Delivering my client's new boat from San Francisco to Los Angeles

I asked Jeff at 24 Hour Sailing to help me find a boat that I could live on in the Los Angeles area. After a detailed discussion – refined over a period of time – we identified a boat make, model and age that seemed appropriate and within my buying capabilities. Jeff located, viewed and sea-trialed boats in British Columbia, Seattle and San Francisco and finally identified a candidate. I flew to San Francisco, did a sea trial and agreed the boat would be perfect for my needs.

Jeff helped me complete the acquisition process – haulout, in the water and shore surveys, engine survey and final sea trial. The sailboat needed some repairs and upgrades – Jeff helped me identify all the work, advised me on the electronics to upgrade, helped me with bottom paint and prop selections and otherwise ensured the sailboat was in great shape for a delivery sail to Los Angeles.

Jeff arranged crew for the delivery. I have limited time available but at the last minute I was able to get free so I could go on the delivery from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Jeff had helped me identify a slip in LA so we knew exactly where we were going. Due to time constraints we planned to sail straight through instead of spending time in a series of anchorages and marinas down the Washington, Oregon and California coasts.

We exited the Golden Gate, sailed west 20 miles then turned south for Los Angeles

Jeff recommended that I apply a Scopalomine patch as he expected some rough weather on the passage. I thought I would be fine as I have sailed since I was 8. We wanted to get offshore during daylight to get away from the immense cargo ship traffic traversing the Golden Gate Bridge. At the last minute one of the crew realized that the propane level was low so we disconnected the tank and he raced off to get it filled. By the time he got back it was getting late and we headed out.

The tide was ebbing from San Francisco Bay and there was a westerly blowing directly into the Bay. With wind over tide, there were steep seas and major currents and waves pushing the boat around. Jeff and crew all had applied their Scopalomine patches hours earlier and had no issues. I felt awful and as we entered the Pacific realized my mistake and applied my patch. It takes awhile to take effect, and we were sailing 20 miles directly west to get offshore, out of ship traffic. A challenging experience but I eventually felt fine.

We spent 2.5 days on the trip south. Running low on fuel – winds varied from 3 knots to 25 – we pulled into Santa Barbara Harbor - unfortunately the fuel dock closed a few minutes before we arrived. We picked up a slip and had a wonderful dinner in Santa Barbara. The next morning we got going as soon as the fuel dock opened – filled up and also refilled our spare fuel containers. We left the harbor, immediately sailed offshore and had a great 100 mile passage to my slip in Los Angeles. I gained great experience helming the boat, navigating and meal prep and cleanup while we were offshore.

Thanks to Jeff and his crew for a wonderful experience delivering my boat!

Spencer