New sailor, want to cross the Pacific, guide me.

[Shrew]

1) I would urge you to start with the SEARCH feature on this site. You will find hundreds of posts just like yours with thousands of responses. This is a great place to build a list of questions.

2) Your question is like asking "I don't know how to climb, but I want to summit Everest..". "I don't know how to drive, but I want to race in Nascar.." "I don't know how to ski, but want to compete in the Olympic..." "...just tell me what I need to know". It's a simple question with an almost impossible answer.


3) Start by actually sailing. Then start cruising locally. Start with some coastal cruising. Day sail in bad weather on purpose. Try an overnight nearshore.

[captmikem]

just a suggestion; fly to the east coast of the US where boats are plentiful and cheap. spend a bit of time sailing there (Bahamas,Caribbean) where the sailing is easy. Then if you still like it head for Panama and the Pacific and sail back to OZ.

Trust me when I say IT IS A MUCH MORE PLEASANT VOYAGE than the other way. it gives you time to learn to sail your boat in a protected environment, many interesting harbors and anchorages. and far far more relaxed and comfortable.

M

[stormalong]

As someone who has sailed from New Zealand to British Columbia I can tell you that it is not easy and it is not for the novice.

As others have said - it is the wrong direction to sail. It is also a very long path with few good stops. We did a single tack beat from NZ to Rapa Iti - a small island that few have heard of and even fewer have gone to. From there we beat our way to Hawaii - another long leg. And from there to Vancouver Island. The first two legs were under reefed down sails, the third was a 21 day sail in very light conditions.

These are not sailing conditions for the inexperienced. They require solid boats, good planning and the ability to be independent. On the first two legs we saw no other boats or ships after one day out of New Zealand. Not even at Rapa Iti - an island that sees a supply ship every few months. The third leg we had another boat in relatively close proximity. They were less than ideally equipped for the calm conditions and we transferred some diesel to them mid ocean to help them make landfall.

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by sailor92

Hi everyone,

I'm new to sailing. I've been on sail boats before a few times, but always as a passenger only. Well I have decided that I want to cross the Pacific Ocean from Queensland Australia to California. It's pretty much a spiritual thing for me. Obviously, I am aware that there's a lot of stuff to know in order to survive this kind of journey. I want to know what is the steps I should take in order to build up my skills as a sailor so that I know just enough to survive if I were on my own on the trip. Which books do I need to read, in terms of equipment (boats, auto-pilot etc), sailing techniques and control, sailing routes, seasonal weather conditions, possible threats/dangers. EVERYTHING necessary, I want to learn, which books I need as well and what kinda experience I should gun for. I really don't know EXACTLY what im getting into so I want you all to give me realistic heads up.

I was thinking of first trying my hand at sailing at a local club, than maybe sailing coastally for a while, in order to get some sea miles. But also what kinda "specific" things would I need to learn, like sail routes across the Pacific, ideal stop-over locations... Thanks for the help everyone.

Dreams are what life is made of. Or should be. I suggest that the number one priority in beginning your pursuit is Don't Give Up the Dream!
The next priority is to give yourself a great big reality check. This is not meant to discourage you but rather to prepare you for what lies ahead so that when it gets hard you won't be discouraged. Shrew's post was spot on and no exaggeration. What you want to accomplish is very difficult to achieve. It will require years of effort to acquire the necessary skills (assuming you want to do it completely on your own). You will not be able to acquire those skills solely by reading books, posting on forums or watching YouTube videos no matter how strong is your passion. You will have to sail, sail, sail. You will have to learn to fix things in the dead of night, upside down in a bilge smelling of diesel fuel and odors wafting from the clogged head, with a flashlight in one hand, a spanner in the other and your legs wrapped around whatever they can reach as storm waves do their level best to relocate you bodily somewhere else in the vessel. And that's just the second day out from QLD. For right now find every possible opportunity to sail anything that floats. Once you feel comfortable at a certain level then go find an opportunity that makes you feel decidedly uncomfortable. Lastly, please keep in mind akprb's comment to not endanger other lives recklessly in the pursuit of your dream. This most especially includes folks that might risk their lives trying to save yours. When you make it to California let me know. I will see that sailor friends there give you a royal welcome. Best of Luck. Don't Give Up the Dream!

[jrambo316]

Look up mahina expeditions.

[bumpman]

Yes, the 'dream' of sailing on Mother Ocean, the wonder and beauty of the wild ocean adventure, and the excitement of visiting exotic new places... very alluring to, excuse my phrase, landlubbers as well as experienced sailors. Certainly the adventures seen on Youtube can look enticing. But even many life-long sailors with thousands of Ocean miles under our belts don't particularly like weeks of sometimes monotonous, sometimes dangerous open ocean sailing. Envision your real dream - what is it that allures you? If for instance, you imagine yourself exploring exotic new ports of call then there are crewed charter boats or bareboat charter cruises you can do with a little boating experience, without the dangers of crossing an ocean for a new or novice sailor. If you decide you want to eventually live aboard a boat you could spend a lifetime exploring a coast such as Maine's or the PNW's or the islands of the Caribbean or South Seas. As mentioned, please don't put your life or those of rescuers in jeopardy. A great saying I learned on this forum... "It's better to dream about being on the ocean while on land than to dream about being on land while on the ocean."

[Pigpen Pete]

All the advice above is good I think. You need to look at pilot charts to sort out a route from Qld to California.
Generally speaking and following the old commercial sailing routes you can make quite good easting in the variables by staying just south of the trades in the low thirties, you dont have to go into the roaring forties. I did this in the 1980's in a round trip Sydney - Callao - Sydney, calling into NZ, Cooks, Tahiti, Pitcairn, Juan Fernandes, Galapagos, Marquesas etc.

[MamaKube]

Books are great. Videos are entertaining. Noting beats experience. 😁

[deblen]

Originally Posted by sailor92

I thought the prevailing winds were from easterly from Cali to QLD in the lower latitude and westerly in the higher latitudes (southern ocean?)

https://earth.nullschool.net/#curren...4.48,35.65,929

[cyan]

Originally Posted by Nani Kai

You will have to learn to fix things in the dead of night, upside down in a bilge smelling of diesel fuel and odors wafting from the clogged head, with a flashlight in one hand, a spanner in the other and your legs wrapped around whatever they can reach as storm waves do their level best to relocate you bodily somewhere else in the vessel. And that's just the second day out from QLD.

Excellent post.

This is often an overlooked point. Like many here, I really like a fix-it challenge, and in an odd way, I like it even more when the seas are rough. I call it the MacGyver Hero Sydrome. You dangle from a mast in seas that are telling you to get down, and execute a makeshift spreader repair averting disaster and death. Hero.

There is a whole spectrum of repair enthusiasm. On the other end, there is a boat owner named Dan who I sail with... who calls "his guy" for everything, like installing the small cotter pin on a block last year. A cotter pin. Dan is not mentally equipped to cross oceans, and he doesn't want to anyway.

If you are closer on the spectrum to a MacGyver than a Cotter-pin Dan, well you may just be suited for a crossing after all the other training and experience recommended.

[Fore and Aft]

I suggest you start small and work your way up.
First go to your local atm machine and withdraw $500. Then eat something on the way home that gives you a funny feeling in your tummy. When home turn the shower on cold and then sit in the shower tearing up the $500 until it is all washed down the drain! It is pretty hard to feel spiritual on days like that.
Just read the blog Impetuous Too to see how bad things can get.
Cheers

[Juho]

I just note that people are very different. If you are a handy DYI person who is always careful, never ends up in surprising situations or small accidents, always makes careful plans and preparations before doing something, reads all available background material, and you already understand how sails work, and can fix a motor and other stuff if need arises, then I'm sure you know yourself when you are ready to go.

If you are a social person who likes to learn by doing things with others, then that is the preferred path. And even if you are not that social, experienced persons can provide lots of good advice and comments. Go out with them.

If you are a person who usually learns by making mistakes first, then you should adopt some new safety practices, and a more systematic approach to sailing, maybe based on some agreed set of safety rules.

My point is that when you are at sea, there is no help available, and therefore not much space for bad errors. That's the main difference to driving a car. One thus needs to be one step more careful and one step more prepared to handle whatever problems might emerge out there.

You know best how much training you need. The target is to double check everything and have alternative means and spare parts to be prepared for whatever surprises and problems might emerge. Otherwise, just enjoy the trip.

[danielamartindm]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. You've already gotten some great advice about the technical side of a trip from Australia to California, a tough beat. I'll address the "spiritual thing" you mentioned. A completed passage is an achievement, and it feels great; but it took me a long time to realize that, as in life, enjoying the voyage itself is far more important than reaching the destination. May the wind be at your back.