glenn Brooks, Dave Morris here. I am trying to keep a spread sheet with all the 2014 SHTP sailors. Could you contact me via email so I can get some information from you transpac@sfbaysss.org

[svShearwater]

I guess this question belongs in a "Return" thread, but do you guys have a favorite cruising guide for Puget Sound/the Salish Sea?


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Bob, you will love it up there. The cruising is just great. We've decided to return Shearwater to the Salish Sea after Hawaii because we miss sailing up there so much.

A very simple guide to get you started is "Gunkholing the San Juans" and "Gunkholing the Gulf Islands". We started with that. It was enough guidance to help us find places to stop if we were uncertain and in short order you get in your own groove of what you like and don't like and will seek out your own preferred destinations.

For serious sailors, guides have a serious shortcoming. They don't/can't take into consideration the quality of the sail getting to a destination, but are more about the destinations. We tend to cruise by sticking our nose out the hatch in morning and going in the direction that will be the most fun sailing, then when we are done for the day, we stop at the nearest place (which perhaps the guide can help with).

[brianb]

Skype: How do you do video conferences ? I have done singular calls. I will try it this evening with whatever audio/video this laptop will provide.