Sailing from Australia to New Zealand

[GILow]

This has probably been done to death already, but I just can't find it.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a thread (or threads) on sailing from Australia to NZ and the pros and cons of the various routes? North, South, middle, etc. Best time of year etc.

Matt

(Oh yeah, and any threads on getting back might help too)

[GILow]

Worked it out, just need to search on Tasman. Gets lots of useful info.

[JPA Cate]

From Adelaide? From Hobart?

From Hobart: Bluff or Nelson or over the top to Auckland avoiding the Mt. Egmont gale, Fiji, New Caledonia, Oz. Expect at least 2 frontal passages between Oz and NZ.

[shadow]

As Ann stated, seems to be the most common. Most of my mates usually try to stop by Lord howe island as it is about 5 days out and a great little spot!!

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

From Adelaide? From Hobart?

From Hobart: Bluff or Nelson or over the top to Auckland avoiding the Mt. Egmont gale, Fiji, New Caledonia, Oz. Expect at least 2 frontal passages between Oz and NZ.

Sorry Ann, I think you are using some abbreviations that are beyond me there...

I don't understand the reference to Mt Egmont gale for a start, is that a land/sea feature or is that a weather pattern?

I am wondering if the best departure point, all else being equal, is from Hobart, or if the advantage of the shorter trip is offset by the probability of a rougher crossing. So your reference to from Hobart... is that saying you sail from Hobart to Nelson? And is that a recommended route?

Matt

[GILow]

Originally Posted by shadow

As Ann stated, seems to be the most common. Most of my mates usually try to stop by Lord howe island as it is about 5 days out and a great little spot!!

Ah... I see.

Well that is interesting as the couple who are encouraging me to consider it have done it a number of times and they set off from Hobart. They say it has taken them 7 to 8 days (similar boat to ours) on average that way, but I forgot to ask them how they got back. Small but rather important detail. That and what time of year they thought was best to go etc.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Matt,

Our route was Brisbane to Auckland, in early summer, due to visa issues. At about the same time, friends on a Valiant 40 went Hobart to Nelson in about a week. About 4 yrs. ago some other friends went Hobart-Nelson, while others went Hobart-Bluff in March, IIRC. On the Hobart-Nelson route, they experienced 70 knots in one frontal passage. They are experienced sailors whom I trust to have reported correctly. When they left NZ, they crossed to the Societies. The trip the Valiant did was benign. The guys who went to Bluff went on to Alaska and South America.

A catamaran that went Brisbane, Cape Reinga, Opua had a good trip as well, in February.

Since the trade wind is generally SE, getting west is not so much of a problem. Going east, you have to plan on contrary winds for some of the trip.

Mt. Egmont is in the SW of the North Island, and its cape, Cape Egmont spawns gales, like Cape Mendocino in California does, it is a place to be well offshore of, and a bitch to get north around unless conditions are quite favorable.

So, yes, the Hobart to Nelson is an often used route, but as you implied, it can get challenging sometimes, when a low strengthens and your forecast didn't cover that eventuality. I think the Brisbane to Opua route is generally believed to be easier, yet plenty of boats go Hobart to Nelson. You just have to decide and then accept what those mischievous thugs of weather gods give you.

[44'cruisingcat]

A friend recently sailed Sydney - Opua. Copped 65 knots close to NZ. Same storm the big wooden ketch disappeared in.

[GILow]

70 knots. Pah! I sneer at 70 knot winds! I have a Swanson 42.

Eeek!

[GILow]

Well, it sounds like the Hobart to Nelson or Bluff route is not a mark of insanity. I think I will pencil it in as the probable solution for us, maybe making our way North along either the East or West coast then heading up to Vanuatu or the like. Years and years away yet, but I like to have a plan, thanks guys.

Matt

[ozskipper]

I did Gladstone to Auckland about ten years ago on a 55 footer. We made great time and did the trip in ten days. It was September and lucky for us we ended up with the wind over the quarter for much of the trip. We had a couple of days of bad weather, which is no surprise in the Tasman Sea.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

I did Gladstone to Auckland about ten years ago on a 55 footer. We made great time and did the trip in ten days. It was September and lucky for us we ended up with the wind over the quarter for much of the trip. We had a couple of days of bad weather, which is no surprise in the Tasman Sea.

What sort of average speed do they use for estimating travel times for a boat of that size and construction? We were told by the original owner to use 5 knots for our calculations for our old Swanson, and so far that has worked very well for us.

Matt

[JPA Cate]

Matt,

I think you'll find that on an ocean trip when most of the winds are aft of the beam, your boat will average more than 5 knots. I would not be surprised at 140+ n. mi./day, which is what our 36 footer used to do. On one particularly fast trip from Noumea to Gladstone, she averaged 159.5 n. mi./day. If there is a healthy breeze abaft the beam, you'll do better, I betcha.

Ann

[Nauticatarcher]

Launceston to Nelson, March left on the back of a front with a fairly stable weather system behind it, took us 8.5 days never saw more than 30kts, had a bit of easterly coming into Tasman bay but all in all a good crossing, it was my wifes first offshore passage so made sure I got the weather right. also carry a bit of extra fuel as the middle of the Tasman is not somewhere to drift around waiting for wind

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by GILow

70 knots. Pah! I sneer at 70 knot winds! I have a Swanson 42.

Eeek!

If you are going downhill 70 knots becomes more like 60 so as you say... no biggy

Some years ago I went Westernport - Wellington in March.... easterlies off the entrance to Cook Strait then the last 40 or 50 miles in flat calm.... I don't do 'rough and windy' if I can avoid it...

Getting back? Chathams/Chile/Falklands?........ that should work.... but really I dunno.... haven't got back yet....