Glad you survived with a smile. The stretch of US West Coast known as "Gale Alley" (Cape Blanco in southern Oregon to Point Arena 5o miles N of the Golden Gate) surprises a few people every year.

I've had one episode of 35+ knots and 12' seas and a close friend has seen 50+ knots and 15' seas twice. In all three cases the forecast was about the same as you described.

A year ago today (Saturday Sept 4) I put Mirador in at Newport Or (Yaquina Bay) because the forecast for Sunday afternoon thru Tuesday was NW 35 gusts to 45 and 10'+ seas. I had a bad feeling that the conditions might get worse than forecast and the detailed GRIB files from the new Navy inshore model showed 45+ knots for many hours between Blanco and Noyo River. We spent three days in nice sunshine with good beer. I am very glad I chickened out and stopped in Newport.

The buoys between Blanco and Arena on Sunday evening thru Tuesday reported over 30 hours of STEEP to VERY STEEP 15'+ waves and 4 hours of 20'+ breaking waves.

In the 2nd week of September last year my Tacoma dock mate sailed his Norseman 447 thru the same area with some gales and 10' waves forecast. They had six hours of NW 50+ knots and 15' breaking seas. They made 11 knots with bare poles. The owner and his three crew had over 100,000 blue water miles between them so it was not too much for them. But a 40' boat about 20 miles upwind of them foundered and the crew was taken off by Helo. The four guys on the Norseman have been to Mexico many times, the east coast several times, Hawaii, south pacific, and Australia in sailboats. They all said the worst weather they have encountered is from Coos Bay to San Francisco.

Here is a link to my blog about not going south from Newport with the forecast I saw and details about Gale Alley. http://www.svmirador.net/PA_to_Newport_2010.htm - half way down the page

Will you be stopping in San Diego? I'll be back on Mirador (Sunroad Marina - San Diego Bay) in late September. I think I am heading south to Mexico after the 1st of November.

Let me know if you are in San Diego - l'd like to finally meet you in person. Sunroad is a great marina for a layover on the way to Mexico.