The coast of California is notorious for nasty weather from Oregon to Point Conception, but particularly north of and around Point Reyes (just outside the Golden Gate) and along the coast of Big Sur and around Point Conception. The area is often referred to as Gale Alley. When coming back to San Francisco from Hawaii, or just about anywhere else, this last bit is typically the worst part of the journey. Sailing north to San Francisco from Ensenada (etc.) is even worse, because the winds blow from the NW almost perennially, hammering you right on the beak.

The good news? We're heading southeast, with the wind and, more importantly, the seas, not against them. The bad news is the National Weather Service has a Gale Warning in effect for the area with very steep 10'+ seas. Even going down wind that's a bit much. A present we're going to sit tight until Monday when the wind waves are predicted to come down to 6' with a 4-6' swell added in.