how long?

D

deltabighat

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How long does it take to cruise from the Golden Gate down to Santa cruise with a speed somewhere between 8-12 mph. Also how nasty a trip is it if condions are less than perfect. I am thinking of a boating change in the next year or so. Thanks

DBH
 
Boy, it really depends on conditions as that will determine your speed. Could be 8 hours, could be all day, could be you say the H with it and put in at Pillar Point and if it is really blowin, you ain't goin' no where. It's about 75 NM over all. Also depends on the boat, of course. Remember you have to go out almost to the sea buoy unless it is dead calm; do not attempt South Channel in anything more than that (and I never saw it dead calm), it can and will literally kill you. All that being said, 80% of the time it's a fun and scenic trip! Makes me a little homesick just to think of it..

George
"incentive" Hatteras 56MY
 
Thanks for the informtion. I was thinking in terms of a 30ft boat, picking the right day, tide and weather considerations is the trip easly doable. If I was going to make that trip, I might even seek the help of a professional captain that knows the territory. What I had in mind was to leave the boat in the delta most of the year and take it to Capitola for a month each summer then back to the delta.. I have heard horror stories about the entrance to the gate and other "obstacles" that abound around the SF area so I was just wondering about the feasibility of the trip.

DBH
 
It is very feasible! It would be a good idea to have someone experienced in the area assist you for the first trip.
 
I have done it several times on a sailboat from Alameda. Generally it took me around 12 hrs. We left Alameda at about 5:00 in the morning and got in Santa Cruz at around 5:30 in the afternoon. It is a nice spinnaker run after the buoys. Make sure you go with the tides in the Bay.
 
DBH,

I've done that run once in my boat. We left Pier 39 at 7:00am and cruised down at approx. 13 knots on a long gentle swell. We stopped and trolled for salmon for an hour or two on the way and still made it into the Santa Cruz harbor by 1:00pm. It can be a really beautiful trip or it can be pretty snotty. Five days later, we left Monterey Harbor at 6:00am for the run home in five to seven foot swells spaced at about seven seconds. We tried to hold our speed at 11-13 knots and made it back under the Golden Gate just before 1:00pm. This was in a 48 foot boat that has a nice fine entry for cutting through the slop.
 
Good information all. I guess local knowledge and experience is the major factor. I know myself when the afternoon wind picks up on the bay and whitecaps appear, I head for the barn. But what I do not know is how to look at a weather report early in the morning or the previous day and know what to expect. I would like to know that a particular wind change or speed, coupled with an outgoing or incoming tide factor will produce nasty stuff or easy flat water around the bay. There should be a common factor to predict as to when to stay in the slip and when to venture out. I had my boat in Baja once and we hired an old, local fisherman to guide us. We wanted to go out about 25 miles to a rock where the fishing was good. We told him that first thing in the morning and he said no, it would not be good to do that. When asked why he pointed to the southwest to some clouds. I said ok but had no idea what he was talking about. I found out about three hours later and was glad we were within a short distance to the beach.

DBH
 
If you go to the NOAA site you can get the weather for the morning and afternoon for the next five days. It will give you wind direction and speed as well as wave hieght and wave period. When considering the tides, wind against the current will make the waves larger, wind with the current will make them smaller. The wave period makes a big difference. Swell at 12 seconds is nice and gentle swell at 6 seconds can be pounding. Also, you need to consider wind waves and swell together. Often there will be swell from two different directions. That can produce the big wave that can cause real problems. I always add all these together to determine the severity of the conditions. ie. wind waves of 3 feet plus 10 foot swell from the NW at 10 seconds and 4 foot swell from the SE at 5 seconds can cause 17 foot (or more) waves. Also, remember that conditions can change fast and you can encounter much more significant conditions than planned, so never plan a trip when the conditions are expected to be near the limit of your comfort or your vessels capabilities.

If I am going very far outside the Gate I look for days with little wind waves and swell less than 8 feet at more than 10 seconds. Even this can cause some discomfort as you will really feel the up and down when going into the waves. Going with the waves you can barely feel them.

Kris
 
Not sure what you mean here
quote:
Make sure you go with the tides in the Bay.

Click to expand...
but at the gate and the bar standing waves are likely on the ebb especially with an onshore wind.
 
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