Turn-Around Destinations in One Day’s Travel

[Kings Gambit]

Long Beach is a convenient location in California from which to depart for outbound destinations depending on how far you’re willing to travel (often motoring/mortor-sailing) in ONE day (each direction). Say you’re looking at a 4-day (3 nights) round trip. How far would be your most distant ONE-DAY (each direction) destination(s), and what would it/they be? For us, 30 -35 n.mi. is an acceptable greatest one-day distance for that period of trip. Heading SE we can reach Newport Beach and Dana Point as turn-around destinations. Heading south/southwest we can reach all harbors of Santa Catalina Island, including Cat Harbor (barely). Heading NW can reach the two harbors (King Harbor and Marina del Rey) of Santa Monica Bay, plus one anchorage at Paradise Cove (barely).

For a 5/6-day (4/5 nights) round trip, what distance would you travel and what destination would be worth the one-day (each direction) travel time? At 35 - 65 n.mi. we have only Oceanside Harbor (SE) Santa Barbara Island for anchorage (WSW), and Channel Islands Harbor (NW).

At 11/12 days RT (10/11 nights) we hit our maximum one-day travel distance of about 70 to 90 n.mi., 10 to 13 hr traveling at our best VMG. That gives us San Diego Bay (SE), Ventura and Santa Barbara harbors, and Santa Cruz Island for anchorage (NW).

I find myself mulling this “equation” ever more frequently of late. I know its parameters have driven some friends over to the “dark side.”

 

[Terry Cox]

How far would be your most distant ONE-DAY (each direction) destination(s), and what would it/they be?

Hi Ray, unable to speak about your neck of the woods, but around here, for us, 35 NM makes for a long day. We've done it before, such as Nanaimo to Lund comes to mind or Cocktail Cove on Lasqueti, Island. Much rather a shorter distance, but with a favorable wind, never much of a worry about distance.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Depends on how much time you'd like to rest and relax. As an example, from where we are in the very northern Chesapeake a good 3 night/4 day trip might be:
- Havre de Grace to Rock Hall (35 nm)
- Rock Hall to St. Michaels (35 nm)
- St. Michaels to Magothy River (32 nm)
- Magothy River to Havre de Grace (41 nm)

A trip like that puts our maximum "range" from home at 50 miles, the way the crow flies. Even then you probably wouldn't have as much time as you'd like to see St. Michaels after the 35 mile day trip. But the idea is to enjoy the trip, right? On most 4 day trips I'd probably skip St. Michaels and just go to the Magothy and Rock Hall, spending the extra rest day there. Depends on what you're after though.

 

[David in Sandusky]

When we were going somewhere in Lake Erie or beyond, we planned 8 to 10 hour legs or 40 to 50 nm. That would get us across the lake, and it’s as far as we wanted to go in one day. While we enjoy many of the ports we have visited, we now prefer cruising in an archipelago where there is a destination within 2-3 hours in any wind direction. The Lake Erie Islands off our home port of Sandusky, OH, is great. We have also enjoyed chartering for a week in many fine destinations that offer that kind of cruising over the past twenty-some years. After the thousand nm cruise to the North Channel some years ago, we have stuck to the 2 to 4 hour limit. That has included chartering in the Apostles, the Chesapeake, Green Bay, the San Juans, and the North Channel. We love riding at anchor in the cockpit, reading, talking, and observing the nature around us. Part of this is that we are getting older!

My advice is try it and see how you like it. Your cruising grounds are much bigger than our archipelago, and you will soon learn what you enjoy there. Nothing wrong with trying a 10 hour day. And your 38 footer will cruise faster than the 5 knots we average cruising in our 27 footer.

Fair winds and following seas!

 

[Kings Gambit]

My advice is try it and see how you like it. Your cruising grounds are much bigger than our archipelago, and you will soon learn what you enjoy there. Nothing wrong with trying a 10 hour day. And your 38 footer will cruise faster than the 5 knots we average cruising in our 27 footer.

Fair winds and following seas!

Thanks. We have made each of the destinations I mentioned in one day of travel, multiple times, except for Long Beach to Santa Barbara harbor. Our willingness to make the longer trips depends, as I intimated, on how many nights we expect to remain at or near that chief destination. The most enjoyable one for anchoring out is Santa Cruz Island, ca. 70 n.mi. distant. Just interested in what other active cruisers do.

 

[nightowle]

Like your So Cal cruising ground, we have several locations that make for a one-day cruise. But in order to reach say the San Juan Islands, we'd do it more comfortably in two days. Where we stay over on the way depends on weather and currents. We might stay at Port Townsend, Langley on Whidbey Is. or Oak Harbor on Whidbey, as well. We had friends visiting from out of town for a short while and decided to go to Victoria for 3 days. Several folks asked us if we were sailing our own boat up. Heck NO! That would be 4 days total up and back. The high-speed clipper remedied that choice.

 

[Kings Gambit]

The shortest route from Long Beach to Santa Cruz Island is 72 n.mi. across open water. Any stop along the way would require several to many miles off the rhumb line. Same situation as going to Santa Barbara Island at 46 n.mi. across open water. If we have only 4 days and 3 nights for a long weekend cruise to that particular destination, it would cost us too much time to stop somewhere off the rhumb overnight (e.g., Santa Catalina Island) to go there. Hence my question as to how far non-stop to a destination staying 4 days/3 nights might other cruisers (routinely) go.

We have made Long Beach to Santa Barbara Island easily in one day’s travel but not to turn around and head directly home after 3 nights; rather, as a stop-over to another destination. (This usually means staying out longer than 3 nights, but one could do Long Beach-SBI, stay two nights; then SBI-Emerald Bay, Catalina for one night; then home, although adding extra distance.) Some folks might say 3 nights at SBI then return straight home would be plenty, but it’s a bit too far for us at our VMG for a 4-day turn-around destination for maximum enjoyment of our time on the water..

 

[Kings Gambit]

… but around here, for us, 35 NM makes for a long day.

I agree; so wish to make the most of it!

 

[Rick D]

Agree. For Cat Harbor, we usually plan for at least three days there. Dana point, at least a couple of days and Marina del Rey the same. We did shorter turn-arounds when we were younger and working, using the night for transit.

 

[jssailem]

Two fun trips from my Everett home port that can sharpen a cruiser's navigational skills are:

1. Everett to Port Townsend (30NM with two routes to take based on tidal currents and airdraft), Up through Deception pass to an anchorage at Hope Island (23NM with tidal Passage planning) then back to Everett via Saratoga Passage (34NM with the prevailing wind).
2. Everett to Poulsbo (a Norwegian village - 28NM), Port Orchard or Bremerton (a short 12NM leg to explore the history of the US Navy in the Puget Sound), Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina (13NM to visit the sights sounds of excitement of Downtown Seattle), Northward home bound back to Everett (28NM). Along the way you may divert to several fun places along the way for lunch or extend your cruise. The ports of Kingston and Edmonds both welcome cruisers.

These are two cruises that provide wonderful friendly stops, history, as well as great eats. The bonus is when the wind blows. It can make the sailing relaxing or challenging depending on the point of the compass rose it picks.

 

[Semjase]

The shortest route from Long Beach to Santa Cruz Island is 72 n.mi. across open water. Any stop along the way would require several to many miles off the rhumb line. Same situation as going to Santa Barbara Island at 46 n.mi. across open water. If we have only 4 days and 3 nights for a long weekend cruise to that particular destination, it would cost us too much time to stop somewhere off the rhumb overnight (e.g., Santa Catalina Island) to go there. Hence my question as to how far non-stop to a destination staying 4 days/3 nights might other cruisers (routinely) go.


We have made Long Beach to Santa Barbara Island easily in one day’s travel but not to turn around and head directly home after 3 nights; rather, as a stop-over to another destination. (This usually means staying out longer than 3 nights, but one could do Long Beach-SBI, stay two nights; then SBI-Emerald Bay, Catalina for one night; then home, although adding extra distance.) Some folks might say 3 nights at SBI then return straight home would be plenty, but it’s a bit too far for us at our VMG for a 4-day turn-around destination for maximum enjoyment of our time on the water..

 

[Semjase]

Hi Kings Gambit. Long Beach is a great place where many ports can be reached. I’m in Shoreline Marina Long Beach