trip from San Diego to Vancouver BC

Regardless of what boat, research crossing the Columbia Bar.

I just binge-watched the Danger TV Coast Guard series on YouTube. That Columbia bar is featured a lot and scares the bajeezus out of me.

We went from Hawaii to Seattle on a 200ft well found Steel Motor Yacht. We used a weather routing service from before the start till the end. We were well on the way to the Juan de Fuca Strait when they started sending warnings about a system coming from the West. The warning suggested seeking shelter. There was none so the engines were put to the test in the cool water and ran well for a day and a bit till we got down the Strait and the wind came in. San Diego to Vancouver is not a trip I would attempt in a dayboat.

I've made that run several times on vessels ranging 46-70 ft. Just a matter of picking weather windows and take your time. No need to cross the Columbia Bar at all. Plan your fuel stops so you bypass the Columbia River. Do it during the summer season going North when you have longer daylight hours. Generally, you should be able to hop harbor to harbor all of the way up.

San Diego to SF is pretty easy and straight forward to plan. Lots of stops along the route to Pt. Conception. After that, Morro Bay and Monterey Bay are nice stops for fuel as you press on the SF. There are a couple of cruising guides that offer detailed information about services available heading to the NW.

It's a great trip. Just remember, Mother Nature is in charge of the schedule; not the yacht owner.

If you have the ability to do so, would it be smarter to head offshore and to north without stopping?

Unnecessary remarks have been removed from this thread. Let’s focus on constructive conversations.

Never run a 69 Ferretti so I don't know your range at cruise speed. If you can maintain 15+ kts and cover 200 miles before needing fuel, not a problem. For any of the West Coast Bar crossing, it's all in the weather and timing of tides. We generally try our best to make crossing close to slack current at the end of a flood. USCG puts out routine bar crossing information every 30 mins or so to aid mariners. I have crossed the Columbia Bar in conditions you could do in a 20 ft bow rider. Four hours later, wouldn't do it in a 100 footer. But why even take the chance. Plan your fuel stop so that you can make Grays Harbor and completely bypass the Columbia. We typically run 5-10 nm offshore, depending on sea conditions. If you are in need of assistance, there are a lot of Captains in Southern C A that routinely make that passage. It is honestly not that challenging if you do proper planning.