Harbor Hopping the U.S. West Coast: A Cruiser’s Guide from Oregon to Avalon

Breaking up the West Coast passage into manageable hops means more chances to build confidence for new sailors, resupply and savor each port.

By
Jaclyn Jeffrey
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6
The author helming out of the Juan De Fuca at the start of the trip into the Pacific. (Photo/ Jaclyn Jeffrey)
The author helming out of the Juan De Fuca at the start of the trip into the Pacific. (Photo/ Jaclyn Jeffrey)

The West Coast of the United States is a long stretch of rugged shoreline. Before leaving, I assumed it was only dotted with only a handful of safe anchorages. Many of those come with challenging bar crossings and unpredictable conditions. Sailors often debate the best way south: long offshore legs hundreds of miles from land, or harbor hopping from port to port.

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Jaclyn Jeffrey
https://www.harddeparture.com/
Jaclyn Jeffrey didn't grow up sailing but took it up on a whim during the pandemic. She and her husband bought a boat to learn to sail on, then promptly bought a second and decided to go cruising. After living aboard in the chilly Pacific Northwest for two years, she's cruising Mexico with her husband and dog onboard their 1979 Fast Passage 39, Raicilla. When not sailing and surfing, she works as a freelance writer or on the endless boat projects that come with full-time cruising.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Even the dreaded Columbia bar is manageable with proper planning. Our main concern has always been large fishing boats heading out as you come in not caring that you’re on a less maneuverable sailboat, that you may not know the area and that the morning sun may be straight in your eyes. But once you get in, Astoria West Basin is a pleasant place to explore the town from.

    In Newport, while the Rogue Brewery is a nice place, next time you stop in Newport try Local Ocean – seafood so fresh they can tell you which fishing boat it came from!

    And you can also harbor hop on the way up, although it requires even more planning as the winds are usually favorable only in the winter/early spring.

    • That’s good to know about the Columbia bar, I love Astoria and was a bit sad we didn’t get to stop. Rogue was good, but we also went to a roadside fish place and it was amazing! But that’s a good tip about Local Ocean. If we ever go back, I’ll go.

      I think if we came back up, we’d harbour hop because of all the fun we had on the way down.

  2. Great article. I have sailed the US west coast from Canada to Mexico several times, as well as the reverse direction. I have also sailed the Hawaii route. My overwhelming preference is to harbor hop along the US coast. There are so many beautiful places to visit and explore. The bars are manageable. San Diego is also pretty special. Just saying.
    This article will be a terrific reference for boaters heading south from the PNW next season.

  4. Thanks Pam!

    The harbour hop vs offshore is a pretty hot debate among cruisers. But with the dog, we preferred the hops. And we got to visit so many places.

    See you soon (if you come back to El Salvador before we leave!)