I am looking for a trailerable sailboat that is big enough to sail the San Juans and up the inland passage a short distance. I,m looking at pacific seacraft 25s and seaward 25s. Is this enough boat for this kind of trip. probably 2 people and not more than 2 or three weeks. I,m not as concerned about comfort so much as I am safety. What is the minimum size boat for this area.
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If you start in the San Juans and
you're not going North of Nanaimo you can do it in a good rowboat. It's all pretty sheltered unless you go out in the Strait of Georgia or the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Anything with a bit of a cabin will be fine, even this time of year. What time of year do you have in mind? Go for the most comfortable boat you can afford. Catalina 27? They're quite seaworthy too. Maybe less expensive than a Pacific Seacraft and sails better. Pay attention to the tides. You may as well stay at anchor for a few hours instead of going nowhere, and when it's with you tacking up the narrow channels in a light breeze moves you right along. You want to use a little common sense. I helped a friend bring an ODay 37 up from Sydney to Gabriola Island a week ago in about 40 knots of Southerly. The weather was predicted and we had a great sail, but in a smaller boat you would want to wait for the day after the storm.
you're not going North of Nanaimo you can do it in a good rowboat. It's all pretty sheltered unless you go out in the Strait of Georgia or the Strait of Juan De Fuca. Anything with a bit of a cabin will be fine, even this time of year. What time of year do you have in mind? Go for the most comfortable boat you can afford. Catalina 27? They're quite seaworthy too. Maybe less expensive than a Pacific Seacraft and sails better. Pay attention to the tides. You may as well stay at anchor for a few hours instead of going nowhere, and when it's with you tacking up the narrow channels in a light breeze moves you right along. You want to use a little common sense. I helped a friend bring an ODay 37 up from Sydney to Gabriola Island a week ago in about 40 knots of Southerly. The weather was predicted and we had a great sail, but in a smaller boat you would want to wait for the day after the storm.
Sailing Small
Lee: My wife and I did same in a Catalina 22 in early fall and late spring, and I would like to do it again with that boat. Met another sailer in Sydney, BC with an O'Day 23 which seemed a little better for the area, more freeboard, more cabin space. Perhaps a Catalina 25 would be even better. As Fred says, watch out for windy straits and for tides and resultant currents through passages so have a good reliable engine to help keep you oout of the rocks. Plan your trips with lots of extra time so that you can sit tight when prudent. Tide charts are available on Internet and you'll need good charts and a GPS sure is nice. We found the Douglass's guides re/ Exploring the San Juans and Gulf Islands to be quite accurate and helpful. Dick
Lee: My wife and I did same in a Catalina 22 in early fall and late spring, and I would like to do it again with that boat. Met another sailer in Sydney, BC with an O'Day 23 which seemed a little better for the area, more freeboard, more cabin space. Perhaps a Catalina 25 would be even better. As Fred says, watch out for windy straits and for tides and resultant currents through passages so have a good reliable engine to help keep you oout of the rocks. Plan your trips with lots of extra time so that you can sit tight when prudent. Tide charts are available on Internet and you'll need good charts and a GPS sure is nice. We found the Douglass's guides re/ Exploring the San Juans and Gulf Islands to be quite accurate and helpful. Dick
Mac 26 X or M
I have sailed our Mac 26X into the San Juans from Seattle and really had no problems even when a storm hit us from the opposite direction than predicted by the weather radio. We took our Mac 26M into the Gulf Islands with no drama at all. Had lots of fun. These boats sit lower on the trailer than any other trailerable and are thus much easier to launch since you don't have to back so far into the water. As pointed out above you will do more motoring than sailing in the summer in this part of the world so having a boat that will cruise at 10 knots and get out of the way of weather at 15+ knots is a real safety factor. Personally I think the Catalina 25 sails better but it won't motor as fast, is harder to launch, and has far less room inside the boat. I personally did not sail mine across the Straits of Georgia but in 2005 two dozen of our intrepid Canadian friends came over from the Vancouver area to Ganges for a reunion. Secret is to watch wind, waves, weather--just like most other places! BTW the Waggoner Guide is great for this area. Why not check in with the Mac club in Vancouver to see what their experience has been. http://mycbc.ca/index.php http://macgregorsailors.com/explore/alaska/index.php
I have sailed our Mac 26X into the San Juans from Seattle and really had no problems even when a storm hit us from the opposite direction than predicted by the weather radio. We took our Mac 26M into the Gulf Islands with no drama at all. Had lots of fun. These boats sit lower on the trailer than any other trailerable and are thus much easier to launch since you don't have to back so far into the water. As pointed out above you will do more motoring than sailing in the summer in this part of the world so having a boat that will cruise at 10 knots and get out of the way of weather at 15+ knots is a real safety factor. Personally I think the Catalina 25 sails better but it won't motor as fast, is harder to launch, and has far less room inside the boat. I personally did not sail mine across the Straits of Georgia but in 2005 two dozen of our intrepid Canadian friends came over from the Vancouver area to Ganges for a reunion. Secret is to watch wind, waves, weather--just like most other places! BTW the Waggoner Guide is great for this area. Why not check in with the Mac club in Vancouver to see what their experience has been. http://mycbc.ca/index.php http://macgregorsailors.com/explore/alaska/index.php
tides and currents
Almost any boat will do. The important thing up here is good navigation skills, and paying close attention to tide and current; they mean a lot up here unlike SoCal.
Almost any boat will do. The important thing up here is good navigation skills, and paying close attention to tide and current; they mean a lot up here unlike SoCal.
auxiliary
I forgot to add, very important up here in the summer time: a reliable auxiliary if you want to get anywhere! Winds can be light, variable or non existent. Enough horse power to muscle against some current is desirable too.
I forgot to add, very important up here in the summer time: a reliable auxiliary if you want to get anywhere! Winds can be light, variable or non existent. Enough horse power to muscle against some current is desirable too.
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