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GETTING BACK FROM THE S.W. PACIFIC

This has always been a problem, having taken the trade winds on the journey out, no one wants to fight them all the way back but with all the turmoil that is taking place in the Indian Ocean more and more of us are looking for another option. Many yachts have been doing this trip for many years, and whilst it may take a little time, it could be quite pleasant sailing if tackled the right way.

The above map shows the extent of the challenge and covers the only two options for most of usOf course it is possible to head for Japan and go over the top via The Misty Isles however this is only for boats that can tackle things like cold, fog, gales and poor anchoring conditions. For the rest of us fair weather sailors we should stick with the options above.
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Transposing the two routes on to a North Pacific weather chart we can see the reality of the situation.. Basically, we are all going to end up at the same spot, somewhere to the north of Hawaii and all at roughly the same time.

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In determination of that position and time, we should first consult the East Pacific Hurricane information.The last thing we fair weather sailors want. is to deal with a Hurricane or even the leftovers of such a storm.

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It is readily apparent that the storms that reach furthest into the Pacific come later in the season, this applies also to the formation of TRSs in the FSM area (Majuro); If you wait long enough you are more likely to meet up with something big and nasty or some Tropical Wave with something forming.

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Whilst we can almost guarantee staying clear of this stuff as far as our convergence point north of Hawaii, if your destination is south of Long Beach then you may want to consider additional plans or at least be prepared for what may come your way.

BritishYacht Mr JohnVI. mrjohn@gmail.com.......www.yachtmrjohn.blogspot.com........... More info and guides at www.scribd.com/yachtmrjohn3695

Another problem with leaving things later in the season is that the East Pacific High migrates northwards so our convergence spot X moves further north and we have to sail right up to 50N just to get over the top of the High. Not so bad if you are headed for Seattle but a bummer if you are headed for Long Beach! SO IN THE END WE HAVE TO SET A DATE FOR ARRIVAL AT X AND EVERYTHING GETS WORKED BACKWARDS FROM THERE

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The most common route.going through French Polynesia and Hawaii, maybe via Christmas Island Not the way Id go with my little Centre Board Bristol 35. To start with you have to get East out of New Zealand and whilst many boats have done this without problems, by using the weather systems as they move through in this latitude; it seems rather hit or miss to me and you still stand a good chance of some heavy windward work. You do however get the option to fall off to American Samoa and then take the Western Route should things go wrong. Looking at this with the assistance of VPP we get the following:

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The alternative, and in my opinion, the better route; certainly, for a smaller boat or one with less windward ability. is the Western Route. Going north (ish )on what should be a reach all the way to Majuro in the Marshall Islands You will note that this route is shorter, gives lots more places to stop (except Hawaii, which breaks the longest leg) There is however a reasonable place to store up before the jump off north on the long leg to the Western Seaboard, Majuro; which has domestic mail status and good communications with the US. Again using VPP, the projections look much better and the distance is shorter.. Windward work is much reduced. Sure, we miss French Polynesia and Hawaii but one is expensive and the other is known best for lots of wind and BIG, surfing waves!

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THE WAY I SEE IT

If you are headed for Long Beach or there about. you have to be at X (North of Hawaii) late May, maybe early June if the season is running late. This way, you may catch the High before you have to go North of 40N to get over the top. If you are headed further north you could depart later and let the coming summer weather move a little further north also. Still you wouldnt want to leave it too latethere is more and thicker Fog later and the chance of large areas of calm; Mid July would be pushing it. Seeing as we all end up at roughly the same spot, you can choose your route to suit your boat and frame of mind but the two routes shown offer the stopping points along the way, anything between them leaves less in way of ports of refuge.. There is not much help available in places like Canton or even Christmas for that matter! Then we have to consider where we are leaving from and when.. If you are down south in New Zealand or Australia, awaiting the end of the Hurricane season, you are really going to have to hustle to get to 40N by early June or before. This is another reason I like the idea of going through the Marshall Islands, you can move north from Fiji or Vanuatu when the Hurricane Season in the South Pacific gets started, once North of 10S its possible to go slowly, cruising towards the Marshalls. Whilst Majuro is NOT my favourite place, you can store there, then go and explore the islands further north (out of the ITCZ). Depending on how things look.(and you should be looking), you could depart in late April sometime, once you thing the winter depressions are fading. Remember, if you are going to get a blow on route from here to X, its most likely going to be from astern. If you are coming out of Asia, the January / February time frame is good to be looking for the Equatorial Counter Current which could help you out as far as Majuro although I personally, would not want to go to windward along the ITCZ.. Id tack to the south into the calmer waters north of PNG where I could get to windward with my board down and I wouldnt worry if I only got as far as Pohnpei; Kolonia is as good a place as any to make off to the North on the first leg..it wont make too much difference in the grand scheme of things and you may be able to get away a little earlier. I met some people in Fiji who were going to American Samoa, Suvarov(Cooks) and then Hawaii having done it before a couple of times.This is fine if you have to go to Hawaii, but if your intention is to get back to the US then why go to Hawaii at all???
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Below is a story of some people that found their way East however their journey only took them to Hawaii, and thats only half way if you are actually headed for the US. Check out the fuel used and look at the type of boat before deciding that youd like to try this route.

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WOW. in 88 I went out of NZ, sailed up to the Marshalls for the Hurricane Season, returning to NZ in April of
89 with 12gals left in my diesel tank of the original 25gals I started with. On the run from Majuro to Long Beach I wouldnt take more than a full tank of diesel although Id consider some extra water seeing as I dont have a water makerIt may get a little long and slow at times but Id expect a fair weather passage. See you on route..?? Good sailing. John Wolstenholme July 2011

BritishYacht Mr JohnVI. mrjohn@gmail.com.......www.yachtmrjohn.blogspot.com........... More info and guides at www.scribd.com/yachtmrjohn3695