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"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 04 Jan 2006 10:48:04 -0800, Tamaroak
wrote:

So how tough is it to go from Mobile, through the Panama Canal and up
the west coast to Seattle? Are there lots of places to hide from bad
weather or do you have to have a very seaworthy boat.

The trip north from the canal to Baja has a reputation for being
extremely tough, with lots of strong northerlies frequently
approaching gale force, big open ocean seas, and very few places to
put in.

I'd definitely go for seaworthy, if at all.


Cordonazo The "Lash of St. Francis." Name applied locally to southerly
hurricane winds along the west coast of Mexico. It is associated with
tropical cyclones in the southeastern North Pacific Ocean. These storms may
occur from May to November, but ordinarily affect the coastal areas most
severely near or after the Feast of St. Francis, October 4.

From Lat. 38:
Nasty Weather. While the sailing winds in Mexico are normally light and
benign during the prime cruising season between November and June, there are
some notable exceptions. The Pacific Coast of Baja is periodically subject
to strong winds from the north, northwest and east, as well as 'Pineapple
Expresses' from Hawaii. See Jack Williams' Baja Guide to find the best
shelters for the different conditions.

The Sea of Cortez can also be dangerous from November to March, as Northers
howl down from the States on a semi-regular basis. It's not uncommon to have
40 or more knots of wind during a Norther. But the wind isn't the problem
that the short and steep seas can be. When there's a Norther blowing, you
want to be holed up in a snug anchorage, not crossing the Sea of Cortez.
Thank goodness for modern weather forecasting.

In the summertime, the Sea of Cortez is also subject to chubascos - brief
storms appearing out of nowhere with winds that often blow at close to
hurricane force. In the fall of '97, a number of cruising boats were driven
ashore at Puerto Escondido by a chubasco.

Here's an article...

http://www.oceannavigator.com/article.php?a=9612