Sailing from Berkeley to Hawaii in a 19ft Sailboat

Did the same voyage in a similarly sized boat, solo. Departed Berkeley then out under the bridge to half moon bay, then off the deep end for Honolulu. Took a bit longer than expected and was nearly hit by a passing vessel, but smooth sailing otherwise!

I'd like to know more about the near-miss. Was it close to either port or was it during the open-ocean portion of the voyage?

The "Loose Ends" section of Teplow's write-up mentions that he didn't bring along a radar detector. Then or now, would a radar detector significantly increase a solo sailor's situational awareness?