Sailing the California Coast in a West Wight Potter 19

[Bud]

I have tried to answer Madhatter's questions.

I will start by saying a few words about "Cat's Meow" who made it all possible, and kept me safe when I screwed up. I picked my P19 up at the factory in December of 2000. It was a 2001 model. I only added two options, wiring for a second battery and I had the factory run my lines back to the cockpit. Surprisingly I was the first one to request that. They said they had done several Potter 15s. In hindsight, the only other option I wished I had was the 15-gallon water tank. While cruising I used my sink often. When I got the Potter home I added a smart battery charger. With the advancement of solar panels, I almost never use my charger. Before cruising, I added a second lithium-ion battery to the forward battery holder. That battery is still there. It is now used for ballast. Before cruising on a boat I did some serious cruising on a bicycle. Down the coast, up the coast, and over the Rockies. I took all my camping gear, except the tent, and loaded it on the Potter. I was ready to cruise. Before I really gave sailing the coast some serious thought I had a good friend of mine from the East Coast who was coming to sail the Cruiser Challenge with me

What was my longest time at sea for any given leg
The longest time was on the first leg. We sailed from Richmond Inner Harbor to Monterey nonstop to attend a Cruiser Challenge. It was the only leg I had a crew. It was blowing 35 knots on our nose leaving the bay. Neither I nor Jason Hancock, my crew, had foulies and we got soaked to the skin. Once thru the Gate, it calmed down. We both put on dry clothes, but by then we were both suffering from hypothermia. It took us 24 hours to travel around 100 nm.
How much of the time did I sail upwind?

With the exception of leaving the San Francisco Bay, none.

Was it done mostly north to south?

Yes.

What were the maximum winds you encountered?

35 knots in the bay, 35 gusting to 50 knots approaching Point Conception.

What time (or times) of the year did you do the various parts, eg. the California Coast part?

I did all the legs in June. It was not the best sailing time, but it gave me the most daylight.

How much of the time were you using an auto tiller?

If it wasn't for my autopilot I couldn't have done it alone. The autopilot did most of the steering. I only took over when conditions were too rough for the autopilot to handle, and entering/leaving port.

What passages were the most challenging?

Clearly, Point Conception was the hardest, they don't call it California's Cape Horn for nothing. I had left Port San Louis at 5 am to sail the 50 miles to the point. When approaching Honda Point which is located just north of the entrance to the Santa Barbra Channel about ten miles from Point Conception I headed inland. This was the site of the worst peacetime naval disaster. It happened in 1923. A number of destroyers that were navigating by dead reckoning turned to port thinking they were going around Point Conception. A number of them ran into the rocks on the shore. I heard that some of the wreckage was still visible. I didn't see any and instead of sailing off back shore I stayed about a mile off. Approximately 8 miles from the point I got a warning on my VHF saying winds will build to 35 knots gusting to 50, Waves would be from 5 to 7 feet every 4 seconds. If the waves were 5 to 7 feet every now and then one would come that was 10 to 14. Four seconds is not a lot of time to steer thru one wave and be ready for the next. On one of those waves I broached. I remember looking around and seeing nothing. Fortunately "Cat's Meow" fell off the wave and I got her around for the next one.

Did you trailer the boat to your starting point for various legs?

I did trailer to each starting point. The challenge was getting back to the starting point to pick up my rig. I used cabs and trains to accomplish that. This fall there will be an interview in the Potter Yachter Newsletter and I will cover some of the more interesting challenges I had to accomplish that.

[Phil]

Great writeup, Bud! I just can't get enough hearing about your travels. Sure wish there was a book...

[Bud]

Thanks, Phil.

[madhatter101]

Hey Bud! Just saw your post. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. Great stuff!

But I have so many more questions!

[jbarber]

A great take to recount over martinis

[jbarber]

A great tale to recount over martinis

[Bud]

And the more martinis you have the better the story gets.

[Dave I]

That is an amazing story of a serious sailing adventure.  Thanks.