what to do

[djsaxton]

Hi,

its finally happing, I'm retired 62yrs old and have a 40' blue water boat that I have spent the last 15 yrs refitting, the boat is scheduled to be shipped to port angeles Washington next week where I est it going to take 3-4 weeks to rig, figure out all the new systems, shakedown cruses ect.
my original plan was to sail to the marquise in may, spend 3 mo -then maybe cook islands, then I would have to go north to avoid the cyclone season, marshall's-solomn's? ending up in guam to winter before going south again.
now I'm looking at arriving at the marquise pretty late in the season.
wondering if I should hang in washington till sept-oct, head south to mexico and leave for marquise early part of the year. i should add that I have circumnavigated 30 yrs ago, so I am not newbie-I just want to sail and not hang in one place to long. I also plan on mostly single handing. so do you think it is to late to head for the marquise in early-mid June. thank you

[senormechanico]

There are a lot of good places in the PNW to get accustomed to your boat.
The whole inside of Vancouver Island, San Juans, Gulf Islands are waiting, and you will be in the best season for enjoying the area.

I'd suggest leaving for Mexico etc, around late August or Early September.
That's what we did, and are now just poking around from Whidbey Island to Desolation Sound and lots of places in between.

[Paul L]

If you got a long stay visa for French Polynesia you could arrive in FP in July and spend the cyclone season in the Marquesas or Gambier. Then continue on westward next season.
If it was me, I'd play in the iGulf Islands or up to SE Alaska, then go south in late August. Then in Nov to Mexico. Fix the boat and leave from Mex to the Marquesas in March. Downside is that you'd have a lot of company that time of year, making some of the FP anchorage crowded, but not too bad.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by djsaxton

Hi,

its finally happing, I'm retired 62yrs old and have a 40' blue water boat that I have spent the last 15 yrs refitting, the boat is scheduled to be shipped to port angeles Washington next week where I est it going to take 3-4 weeks to rig, figure out all the new systems, shakedown cruses ect.
my original plan was to sail to the marquise in may, spend 3 mo -then maybe cook islands, then I would have to go north to avoid the cyclone season, marshall's-solomn's? ending up in guam to winter before going south again.

The Marquesas are ranged about between 6 deg S and 9 deg S, so doubt there would be a cyclone problem there. We have always gone south for cyclone season in the S. Pacific, and never gone to Guam. Had a friend sat out a typhoon there, and it almost sunk their boat--in the "hurricane anchorage"! Due to our going south, I have no experience on which to base any discussion of your going north!

now I'm looking at arriving at the marquise pretty late in the season.
wondering if I should hang in washington till sept-oct, head south to mexico and leave for marquise early part of the year. i should add that I have circumnavigated 30 yrs ago, so I am not newbie-I just want to sail and not hang in one place to long. I also plan on mostly single handing. so do you think it is to late to head for the marquise in early-mid June. thank you

Both times we left from Mexico to the Marquesas, we left from Cabo San Lucas, rather than further south (and east). The first time, we left in April, the second, in March. I think the March departure worked better for us, and leaving from further north both gets you out of the lee of the mainland of Mexico, but also gives you a better angle on the breeze.

If you leave Mexico in early to mid June, there might be the odd hurricane to worry about. Their season is June to December. It is very awkward, actually, as we have also seen October 10 to May 15 cyclones in the S Pac., so you'll need to work out your routing so that you go where you want to be, but also have a safe place for the boat in the event of cyclones. And then, there are all the visa issues. We've been cruising the years since you circumnavigated, and authorities keep a much tighter track of you than they used to.

Anyhow, I hope you have a super travel, and are not too disappointed by some of the changes you find. Enjoy.

Ann

[djsaxton]

first I would like to thank you all for taking the time to reply to my post.

I like the idea of exploring the north west reign then heading south then west. that might be the best answer. I have been going a million miles an hr for the last year getting ready and need to take a deep breath and figure this out and that might be the time I need.

JPA Cate- I have to say I am realizing I need to really plan not like my first navigation that I just floated in the wind. not looking forward to all the new regulations- not my strong suit. but I have to be out there its in my blood

DJS

[Suijin]

I think your question is moot. You’ve spent 15 years refitting the boat. I expect that you’ll need more than four week to be ready to shove off once she’s splashed. Call me a pessimist but that’s usually how it goes in my experience.