Brisbane to NZ ( Opua) advice?

[Heg]

Hi
We are undertaking our first ocean passage at the end of November. Excited and apprehensive.
We had planned to check out of Brisbane and make landfall in Opua ( top end of the North Island, east coast) however some folks have advised that we should travel further south down the east coast of Au before starting our crossing.
We'd love to hear from anyone that has actually done the trip with regards their starting port (and any other advice )
I'll add that we are planning on getting a weather report from a weather routing service too...
Thanks

[JPA Cate]

We made the trip, but in a very different boat, a 36 foot monohull. We left from Brisbane, out around the tip of Moreton Island, and then searched, southbound, for the EAC. It was not operating at that time (go figure!), and there was nothing remarkable about the passage, except that there were two frontal passages, about par for the course. Friends with a faster boat who checked out at the same time, did better sailing the rhumb line, arrived a day ahead of us.

Jim said that what he remembers most is that we could never fetch our course, till after we were around North Cape. And, we had a lost racing pigeon come aboard.

Incidentally, one can now effect clearance from Brisbane from Southport, which gives you almost immediate access to the Pacific, which is a good deal, I think.

We left with a high out east, and northerly quadrant winds.

I wish you a pleasant trip.

Ann

[Heg]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We made the trip, but in a very different boat, a 36 foot monohull. We left from Brisbane, out around the tip of Moreton Island, and then searched, southbound, for the EAC. It was not operating at that time (go figure!), and there was nothing remarkable about the passage, except that there were two frontal passages, about par for the course. Friends with a faster boat who checked out at the same time, did better sailing the rhumb line, arrived a day ahead of us.

Jim said that what he remembers most is that we could never fetch our course, till after we were around North Cape. And, we had a lost racing pigeon come aboard.

Incidentally, one can now effect clearance from Brisbane from Southport, which gives you almost immediate access to the Pacific, which is a good deal, I think.

We left with a high out east, and northerly quadrant winds.

I wish you a pleasant trip.

Ann

Thanks Ann. What time of year did you go?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Heg

Hi
We are undertaking our first ocean passage at the end of November. Excited and apprehensive.
We had planned to check out of Brisbane and make landfall in Opua ( top end of the North Island, east coast) however some folks have advised that we should travel further south down the east coast of Au before starting our crossing.
We'd love to hear from anyone that has actually done the trip with regards their starting port (and any other advice )
I'll add that we are planning on getting a weather report from a weather routing service too...
Thanks

FWIW, I did this route in the late 80's and was close hauled most of the way to Opua. We departed in mid November and IIRC, Brisbane to Auckland was 14 days.

Maybe departing from mid NSW or lower might have better?????

[Heg]

Originally Posted by Wotname

FWIW, I did this route in the late 80's and was close hauled most of the way to Opua. We departed in mid November and IIRC, Brisbane to Auckland was 14 days.

Maybe departing from mid NSW or lower might have better?????

Good advice. We may go from Coffs Harbour....

[JPA Cate]

Heg, it was in the end of November. If you wait till the high center has moved off, you will get a brief period of northerly quadrant winds. The predominant wind direction is SE, which is where you want to go, roughly. We just went on the preferred tack, and didn't worry about it too much. It's an effort to get there, but without time pressure, and enjoy the process.

Going to Coff's would let you get some of your southing in, before you leave Oz. North of 30 deg, the fronts that pass under you will be weaker. So, it's going to be a compromise, the easting vs. the southing. When you do it, you will re-evaluate based on what your experience is.

One way is to try and sail the rhumb line, and with the prevailing SE, that will be a chore. One way to approach it is based on the watch schedule. Change to the other tack when the new watch comes on.

Another way would be to try and get as much easting as you can, on the northerly quadrant breeze that occurs after the high moves off, and then go onto the southerly tack. If it's too tight, you can spend a day or two short tacking eastwards, then slide off, cracked off a bit if necessary, onto the southerly tack.

Here is the caveat, our mono was a good boat to sail close hauled going to windward; I do not know what your boat's performance on the wind is.

Ann