Hunter 34 to Mexico?

[Randy Piersma]

Have sailed the closest two islands of the Santa Barbara Channel and my destination in two years (after the two outer islands this year) is Mexico. My question is whether my '86 34' should be taken that far from safe harbors, or do I need a different boat? Need advice from 34 owners, especially those who have made the trip and those familar with both the 34, the Mexican Coast, and the Sea of Cortez during Nov. to Dec. If advisable, what do I need besides an EPIRB and standard issue equipment such as Bruce 22, 110 Jib, VHF? (Have recently added Koden Radar, a couple of GPS's, and dinghy with a 9.9 hp outboard).

 

[Dave C.]

Go, but be prepared.

The 34 should be able to make the trip. There was one (An '83) in our marina that came here from San Diego.We had our '86 model across the Gulf of Mexico (Texas-Florida) 3 times.I would recommend a larger anchor, we used a 33# Bruce for a primary and a 20# Danforth for a back-up, with another 20# Danforth on the stern.

 

[Justin Wolfe/PYI]

Can do it...

Most important is to be prepared. Just did the trip from San Diego to Cabo to the Sea this Spring. Conditions really no different than you can get sailing around the Channel Islands / Pt. Conception.However, you gotta be prepared and a Bruce 22 definitely won't cut it. We use a Bruce 44 and 150' of chain on our 32 footer that weighs less than your 34.The Sea is a wonderful place to cruise. People have done it on far less.