Sailing From New Zealand To Adelaide

[skipperscouse]

Thinking of buying a yacht in N/Z and sailing her back

Not very experienced so would value any advice

I expect to have a couple of experienced crew embers

[Teeto]

Employ weather routers. At least you are going the easier way.

[chris_gee]

The hard way actually as the predominant wind is SW. Some have a smooth sail or even motoring. Most get bashed badly at some point. Try crew.org.nz for local expertise

[Teeto]

Friends sailed from Brisbane to New Sealand in early January. Head wind south easterlies the whole way.

[Tim-ChchNZ]

Hi, NZ registered boats heading offshore require Category 1 registration which involves meeting certain safety criteria. Can be costly so look into that. Maybe buy a yacht already set up for this. Or consider switching registration to Aus before departing? Seems like a good idea to be prepared with the necessaries before going offshore anyway though.

As an aside, I'm relocating from Christchurch to Brisbane late May Have some sailing experience from younger days and keen to learn!

[chris_gee]

This year has been La Nina with any highs being further south giving a lot of SE and E winds to the north of the country. That is expected to change.
The actual weather pattern depends on the time of year and purchase, and route. It may be that it is better to head to Brisbane then go down the coast with the current which is not a small trip but others would be better placed to advise.

[Teeto]

Agree with heading to Brisbane or maybe Coffs ( the only other port of entry on the way to Sydney). That current is a bit strange. Sailed from Brisbane to Sydney in January and had a great ride with 2-3 knots southwards. Just sailed north again to Yamba and scored a free knot going north for almost the whole trip! I think the lack of NE winds has meant the current is further out this year.

[barnakiel]

I would consider sailing to a convenient Aus port first, then coasting towards Adelaide.

Have supported, wx-wise, a boat sailing Auck to Bundaberg just now. No issues. Sailing to ports S of Brisbane, especially if from a purchase further S in NZ (Wellington or anywhere S Island) would have been a different story.

b.

[ozskipper]

I did Gladstone to NZ on a 55 footer some years back. We sailed across the top of the Nth Island. I remember the Kiwis on board telling me it gets a bit Nasty between the Nth and Sth Islands. I have no hands experience of this, but it may be worth researching.

And as TIM alluded to, The NZ govt likes to make sure you have all your safeties up to speed. Expect to comply with what ever the regulations. I believe that all vessels must comply, not just NZ rego.

[matauwhi]

"The NZ govt likes to make sure you have all your safeties up to speed. Expect to comply with what ever the regulations. I believe that all vessels must comply, not just NZ rego."

G'day, mates. The above is not correct. Only NZ flagged vessels must comply with the Category 1 certification requirement to clear customs.

Good advice above to head north and then over to the Aussie coast. Be patient, look for a nice high pressure system in the Tasman and use the SW winds early in the trip to head towards Brisbane and then pick up the trades to finish it off. On second thought, you might as well head to Fiji and enjoy some of the islands before heading off to the the Aussie coast. All the best. Cheers.