Trans-Pacific Passage - West to East

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==Passage - Australia to the Americas==
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{{IsPartOf|Australia|Pacific Ocean|East Pacific}}
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{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 25em; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
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{{Infobox passage
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|-
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| name = Trans-Pacific Passage - West to East
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| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: large;" | '''Trans-Pacific'''<br>West to East
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| mapwidth = 455px
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|-
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| zoom=  
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| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Image:Pacificmap.jpg|center|thumb|250px|Click for larger view]]
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| map = PacificPassageWestToEast.jpg
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|-
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| label =
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| colspan="2" style="font-size 2" | The Pacific is the largest of the oceans of the world.
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| notes =Three possible routes  are shown: {{Red|Direct route}}; {{color|#ff00ff|Roaring forties route}}; {{color|#ffa500|Northern route}}
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|}
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}}
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This section describes the passage across the Pacific Ocean - West to East.
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==Description==
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This section describes the passage across the Pacific Ocean - West to East.  There are three possible options for this route, which are:
 +
* Sailing the direct route, from [[Australia]] or [[New Zealand]] in a more or less direct line to [[Panama]], [[Hawaii]], or the west coast of the [[USA]].
 +
* Sailing via the '''roaring forties''', which is the band of westerlies that runs in the 40 - 50 degrees south latitude.  These westerlies run the entire width of the [[South Pacific]] Ocean, and can be used to gain enough westing to take you to whatever your eventual longitude is (e.g. due south of [[Tahiti]], [[Hawaii]] or any point in [[South America]], and then turn north.
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* Sailing via the [[North Pacific]] Ocean, essentially taking the route via [[South East Asia]], [[Japan]], and across the [[North Pacific]] perhaps making landfall in [[Alaska]] or one of the west coast ports of [[Canada]].
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{{TOCleft}}
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Each of these routes has their advantages and (many) disadvantages, as discussed below.  None of the above are pleasant cruising routes.
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===Departure Points===
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Possible departures from:
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* [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]
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Very few cruising guides discuss these routes, however ''World Cruising Routes'' (see [[#References|References]] below), mentions 3 or 4 possible routes via the South Pacific Ocean in the section ''Routes from New Zealand''.
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* [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]]
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* [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]
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* [[New Caledonia]]
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* [[Vanuatu]]
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* [[Fiji]]
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===Route===
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====Direct Route====
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(in sequence)
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The main disadvantage of this route is that it will be predominantly upwind.  The trade wind belt runs across the main body of the [[Pacific Ocean]] between about 25 degrees north and 25 south, and the prevailing winds will be either north easterly or south easterly, depending on which hemisphere you are travelling in.
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* Brisbane
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*
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* Panama
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===Charts===
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If you are considering this route, you need a boat that will be good upwind, and also be prepared to face large oncoming seas for most of the journey.  This route can be fast, but also tiring and damaging to both boat and crew.
 +
====Southern Ocean Route (Roaring Forties)====
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{{Image right| Albatross.jpg| Albatross afloat in the Southern Ocean}}
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 +
The main disadvantage of this route is that it is primarily in high latitudes.  Depending on the time of year, cold weather gear will need to be taken, possibly including survival suits.
 +
 +
The other disadvantage is that it is a long way from landfall, any assistance, and involves long passages at sea, perhaps upwards of 40 or 50 days.  You need to have a boat that can be relied on to make this journey without breaking, and more importantly (and more difficult to find) will be a crew that can be relied on to make this journey without breaking.  In addition, you need to be competent to undertake any repairs along the way, and then confident enough to be able to undertake them in a rolling sea.  You also need to have sufficient supplies, spare parts, fuel and water to take on a passage of this length.
 +
 +
The advantages are that the route is primarily downwind, relying on the westerlies that exist around those latitudes.  Note that you may need to hunt around there for the right latitude to find the westerlies -- you will need to be able to receive and interpret weather reports while at sea.  In a 2014 passage I found that I needed to go as far as 48 degrees south in order to find reliable westerlies.
 +
 +
The other advantage of this route is that it can be taken as a partial passage.  For example, departing [[New Zealand]] this route can be used to reach the [[Cook Islands]] or [[French Polynesia]] instead of a complete Trans-Pacific passage if that is your intention.
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 +
====Northern Route====
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This route takes you up through [[South East Asia]] and into the [[North Pacific]].  It is essentially a conglomeration of several routes, each of which has many possibilities.
 +
 +
The main disadvantage of this is that it is the longest route across the Pacific, covering the most ocean miles.
 +
 +
Components of this route are as follows:
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* [[Darwin to Thailand Passage]] or possibly [[Coral Sea Passage — Cairns to New Guinea/Louisiades]]
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* [[South East Asia to Japan]]
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* [[Japan to USA or Canada]]
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==Charts==
Charts will be the same as for the [[Trans_Pacific_("Puddle-Jump")|East to West passage]] but read them backwards.
Charts will be the same as for the [[Trans_Pacific_("Puddle-Jump")|East to West passage]] but read them backwards.
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===Weather Windows===
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; [http://www.hydro.gov.au Australian Hydrographic Service]
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: 235 Australia East Coast - Queensland - Approaches to Moreton Bay
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: 236 Australia East Coast - Queensland - Moreton Bay
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: 4602  South Pacific Ocean - Tasman and Coral Seas Australia to Northern New Zealand and Fiji (1:3500000)
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: 4643 Australia East Coas - Cape Howe to Cape Moreton (1:1500000)
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; [http://www.linz.govt.nz/hydro Land Information NZ]
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: NZ 14 - Tasman and Coral Seas
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: NZ93 Cook Islands (1:1500000)
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: NZ532 - Approaches to Auckland
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: NZ522 - Bream Tail to Kawau Island including Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island)
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: NZ 14607 - Southeast Polynesia
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It is universally accepted that there is no good weather window for doing this passage.  If you are leaving [[Australia]] and heading east across the Pacific then you may as well leave in the southern hemisphere winter when the prevailing winds up the Australian east coast will be southerly and the [[EAC]] (south running current) is at its weakest.  This will enable you to get some good northing into your passage before bashing endlessly into the trade winds.
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==Weather==
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Climate and weather conditions will be the same as for the [[Trans Pacific ("Puddle-Jump")#Weather|Trans Pacific ("Puddle-Jump")]].
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===Climate & Weather Information===
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====Weather Windows====
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; Direct Route
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It is universally accepted that there is no good weather window for doing the Direct Route.  If you are leaving [[Australia]] and heading east across the Pacific then you may as well leave in the southern hemisphere winter when the prevailing winds up the Australian east coast will be southerly and the [[EAC]] (south running current) is at its weakest.  This will enable you to get some good northing into your passage before bashing endlessly into the trade winds.
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Climate and weather conditions will be the same as for the [[Trans_Pacific_("Puddle-Jump")|East to West passage]].
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; Roaring Forties
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The best time to attempt the Roaring Forties route is at the end of the southern hemisphere summer -- in March or April.  That will ensure that the route does not encounter any great risk of icebergs, while still offering good westerly winds across most of the route.  In addition this ensures that the cyclone prone regions of the South Pacific will be reached after the end of the cyclone season.
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===Radio Nets===
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If the intention is to reach all the way to [[Cape Horn]], then the route can be attempted in early summer or before -- perhaps as early as September.
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List radio Nets covering the Pacific.
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===References===
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==Navigation==
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Books, guides, etc.
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{{Green|Add any navigation notes such approaches, dangers etc here. If this section does not apply remove it.}}
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*
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*
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===Forum Discussions===
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==Communication==
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List links to discussion threads on [[Cruising Forums|partnering forums]]. (see link for requirements)
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*
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''Also see [[World MM Nets|World Cruiser's Nets]]''.
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==Possible Departure Points==
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* {{mark | lat = -33.839053| lon= 151.21582 | type= harbour |name= [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]  | zoom= 12}}
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* {{mark |27|28.26|S|153|1.41|E | type= harbour |name= [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]]  | zoom= 14}}
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* {{mark | lat = -36.84| lon= 174.74 | type= harbour |name= [[Auckland]], [[New Zealand]]  | zoom= 10}}
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* {{mark | lat = -18.52127| lon= 166.6798 | type= island |name= [[New Caledonia]]  | zoom= 6}}
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* {{mark | lat = -16| lon= 167 | type= island |name= [[Vanuatu]]  | zoom= 8}}
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* {{mark | lat = -17.759150 | lon=179.659424 | type= island |name= [[Fiji]]  | zoom= 7}}
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==Route/Suggested Stopovers==
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You could stop at any of the starting points above.
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In addition you could stop at any of these points along one of the 3 routes that you have chosen:
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* {{mark | lat = -21.233333 | lon= -159.766667 | type= island |name= [[Cook Islands]]  | zoom= 6}}
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* {{mark | lat = -17.533333 | lon= -149.43839 | type= island |name= [[French Polynesia]]  | zoom= 6}}
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* {{mark | lat = -55.98 | lon= -67.289167 | type= waypoint |name= [[Cape Horn]]  | zoom= 5}}
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==Possible Arrival Points==
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* {{mark |8|58|N|79|32|W| | type= waterway-canal |name= [[Panama]]  | zoom= 9}}
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* {{mark  | lat= 37 | lon= -120| | type= harbour |name= [[California]], [[United States]]  | zoom= 5}}
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==Distance & Duration==
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{{Green|Give a distance table if possible.}}
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==Forums==
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List links to discussion threads on [[Cruising Forums|partnering forums]]. (''see link for requirements'')
* Note that there was quite a bit of discussion on forum on this topic. CL example: [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11459 HERE].  The general opinion is summed up in this fragment from "JeanneP": ''We have friends who left NZ to sail back to the East coast of the US, and their first leg was from NZ to Panama, nonstop and took 54 days, uncomfortable for most of it.''<br/>''If you can get the Discovery Channel, and have watched "Deadliest Catch" you will have some idea of what sailing in the Southern Ocean is like.  And if you don't go far enough south to find westerlies, you're trying to sail directly into the wind, a hard and exhausting way to sail.  The [[South Pacific]] is big and you go for long distances between land.''<br/>''It's not a nationality bias, you find most sailors, from wherever, following the the trade winds East to West and enjoying the ride.  And yes, you find lots of boats that have crossed the  Pacific put up for sale in [[New Caledonia]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]].  There are lots of other places that have good old boats for sale, many in the US.''
* Note that there was quite a bit of discussion on forum on this topic. CL example: [http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11459 HERE].  The general opinion is summed up in this fragment from "JeanneP": ''We have friends who left NZ to sail back to the East coast of the US, and their first leg was from NZ to Panama, nonstop and took 54 days, uncomfortable for most of it.''<br/>''If you can get the Discovery Channel, and have watched "Deadliest Catch" you will have some idea of what sailing in the Southern Ocean is like.  And if you don't go far enough south to find westerlies, you're trying to sail directly into the wind, a hard and exhausting way to sail.  The [[South Pacific]] is big and you go for long distances between land.''<br/>''It's not a nationality bias, you find most sailors, from wherever, following the the trade winds East to West and enjoying the ride.  And yes, you find lots of boats that have crossed the  Pacific put up for sale in [[New Caledonia]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]].  There are lots of other places that have good old boats for sale, many in the US.''
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*
 
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===External Links===
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==Links==
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Links to relevant websites.
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{{Green|List links external to the wiki such as in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipaedia Wikipedia] & [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Main_Page Wikivoyage].}}
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===Personal Experiences===
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{{Green|For Wikipedia you can use the [[Template:Wikipedia|Wikipedia template]] & for the Wikivoyage the [[Template:Wikivoyage|Wikivoyage template]].}}
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Personal experiences of this passage.
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*  
*  
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==References==
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* {{Reference|Michael Pocock/Ros Hogbin|The Pacific Crossing Guide, Second Edition|RCC Pilotage Foundation, London|0713661828}}
 +
* {{Reference|Warwick Clay|South Pacific Anchorages 2nd edition|Imray|0852884826}}
 +
* {{Reference|Earl R. Hinz|Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands|Latitude 20 Books|0824830377}}
 +
* {{Reference|Jimmy Cornell|World Cruising Routes: Sixth Edition|Adlard Coles, London|007159289X}}
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* {{Reference|Jimmy Cornell|World Cruising Destinations|Adlard Coles, London|0071638245}}
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{{Guide1}}
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{{Comments}}
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* [[User:Delatbabel|Delatbabel]] -- I completed the passage from [[New Zealand]] to [[Tahiti]] in March - May of 2014 and from there joined the westward route (described in [[Trans Pacific ("Puddle-Jump")]]).  We had to go as far as 48 south to pick up consistent westerlies, and were battered by several gales heading northwards through the "horse latitudes" between 40 and 25 south where the winds can come from any direction.  Nothing that couldn't be dealt with by heaving to, however.  Full details are on the blog [http://sailchiarastella.blogspot.com/ CHIARA STELLA]
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{{Verified by}}
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|style="color:#000;"| | [[World Cruising and Sailing Wiki|HOMEPAGE]] | [[World Cruising Guides|Wiki Contents]] | [[Australia]] | [[Pacific Ocean]] | [[East Pacific]] | [[Trans-Pacific_Passage_-_West_to_East|Australia to Americas]] |
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{{Contributors|[[User:Lighthouse|Lighthouse]], [[User:Delatbabel|Delatbabel]], [[User:Haiqu|Haiqu]]}}
[[Category:Passages]]
[[Category:Passages]]

Latest revision as of 10:17, 22 August 2018

WorldAustraliaPacific OceanEast PacificTrans-Pacific Passage - West to East
Trans-Pacific Passage - West to East
PacificPassageWestToEast.jpg
Magnify-clip.png
Three possible routes are shown: Direct route; Roaring forties route; Northern route

Description

This section describes the passage across the Pacific Ocean - West to East. There are three possible options for this route, which are:

  • Sailing the direct route, from Australia or New Zealand in a more or less direct line to Panama, Hawaii, or the west coast of the USA.
  • Sailing via the roaring forties, which is the band of westerlies that runs in the 40 - 50 degrees south latitude. These westerlies run the entire width of the South Pacific Ocean, and can be used to gain enough westing to take you to whatever your eventual longitude is (e.g. due south of Tahiti, Hawaii or any point in South America, and then turn north.
  • Sailing via the North Pacific Ocean, essentially taking the route via South East Asia, Japan, and across the North Pacific perhaps making landfall in Alaska or one of the west coast ports of Canada.

Each of these routes has their advantages and (many) disadvantages, as discussed below. None of the above are pleasant cruising routes.

Very few cruising guides discuss these routes, however World Cruising Routes (see References below), mentions 3 or 4 possible routes via the South Pacific Ocean in the section Routes from New Zealand.

Direct Route

The main disadvantage of this route is that it will be predominantly upwind. The trade wind belt runs across the main body of the Pacific Ocean between about 25 degrees north and 25 south, and the prevailing winds will be either north easterly or south easterly, depending on which hemisphere you are travelling in.

If you are considering this route, you need a boat that will be good upwind, and also be prepared to face large oncoming seas for most of the journey. This route can be fast, but also tiring and damaging to both boat and crew.

Southern Ocean Route (Roaring Forties)

Albatross afloat in the Southern Ocean

The main disadvantage of this route is that it is primarily in high latitudes. Depending on the time of year, cold weather gear will need to be taken, possibly including survival suits.

The other disadvantage is that it is a long way from landfall, any assistance, and involves long passages at sea, perhaps upwards of 40 or 50 days. You need to have a boat that can be relied on to make this journey without breaking, and more importantly (and more difficult to find) will be a crew that can be relied on to make this journey without breaking. In addition, you need to be competent to undertake any repairs along the way, and then confident enough to be able to undertake them in a rolling sea. You also need to have sufficient supplies, spare parts, fuel and water to take on a passage of this length.

The advantages are that the route is primarily downwind, relying on the westerlies that exist around those latitudes. Note that you may need to hunt around there for the right latitude to find the westerlies -- you will need to be able to receive and interpret weather reports while at sea. In a 2014 passage I found that I needed to go as far as 48 degrees south in order to find reliable westerlies.

The other advantage of this route is that it can be taken as a partial passage. For example, departing New Zealand this route can be used to reach the Cook Islands or French Polynesia instead of a complete Trans-Pacific passage if that is your intention.

Northern Route

This route takes you up through South East Asia and into the North Pacific. It is essentially a conglomeration of several routes, each of which has many possibilities.

The main disadvantage of this is that it is the longest route across the Pacific, covering the most ocean miles.

Components of this route are as follows:


Charts

Charts will be the same as for the East to West passage but read them backwards.

Australian Hydrographic Service
235 Australia East Coast - Queensland - Approaches to Moreton Bay
236 Australia East Coast - Queensland - Moreton Bay
4602 South Pacific Ocean - Tasman and Coral Seas Australia to Northern New Zealand and Fiji (1:3500000)
4643 Australia East Coas - Cape Howe to Cape Moreton (1:1500000)
Land Information NZ
NZ 14 - Tasman and Coral Seas
NZ93 Cook Islands (1:1500000)
NZ532 - Approaches to Auckland
NZ522 - Bream Tail to Kawau Island including Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island)
NZ 14607 - Southeast Polynesia

Weather

Climate and weather conditions will be the same as for the Trans Pacific ("Puddle-Jump").

Weather Windows

Direct Route

It is universally accepted that there is no good weather window for doing the Direct Route. If you are leaving Australia and heading east across the Pacific then you may as well leave in the southern hemisphere winter when the prevailing winds up the Australian east coast will be southerly and the EAC (south running current) is at its weakest. This will enable you to get some good northing into your passage before bashing endlessly into the trade winds.

Roaring Forties

The best time to attempt the Roaring Forties route is at the end of the southern hemisphere summer -- in March or April. That will ensure that the route does not encounter any great risk of icebergs, while still offering good westerly winds across most of the route. In addition this ensures that the cyclone prone regions of the South Pacific will be reached after the end of the cyclone season.

If the intention is to reach all the way to Cape Horn, then the route can be attempted in early summer or before -- perhaps as early as September.

Navigation

Add any navigation notes such approaches, dangers etc here. If this section does not apply remove it.

Communication

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Possible Departure Points

Route/Suggested Stopovers

You could stop at any of the starting points above.

In addition you could stop at any of these points along one of the 3 routes that you have chosen:

Possible Arrival Points

Distance & Duration

Give a distance table if possible.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

  • Note that there was quite a bit of discussion on forum on this topic. CL example: HERE. The general opinion is summed up in this fragment from "JeanneP": We have friends who left NZ to sail back to the East coast of the US, and their first leg was from NZ to Panama, nonstop and took 54 days, uncomfortable for most of it.
    If you can get the Discovery Channel, and have watched "Deadliest Catch" you will have some idea of what sailing in the Southern Ocean is like. And if you don't go far enough south to find westerlies, you're trying to sail directly into the wind, a hard and exhausting way to sail. The South Pacific is big and you go for long distances between land.
    It's not a nationality bias, you find most sailors, from wherever, following the the trade winds East to West and enjoying the ride. And yes, you find lots of boats that have crossed the Pacific put up for sale in New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand. There are lots of other places that have good old boats for sale, many in the US.

Links

List links external to the wiki such as in Wikipedia & Wikivoyage.

For Wikipedia you can use the Wikipedia template & for the Wikivoyage the Wikivoyage template.

References

  • Michael Pocock/Ros Hogbin, The Pacific Crossing Guide, Second Edition, RCC Pilotage Foundation, London, ISBN 0713661828
  • Warwick Clay, South Pacific Anchorages 2nd edition, Imray, ISBN 0852884826
  • Earl R. Hinz, Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands, Latitude 20 Books, ISBN 0824830377
  • Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Routes: Sixth Edition, Adlard Coles, London, ISBN 007159289X
  • Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Destinations, Adlard Coles, London, ISBN 0071638245

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

  • Delatbabel -- I completed the passage from New Zealand to Tahiti in March - May of 2014 and from there joined the westward route (described in Trans Pacific ("Puddle-Jump")). We had to go as far as 48 south to pick up consistent westerlies, and were battered by several gales heading northwards through the "horse latitudes" between 40 and 25 south where the winds can come from any direction. Nothing that couldn't be dealt with by heaving to, however. Full details are on the blog CHIARA STELLA

Verified by

Date of member's last visit to Trans-Pacific Passage - West to East and this page's details validated:


This is a usable page of the cruising guide. However, please contribute if you can to help it grow further. Click on Comments to add your personal notes on this page or to discuss its contents. Alternatively, if you feel confident to edit the page, click on the edit tab at the top and enter your changes directly.


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Names: Lighthouse, Delatbabel, Haiqu


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