California Coast Advice Needed

Shawn,

It shouldn't be overly difficult if you're willing to put up with some rain. The winter is the rainy season in CA. Average daytime temps are in the low to mid-60's. The only thing I would look out for are the storms that can churn up the water a bit. Since you're going against the Japanese current, this might make for a rough ride in the event of a storm.

Good luck,

Mike

that trip is not bad i have made it many times just watch the weather and be ready to go from L A to point conception is usualy nice , if you plan to run 24/7 go around the point ant night are early mornig there are a few spots you can wold up in , if you have time stop in and see hearst cassel there is a pretty good anchorage there

have fun travler

Made that trip 2 years ago this month. We brought up two boats. My 48' Pacemaker Sportfisher and my dads 43' Viking. Great experience. Take your friend the Captain. Check weather, and monitor it closely. The "Point" was gravy. We got beat up going into and leaving Morro Bay. When the swells are big they break at the harbor mouth.

We stayed at a marina everynight, it took us 7 days because we had a mechanical that cost a day waiting on parts.

We saw whales, tons of dolphins, and lots of jelly fish. Monterey was by far the best place we stayed. Santa Barbara the worst.

I would offer to go with, but I just got done with a 7 day boat trip from Sacramento down to SF and back. I love winter boating.

BLouder,

Are there any concerns about Half Moon Bay harbor if Mavericks is running really big? The waves there can exceed thirty feet but I don't know how that impacts the harbor itself.

We didn't go into Half Moon Bay, Mavericks was HUGE! They had the surf contest the weekend after we went by.
This was our route,
Long Beach to Santa Monica (only due to mechanical failure)
SM to Santa Barbara,
SB to Morro Bay,
MB to Monterey, (this was a long day)
Monterey to San Fran,
San Fran to Sacramento

We were running about 12kts while fighting a really big Northern swell, but the gap between the swells was about 11 secs so it wasn't too bad.

Adding nothing more than what's been said. I've done it a handful of times in sail boats, and a couple in a motor. Weather isn't terrible in Jan / Feb, but you can catch a storm on the way. There are enough spots to tuck in and hide behind a wall along the way if needed. It can get cool, but not "northeast cold".

Depending on where you are going in the bay, or if you're heading into the Delta towards Sacramento, you'll want current charts.

NCB,
I can't add anything to the trip itself. But I would suggest getting a few hours under the keel to feel everything out. You would rather have something break while in protected waters than halfway between inlets on a heaving sea.
Also, learn the boat. Know what to do/where to go if a particular alarm goes off. Take a glance at the manuals that may be with the yacht. Get extra fuel filters and such.
Cat 3208's are good blocks, and parts should still be available even though that series is no longer produced. The one thing I was cautioned about when I ran those engines in a Chris Craft was the hidden cooling hose, I think it was under the alternator. Many times it would get skipped during a PM. May want to inspect and have a spare.
Good luck with the trip. Take pictures and let us know how you make out.

You should have waited until the surf contest and rented out your boat to spectators. You might have broke even on the trip.

That's a good sound plan NCB.
Do some tooth cutting with the boat in S. Ca. which offers a lot for some weekend / overnight / short hop runs. San Diego, Channel Islands, Catalina, etc.

Shake everything lose with the new gear, provision, top off the tanks and head north.

Safe travels.

Kha Shings are usually pretty sturdily built yachts, however they are not going to win any speed contests. A friend of mine ran a 65' for years about a decade ago. It did not have a very good range at it's 12 knot cruise. I think all of your typical Tiawanese nuances come with it such as complicated fuel system (though they never seem to be an issue), interesting wiring, and poor stainless and small hardware........