Sailing to Catalina Island?

[jeepbluetj]

From MDR it can't be more than 5 degree different heading to Avalon. Avalon will be ~10 miles longer.

Take a long daysail on that heading. Swells are often from different directions, but out of the west is indeed the most common. Most folks find following swells the most uncomfortable.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Just sailed over to Emerald Bay on Thursday leaving through LAGate near 1140. Reefed the mainsail in anticipation of 20 kt out of the west by the time we were half-way across. We had to make 216 M (227 T) to arrive to Indian Rocks, which is possible with best sailing. Reefed main and 120 Genoa put us across in 3 hr but we ultimately bore off about 6 n.mi. distant the Rocks to pass under Bird Rock at Isthmus Cove, then motor the two or so n.mi. to Emerald. We briefly saw 23 kt TWS. The Bavaria took it well in the 3 to maybe occasional 5-ft seas approaching the island, but we were lugging the mainsail and were heeled over pretty hard trying to make the 216 M. We were greeted with a 26 kt gust just prior to passing Bird Rock.

Our seas were on the starboard bow. On a course from MdR to Isthmus Cove they probably would arrive abeam. However, a sturdy, full-keel yacht, under sail with a west wind in the 15 - 20 kt range would not roll much, especially if trimmed properly for the sail. No need to fear “sailing in the trough” as it is called. People do it all the time going from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island, and return.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Now lying to anchor in 90 ft in Isthmus Cove facing the “Isthmus Fan.” Riding on short scope-160 ft chain out; all that there is!

 

[SailorElliot]

On a course from MdR to Isthmus Cove they probably would arrive abeam. However, a sturdy, full-keel yacht, under sail with a west wind in the 15 - 20 kt range would not roll much, especially if trimmed properly for the sail. No need to fear “sailing in the trough” as it is called. People do it all the time going from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island, and return.

Yeah, although I am a bit scared of big gusts or wind like what happened to you! I usually sail with the full main and 130 genoa (I think).

I’ve been out in the ocean a lot, but as I got this boat relatively recently, I haven’t had too much luck. Once I went out only with the motor because I was short on time, and we sure rocked! We bounced on every wave and swell. I’ve heard it’s better when sailing.

I think I will feel a bit better when my packing gland is replaced because it started leaking and now we are doing a haul out tomorrow morning. I sure hope my boat dosen’t sink before tomorrow.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yeah, although I am a bit scared of big gusts or wind like what happened to you! I usually sail with the full main and 130 genoa (I think).

I’ve been out in the ocean a lot, but as I got this boat relatively recently, I haven’t had too much luck. Once I went out only with the motor because I was short on time, and we sure rocked! We bounced on every wave and swell. I’ve heard it’s better when sailing.

I think I will feel a bit better when my packing gland is replaced because it started leaking and now we are doing a haul out tomorrow morning. I sure hope my boat dosen’t sink before tomorrow.

The gusts are scary b/c they are unexpected; catch you by surprise. Just need to learn the best response. Many folks just bear off if there is room below. Must have the boat trimmed so you are not overcome by a strong weather helm. But the immediate solution to that degree of weather helm is to ease the mainsheet. A well-trimmed & balanced boat will heel over a bit more and then accelerate with some modest effort to keep her down. A poorly-trimmed one will start to round up hard, shooting off to weather more or less out of control until coming head to wind, or worse, “pirouetting.”

 

[LakeShark]

@SailorElliot Did you ever make this trip?

 

[SailorElliot]

@SailorElliot Did you ever make this trip?

Not yet. I’m sailing to King Harbor tomorrow, and my goal is Catalina by the end of September (we are having some leakage with the stuffing box, so we need to replace it with a haul out). We also need more safety devices before Catalina.

 

[SailorElliot]

We made the passage to Two Harbors yesterday!!! We left at 6:00 AM with a boatload of safety gear, soon to find out that the long swells in Santa Monica Bay were MAX 1 foot. It was still foggy, but it cleared up as we passed Palos Verdes. In the middle of the passage, between Palos Verdes and Two Harbors, the water and sky were extremely clear with about 7 knots of wind (kind of low) with gentle ~2’ swells and it was the type of sailing everyone dreams about. It was the #1 best passage weather we could have got!

We learned a lot, for example, that Windy and PredictWind are not accurate at all, but we have yet to see them under estimate the conditions. We also learned to never hoist a lantern on the genneker halyard because it is too light to come down (by the way, if you have ideas let me know)! Today we are heading to Avalon for a night, and that next morning we will stop to anchor at a cove on our short sail back to Ithsmus Cove, then, on Tuesday we will sail back.

Thank you everyone so much for the knowledge and courage you gave me to go on this truly awesome trip!

 

[jssailem]

Congrats on your first leg of the voyage.

never hoist a lantern on the genneker halyard

Without attaching a messenger line to serve as a "Down Haul".

 

[Kings Gambit]

Yeah! Glad to hear of a nice crossing on your first trip to the Isthmus. Nice looking yacht lying there in the Cove. BTW, the weather forecast models are usually good enough to plan around. Just appreciate that the forecasts are always “pending” the next update. NOAA’s updates generally occur every 6 hr. However, when called for, it might issue a “special” weather alert or forecast not in sequence with the regular updates. Yes. As John suggested attach a tag line to the lantern or to the halyard itself to pull it back down. The parachute cord at WM is fine for that. Here’s to a good cruise!
KG

 

[SailorElliot]

Without attaching a messenger line to serve as a "Down Haul".

Yep, never thought of that. I am not rigging together a 30’ pole with a hook to try to get it down.

Yeah! Glad to hear of a nice crossing on your first trip to the Isthmus. Nice looking yacht lying there in the Cove. BTW, the weather forecast models are usually good enough to plan around. Just appreciate that the forecasts are always “pending” the next update. NOAA’s updates generally occur every 6 hr. However, when called for, it might issue a “special” weather alert or forecast not in sequence with the regular updates. Yes. As John suggested attach a tag line to the lantern or to the halyard itself to pull it back down. The parachute cord at WM is fine for that. Here’s to a good cruise!
KG

Thank you! I assume that if I can handle waves a foot above and wind 5 knots more than what the forecast says the morning of, it‘ll be totally fine.

 

[jssailem]

Is your light still at the top of the mast?

 

[SailorElliot]

Is your light still at the top of the mast?

Yes, we are at Avalon (sailing back to Two Harbors later today), but are heading to a hardware store to pick up some PVC pipes, and a few either things because we going to try to anchor for the first time on the way to Ithsmus Cove.

 

[jssailem]

Nice...
I have heard of captains choosing a young lad. Securley tying a double bowline around his waist and hoisting the lad to the top of the yardarm to retrieve things.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Actually, now that I think about it, the anchor lantern, if that is what you have there, should not be hoisted to the masthead at all. It should be positioned in the foretriangle six to eight, maybe ten, feet above the deck. You’d need two lines to do that. One to hoist and the other to tag to the deck with the lantern suspended between them, etc. I did this for years on my Pearson 30 in FL. When I decommissioned it to move to CA I installed a 12v masthead anchor light.

 

[Kings Gambit]

Thank you! I assume that if I can handle waves a foot above and wind 5 knots more than what the forecast says the morning of, it‘ll be totally fine.

As others have noted the Flicka is a heavy-displacement pocket cruiser designed for offshore passages, etc. With enough experience (seamanship skill) I suspect that you and the boat will handle the conditions you’ll encounter here in southern California, and beyond.

 

[LakeShark]

Looks like a great trip. Keep the pictures coming! as for the light why not just borrow a chair and send someone up the mast to get it or pull up alongside a pier and have someone reach over with a boat hook?