Hi again.....Anyone taken a H34 from Seattle to San Diego? I would be interested to find out how the boat did and what time of year did you go. We are taking it on June 2. I am not worried about this just curious how the boat handles the trip. Susan
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Doable, but needs very careful preparation...
Since nobody has responded yet and one phrase in your post (i.e. "I am not worried about it") drew my attention, permit me to make a few observations. I am neither an H34 owner nor have I sailed the entire Seattle to San Diego trajectory myself. However, we sailed our H43 along the California coast between 1991 and 1994 and we spent 6 months sailing a H33.5 (with specifications close to those of the H34) in the Chesapeake Bay. When we sailed to Hawaii and back in 1994 we were counting on closing with the North American Coast as high as Seattle and then sailing South to Santa Barbara. So I did most of the research for the coastal route you now want to sail. When push came to shove, however, once we reached the 34th parallel (sailing North from Kauai) we decided to turn East, duck under the Pacific High and beat back home. This worked quite well, but that is another story. Here are my comments: (1) you are going in the right direction in the right time of year and San Diego is a great sailing destination; (2) your worst case scenario should be to treat this as a 1200 NM (?) offshore trip in case you run into gale conditions and the coast becomes a lee shore with harbors and inlets blocked by surf over the bars; (3) thus you should prepare your H34 for offshore work (by all means buy a copy of Jim and Sue Corenman's great manual for the West Marine Pacific Cup to see what this means) e.g. by making sure your standing rigging is no more than 8-10 years old (inspect everything very carefully); your rudder, plus quadrant and cables are in rock-solid condition; your engine is running fine; you do have a third reef (or trysail); you know how to heave to and carry a sea anchor; (4) get up to speed on coastal navigation in busy shipping areas (especially by night; expect to see every light combination in the book; my favorite tool for this work is the so-called Datascope) and have a detailed chart of every place of refuge (harbor, inlet or protected anchorage) on the way. Honestly, I am not trying to scare you. This trip can be done very well with a Hunter 34 but this is what it takes to make it a safe, regular coastal cruise in these waters. You should be aware, however, that there are two other scenarios. The first is to make short, 40-50 NM long, day-hops (where possible) and wait in every harbor until the weather forecast is picture perfect; even if that might sometimes take a week or two or force you to motor by night to profit from calmer seas (i.e. leaving late afternoons and arriving in the early morning with a whole day in reserve, in case there is a setback). Unfortunately, this way the trip could easily take you two or three months. The final scenario only applies If your vessel and you are ready to go offshore by 100-200 miles. This gets you out of the coastal weather zone with its sudden gales (exaggerated by the interactions between the land and sea; i.e. in the form of strong pressure gradients, headlands (Point Conception!), and canyonwinds (Santa Ana in S. California)), its busy shipping lanes and its threatening lee shores. In that case you might be able to do it in 10-12 days. Have a safe and enjoyable trip! Flying Dutchman
Since nobody has responded yet and one phrase in your post (i.e. "I am not worried about it") drew my attention, permit me to make a few observations. I am neither an H34 owner nor have I sailed the entire Seattle to San Diego trajectory myself. However, we sailed our H43 along the California coast between 1991 and 1994 and we spent 6 months sailing a H33.5 (with specifications close to those of the H34) in the Chesapeake Bay. When we sailed to Hawaii and back in 1994 we were counting on closing with the North American Coast as high as Seattle and then sailing South to Santa Barbara. So I did most of the research for the coastal route you now want to sail. When push came to shove, however, once we reached the 34th parallel (sailing North from Kauai) we decided to turn East, duck under the Pacific High and beat back home. This worked quite well, but that is another story. Here are my comments: (1) you are going in the right direction in the right time of year and San Diego is a great sailing destination; (2) your worst case scenario should be to treat this as a 1200 NM (?) offshore trip in case you run into gale conditions and the coast becomes a lee shore with harbors and inlets blocked by surf over the bars; (3) thus you should prepare your H34 for offshore work (by all means buy a copy of Jim and Sue Corenman's great manual for the West Marine Pacific Cup to see what this means) e.g. by making sure your standing rigging is no more than 8-10 years old (inspect everything very carefully); your rudder, plus quadrant and cables are in rock-solid condition; your engine is running fine; you do have a third reef (or trysail); you know how to heave to and carry a sea anchor; (4) get up to speed on coastal navigation in busy shipping areas (especially by night; expect to see every light combination in the book; my favorite tool for this work is the so-called Datascope) and have a detailed chart of every place of refuge (harbor, inlet or protected anchorage) on the way. Honestly, I am not trying to scare you. This trip can be done very well with a Hunter 34 but this is what it takes to make it a safe, regular coastal cruise in these waters. You should be aware, however, that there are two other scenarios. The first is to make short, 40-50 NM long, day-hops (where possible) and wait in every harbor until the weather forecast is picture perfect; even if that might sometimes take a week or two or force you to motor by night to profit from calmer seas (i.e. leaving late afternoons and arriving in the early morning with a whole day in reserve, in case there is a setback). Unfortunately, this way the trip could easily take you two or three months. The final scenario only applies If your vessel and you are ready to go offshore by 100-200 miles. This gets you out of the coastal weather zone with its sudden gales (exaggerated by the interactions between the land and sea; i.e. in the form of strong pressure gradients, headlands (Point Conception!), and canyonwinds (Santa Ana in S. California)), its busy shipping lanes and its threatening lee shores. In that case you might be able to do it in 10-12 days. Have a safe and enjoyable trip! Flying Dutchman
check archives
It's not an H34, but Shawn Severn wrote a wonderful post about taking a 450 from Seattle to Marina del Ray. Very enlightening!
It's not an H34, but Shawn Severn wrote a wonderful post about taking a 450 from Seattle to Marina del Ray. Very enlightening!
HUNTER 34 WILL DO FINE
I DID NOT SAIL FROM SEATTLE TO SAN DIEGO. MY 34 HAS BEEN IN THE CARIBEAN, 3 TIMES THE PANAMA CANAL, SAN DIEGO AND PARTS OF THE PACIFIC. A HUNTER 34 WILL DO THE JOB PROPERLY. YOU MUST FOLLOW HENK LIST, I HAD A SIMILAR PLAN OF ACTION. YOU WILL DO FINE !! GUIDO
I DID NOT SAIL FROM SEATTLE TO SAN DIEGO. MY 34 HAS BEEN IN THE CARIBEAN, 3 TIMES THE PANAMA CANAL, SAN DIEGO AND PARTS OF THE PACIFIC. A HUNTER 34 WILL DO THE JOB PROPERLY. YOU MUST FOLLOW HENK LIST, I HAD A SIMILAR PLAN OF ACTION. YOU WILL DO FINE !! GUIDO
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