How long would it take to yacht from Seattle to Los Angeles?

Question

Assuming modern power yacht.

Answer 1

From Seattle to LA/Long Beach is about 1150 nm, depending on how far offshore you run. I don't know what speed you're assuming for a "modern power yacht", that covers a pretty broad spectrum.

If you're going to do it this year, DO IT NOW. "Faugust" is almost upon us, and running 1000+ miles in zero visibility sucks. Also, throw out everything you've ever read about coastal passage making, and hug the coastline as close as is feasible. As in, point-to-point, and even inside of that. Yes, you're going to be dodging rocks and crab pots. Maintain a very alert watch, and deal with it. Radar is your friend. DO NOT succumb to the temptation to head offshore, even though it seems like it would be easier. This time of year, about 1 day out of every 10, you can get absolutely monstrous seas off the WA/OR/CA coast. You might get lucky and miss it, or you might not. The "might nots" get a free ride in a pretty orange helicopter.

Once you make that sharp left around Tatoosh Island, consider yourself committed to a 600 mile ocean passage, even though you're within spitting distance of land. You may simply not  be able to cross any of the river bars between Flattery and San Francisco, and if the Coast Guard tells you to stay out, for god's sake stay out (Crescent City is your best option, but even that is sometimes not possible).

Once you get south of SF, stay inside the Santa Barbara Channel. You'll have lots of shipping traffic to contend with, but you'll be in the lee of the worst of the seas.

Below is a link to US Coast Pilot 7. It's free, and is probably even more valuable than a stack of charts. But you'll be wanting those, too.

Answer 2

Captain John is partially correct, but don't let him navigate the West Coast for you. You see, Seattle is over 100 nmiles from the Pacific Ocean, and you cannot use great circle distance from there to Los Angeles, since LA sits east of most of California. In fact, the great circle distance from Seattle  to Los Angeles  is 829 nautical miles AS THE CROW FLIES, which is all inland, making it extremely difficult to sail on a yacht.

The actual distance necessary to actually travel over the water would be in excess of 1000 nm.  Cruising at 10 knots the elapsed time would be about 100 hours. This would not be a good trip for the inexperienced or the untrained.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 3

Your ETA will be 83 hours and 8 minutes

from a heading from Seattle at

Latitude:  47° 38' North  

Longitude:  122° 20' West  

To a heading at Los Angeles at

Latitude:  34° 05' North  

Longitude:  118° 22' West  



The navigatable coastline distance is 832 Nautical Miles...

Experienced sailors would estimate a ETA of 70 to 100 hours actual cruising time.

83 hours crusing time would be a good estimate based on an average speed of an average powered sea worthy vessel.

The 70 to 100 hour window is based on:

the fact that I have no earthly idea of what your version of a "modern power yacht" is...

and also your cruise time can be greatly affected by weather...

You will also be cruising against the flow of El Ninyo,

And of course the type or kind of "power yacht" can easily make a 30 hour (or more) difference in your cruising hours.

Example: Is your modern power yacht really a "yacht" or is it a trawler? (slow) Or is it a Cruiser? (medium speed) Or is it a Figment OTM PassageMaker? (those things can be faster than speeding bullets)...

El Ninyo's current (which runs the coast line) will be against you all the way - unless you go out to sea and around it...

Happy & Safe Boating!

PS.   The above is based on an average seaworhty power vessel...  Not a "yacht"....  a true yacht is 50' LWL minimum, extremely heavy, extremely and luxuriously appointed, and extremely expensive.  Even a small 50 foot yacht (and that is small for a yacht) would cost at least $2.5 million, and would make that trip in one day.  It also (at todays prices) would run through about $40,000 of fuel.