Seattle 2 Hawaii - SCHOOL ME!

[BigNickMontana]

The 75th anniversary of Pearl harbor is this year, if a guy wanted to sail out there for it from Seattle, what would you recommend, what would you need to know what would you do?

[Paul Elliott]

Look at the Mainland to Hawaii race websites. There's a lot of excellent non-racing info there:
Pacific Cup: https://pacificcup.org/kb
Singlehanded Transpac: Seminars | Singlehanded Transpac 2016

These two races start from San Francisco, so you still have to consider the problem of getting from Seattle to latitude 38N. The Vic-Maui race sails from Victoria (Vancouver Island), but there isn't much tutorial info on their website. They do show the tracks from prior races, which is useful data: http://www.vicmaui.org/daily-positio...rts-and-tracks

My personal experience is that the trip from Seattle to San Francisco is often the roughest part of the whole journey. If you're going to skip the San Francisco stop, you may be able to get offshore enough to avoid the areas off the Oregon and northern California coasts where gale conditions are common.

There are cruising and pacific crossing guides you will want to study as well. Consider the issue of hurrricane season, but don't let that paralyze you -- most people make the trip over in June or July.

[TurninTurtle]

I'd recommend airline tickets....

[Paul Elliott]

Big Nick, I should have mentioned that this is a *big* trip. Your boat needs to be up to the task (many aren't and have had serious problems), and more important, *you* need to have the experience and preparation for a long offshore journey. This is definitely something that mere mortals can do, but not without practice and knowledge.

[Calif.Ted]

Do it on someone else's boat, if you want to do it this year, start looking at the crew list from Lat 38., fourth entry is a boat leaving from San Pedro to Hawaii.
Latitude 38 Crew List

[TacomaSailor]

It is not the trip TO Hawaii that should concern you - all down wind into warmer water.

It is the trip back to Seattle from Hawaii - first 7 days are up wind into progressively colder air and water.

[JPA Cate]

Big Nick doesn't have a boat yet. He has no ocean sailing experience, according to previous posts. Therefore, my answer to his question is oblique and conservative: ask us again, after you've circumnavigated Vancouver Island. The trip you suggest is too big for a first step for a new skipper. Fly out for the ceremony at Pearl. [The sailing weather is not all that good out there in December, isn't December the month of the big surfing extravaganza at Makaha Beach? Winter storms.]

Sail out to HI after you've learned more of the basics. In thinking about it, Nick, it's not like going camping: being on the water and way out at sea in bad weather is a whole different test from anything you've experienced on land. It's good to start learning where you have a hot shower to come home to. It makes coping with being cold, wet, and scared easier.

IMHO, there is not enough time left for you to do it this year, you have to get the boat, make it right, learn it so you can do whatever both of you need to do at night, in a seaway, and practice so you have muscle memory going for you. All of this assumes that you are able to find a "ready to go" boat. You expect a car to be ready to go, but boats get set up for particular people in various ways, and you will be having a steep learning curve in any event.

[01kiwijohn]

Refer to Cornell's Ocean Passages of the World. Then plan from that. I did, and it worked out perfectly... There and back.

[seasick]

I've made that voyage three times. The first when I was a rather inexperienced 19 year old on my third boat, the 42' wooden sailing fish boat, Rough and Ready.

I recommend starting between August first and no later than mid September.

From Neah Bay head SW until the water turns blue or two hundred miles offshore. This should put you in the trades, a southerly current and away from the freighter and fishing fleets.

Keep 200-miles offshore and hang on. The Oregon coast is one of the wildest rides in the world. Pull into San Diego after a rest up on the warm beaches of the Channel Islands.

Hang out in San Diego, fixing all the leaks and things that broke on the way down the coast while waiting for hurricane season to end in mid November. Then load her up with a month or two of provisions and head SSW until almost to the tip of Baja. You should be about 300-miles offshore when you hit the latitude of Cabo, then point her a few hundred miles south of Hilo until you're halfway across to insure you end run the Pacific High then head up for the Island of your choice. I personally recommend Hilo's Radio Bay as a great landfall and then Island hop the chain.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Big Nick, I should have mentioned that this is a *big* trip. Your boat needs to be up to the task (many aren't and have had serious problems), and more important, *you* need to have the experience and preparation for a long offshore journey. This is definitely something that mere mortals can do, but not without practice and knowledge.

Not true. Its generally an easy sail following the trade winds to Hawaii. Just watch the weather. You can actually drift to Hawaii as one guy did on a log(yup, a real log) from Seattle back in early 60s.

May-June best time to go. Easy seas, usually gentle and constant trades, and good weather. Of course there are exceptions, but the route does not demand any particular skills. Some folks years ago just followed the jet contrails to get to hawaii. Go for it.

The only problem you will have is finding a slip to stay in. Few anchoring out spots. Kaneohe bay, Hilo harbor, and the roadstead in Lahaina are about the only anchorages near anything of importance. Hanalei is nice but you will be out in the boonies and in a rolly polly anchorage.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by TacomaSailor

It is not the trip TO Hawaii that should concern you - all down wind into warmer water.

It is the trip back to Seattle from Hawaii - first 7 days are up wind into progressively colder air and water.

Well, yeah, the trip back is a whole nother reality. Around August starts the major north pacific storms, hurricanes, and wind changes. Basically head north for 1000 n.m and then turn right. Keep going till you hit America. Still not a big issue and most boats that can float can do the trip. Just not as comfy as going downhill.

[mrohr]

A log????? Please!

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by mrohr

A log????? Please!

Hollowed out, but still a log.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Big Nick doesn't have a boat yet. He has no ocean sailing experience, according to previous posts. Therefore, my answer to his question is oblique and conservative: ask us again, after you've circumnavigated Vancouver Island. The trip you suggest is too big for a first step for a new skipper. Fly out for the ceremony at Pearl. [The sailing weather is not all that good out there in December, isn't December the month of the big surfing extravaganza at Makaha Beach? Winter storms.]

Sail out to HI after you've learned more of the basics. In thinking about it, Nick, it's not like going camping: being on the water and way out at sea in bad weather is a whole different test from anything you've experienced on land. It's good to start learning where you have a hot shower to come home to. It makes coping with being cold, wet, and scared easier.


IMHO, there is not enough time left for you to do it this year, you have to get the boat, make it right, learn it so you can do whatever both of you need to do at night, in a seaway, and practice so you have muscle memory going for you. All of this assumes that you are able to find a "ready to go" boat. You expect a car to be ready to go, but boats get set up for particular people in various ways, and you will be having a steep learning curve in any event.

What she said. If you should be unfortunate enough to find a boat to try this with, buy all of the survival gear you can lay your hands on. This is no kind of voyage to train on.

[RafaCavi]

I have crossed the Atlantic without experience. I think you have to have a very well equipped boat with all the communication systems (Spot, EPIRB, Satellital phone) and raft, energy system, etc... and follow the sun....