It’s also a good idea to read up on other sailors’ experiences of the route you’re planning to take. We’re going to sail across the Pacific Ocean! You might be forced to have your hull cleaned too. One of the most popular routes for sailing westwards across the Pacific Is the Milk Run. A cruising sailor’s blog, newsfeed or Instagram account from the Pacific is an onslaught of images and videos of every flavour of paradise from the green, dramatic and rugged landscape of the Marquesas with its huge waterfalls, the coral atolls and blue lagoons of the Tuamotus, to Tahiti and Bora Bora, the volcanic eruptions and cauldrons of lava in Vanuatu, the breaching whales of the Coral Sea… Enough already, as they say! People. The Netherlands Sea Distance Calculator, Transit Time, Port to port distances, Setup Vessel Speed in Nautical Miles, Custom Map Points, Date of Departure and Arrival. It will take around 20 days or more to cross the Atlantic ocean and much more if you are using your sails instead of the motor. Some of our key destinations over the last 3 years sailing. At the Port of Long Beach, California, I boarded a freighter named the Punjab Senator. The Society Islands have an interior like the Marquesas and lagoons like the Tuamotus, but neither are quite as good. We take a screen capture every day at 5:30pm, because that marks another 24hrs logged for our sail across the Pacific. A veteran voyager shares route information and tips for sailing across the Pacific Ocean. We’ve been planning and preparing for a while and yet, our to-do list just keeps growing longer. Any attempt to cross the Pacific needs stringent planning and preparations, but in the end, it’s totally worth it. Depending on the position of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) you may be able to sail down the rhumb line or, if not, head a bit further south for more stable conditions. If you’re planning to sail through the Torres Strait and into the Indian Ocean, you should aim to be through the Torres by late August to early September at the latest. Now is the time to choose how long you wish to stay in the Pacific as that will dictate how much time you have on the way in order to make sure you’re in the right place for cyclone season. It can take significantly longer depending on the weather conditions to cross the Pacific ocean with a large yacht with a strong motor. What Do I Need to Prepare Before I Leave? Just tell us the best email address to send your tips to: Improve Sailing Onwards from here you are never far from the next anchorage. If you’re planning to hire a car at any stage of your journey, make sure you have an international driving license too. There has been less swell, more regular winds and no squalls, and after you arrive in the Marquesas you’re rarely more than four days from your next destination. Polynesian navigation of the Pacific Ocean and its settlement began thousands of years ago. This would be our second ocean crossing in 6 months, and at over 4,000 miles, it would be twice the distance of the Atlantic crossing. I'm a freelance writer from the UK. It takes between 2 - 3 weeks to sail to Hawaii. Latest. The 6m tidal range can also come as a bit of a shock. On the other hand, leaving earlier in the season gives you plenty of time to complete your journey without the pressure of the cyclone season bearing down on you. It's roughly 3,000 miles, depending on where you start from, and is typically mostly a broad reach or downwind. Brochure cruising in the turquoise, sheltered water of a typical French Polynesia atoll. Sailing Totem: Watch Keeping on … With favorable winds, the journey can take approximately 5 - 10 weeks. By Alvah Simon. For US-based West Coast sailors, the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a common choice for starting the journey across the Pacific. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. After you’ve passed Tahiti, part of the Windwards group of the Society Islands, your journey opens up before you. Where we sail; The figures here are averaged out over the last 3 years, in which time we have been continually sailing from England, down the coast of Spain and Portugal, The Caribbean, The Panama Canal, 2 seasons in the South Pacific Islands, New Zealand and now Australia. They sail down from Tonga or Fiji or wherever they've got to, and then they sail back up after cyclone season to resume their cruise across the Pacific. A first-hand account of sailing the pacific ocean with two friends, on a small boat called Finding Avalon. The route through the canal is complex and you run the risk of being delayed during peak periods. On arrival you need to get the tide times right to navigate a narrow pass, but the reward is a calm, clean and incredibly blue lagoon. If you need to apply for any visas in advance, it’s much better to find out now than risk being turned away at the port. The world’s largest ocean contains endless amounts of natural beauty, unique wildlife and sites of cultural interest. Caffeine consumption is at an all-time high. And that’s just the start of a voyage of a lifetime across the world’s largest ocean. Your chosen route. It’s worth taking the time to explore the region and you’ll find you can spend months, even years, cruising there. 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