Cruising Tips along the U.S. Coast:
(Disclaimer! These tips reflect our experience in the fall of 1999. You may find many things have changed by now.)

1. Clear into the U.S. and get your 1 year cruising permit (US$9.00) before arriving in San Francisco. We cleared in at Eureka (Humboldt Bay) with no fuss (although getting into the harbour over the bar and then leaving again could be difficult). Most other cruisers we have met had cleared in at either Friday Harbour or Port Angeles. The US$25 decal is not necessary unless you plan to leave and re-enter the U.S. during the year. Don’t forget that even with a cruising permit you must report to the local Customs office at each new Customs District. Try and get the telephone number for next Customs District when reporting. This reporting business is unclear and very confusing. Some fellow cruisers have told us that the Port Angeles customs officials told them no further reporting is necessary. We were told to call and report arrival at each new customs district by the official at Eureka.
2. If you have a Safeway card use it in the local Safeway or Von stores to get the discounts. At Lucky or Ralphs stores, when asked if you have a card, say that you are visiting from Canada and ask if the checkout clerk would use the store number for the discounts. Sometimes you can just get a card right there and use it. A Canadian Costco or Walmart card also work in their respective US stores.
3. Provisioning is best done at home in Canada before coming down the coast. We have found that many items cost the same in US dollars as they did in Canadian dollars back home. For example canned goods and paper products. Fresh vegetables tend to cost the same dollar for dollar, but it is very difficult to pass by the large variety. Avocados and artichokes are very pricey in the Bay area, which is strange because they grow in California. Meat and cheese tend to be cheaper. Booze is a lot cheaper, especially in large bottles. Many large supermarkets also have an additional 10% discount for mix and match 6 packs of wine and booze. In Monterey the cheapest tomatoes at US$0.88 a pound were BC hothouse. Local tomatoes cost US$1.49 per pound. Go figure!
4. Since most large discount stores tend to be located outside city centers it is somewhat difficult to take advantage of better prices without a car. In San Diego, Downwind Marine has a free truck available for 4 hours at a time.
5. The marinas along the San Francisco waterfront and Sausalito are more expensive than those in Oakland/Alameda. We stayed at the Oakland yacht club (free for the first day then US$10 per day) and Village Marina (US$10 per day). Some yacht clubs will allow free (reciprocal) mooring as per the list in the BCA Directory. Take advantage of this but don’t abuse the privilege.
6. Visiting San Francisco can be done from several anchorages: Sausalito by bus (cheap) or ferry (less cheap); Oakland/Alameda by ferry, bus or train (less cheap and takes time to get to the transit point from the marinas); Treasure Island (Clipper Cove) by bus (cheap and fast).
7. There are many pumpout stations around San Francisco and most are free. Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Morro Bay are free as well. Sausalito marinas were an exception. They charged US$10.
8. Marine products, even from West Marine, tend to be expensive, especially in Sausalito. We found the West Marine store there was not very well stocked and many items need to be ordered, including common DMA charts and chart books. Check prices carefully before you leave - it may be cheaper to get all your marine gadgets and spares before leaving Canada. There are no Canadian Tire stores here!
9. Restaurant prices are the same as in Canada but in U.S. dollars. Some have happy hours with discounted food and drinks. Be prepared to spend as much in U.S. dollars as you would spend in Canadian dollars back home.
10. . Diesel prices are best at places where they primarily serve the fishing fleet. For instance: in Eureka diesel was US$1/gallon, in Bodega Bay US$1.05, in Half Moon Bay US$1.25. In Sausalito, diesel was US$1.90/gallon, US$1.65 in Santa Cruz. Watch out for the gas docks though. In Morro Bay and Eureka, the fixed dock was about twenty feet up above the deck and the posts were quite far apart, making docking an adventure. Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay on the other hand, have floating docks which are easier for small craft to use.
11. . If you visit Catalina Island after November 1st, check for their special winter rates on stays over two days. They won't always tell you about it if you don't ask.
12. . FOG! A radar makes a lot of sense along this coast. We had fog from Bodega bay all the way to Santa Barbara. At times fog can be experienced all the way into Mexico. Halfmoon Bay and Morro Bay would have been impossible to enter in the fog we experienced without our radar.