Noumea to Mackay, AU

[svBeBe]

We will be sailing from New Caledonia to Australia in June 2009, planning to enter and clear-in at Mackay. Anyone done this route and have waypoints you are willing to share? Especially interested in waypoints through Great Barrier Reef as we all know the electronic charts are not always exactly accurate.

Judy
S/V BeBe
currently in New Zealand

[Reefmagnet]

Getting through the reef into Mackay is a breeze as there is a well marked passage and approaches to allow all the coal ships through. This is shown as "Hydrographers Passage" on the charts. Inside the reef it is well charted and you won't have any problems. There are some reefs between Australia and new Caledonia though that have been the undoing of more than one mariner. Just a few days ago a yacht hit a reef around the Chesterfield reefs.

[donradcliffe]

June seems like the wrong time of year for this passage, and you could see some lows. Chesterfield and Huon reefs are great stops along the way for this passage, but you need to watch the weather and get out before the wind shifts out of the east. Of course you should be aware of the latest requirements for providing advance notice of your arrival in Australia.

[cat man do]

Be carefull of Chesterfield reef, apparently it jumps out infront of yachties even when they dilligently check charts

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-in-21256.html

Dave

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by svBeBe

Great Barrier Reef as we all know the electronic charts are not always exactly accurate.

Get Google Earth Plus and you can input your GPS in real time. I have found Google Earth to be EXACTLY accurate when the charts and plotter have boats on dry land in the Pacific!

Mark

[Nauticatarcher]

When leaving New Cal you can do a full clearance out of Koumac in the NW of Grande Terre, great little marina and very friendly people, it gives you a better wind angle and is a shorter passage, especially good if you want to stop at chesterfield reef

[Vasco]

I hope those that ask others for waypoints aren't relying on them. In my mind the only waypoints I'd rely on are those I've taken off up-to-date charts by myself. Asking others for recommended routes is acceptable but you really should plot the route and take off the waypoints by yourself.

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

June seems like the wrong time of year for this passage, and you could see some lows. Chesterfield and Huon reefs are great stops along the way for this passage, but you need to watch the weather and get out before the wind shifts out of the east. Of course you should be aware of the latest requirements for providing advance notice of your arrival in Australia.

Cornell's "World Cruising Routes" states that best time for this passage is mid-April to June. Will be departing NZ on first weather window after 1 May. If stay in New Caledonia only a week or two, that puts passage New Cal to AU around 1 June. Don't plan to stop along the way. And yes we are aware of the arrival requirements for AU. Thanks.

Judy
S/V BeBe

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by Vasco

I hope those that ask others for waypoints aren't relying on them. In my mind the only waypoints I'd rely on are those I've taken off up-to-date charts by myself. Asking others for recommended routes is acceptable but you really should plot the route and take off the waypoints by yourself.

Of course we plot our routes ourselves and confirm waypoints. Just asked if anyone had waypoints to share because we have received tracks from others for areas like Tonga and the San Blas Islands of Panama that proved invaluable when navigating in and around reefs where the charts are not exactly aligned to GPS. It is really nice to have a track to refer to where you know someone else has already sailed. Nice to have for reference when your chart is clearly showing you sailing on land.

Judy
S/V BeBe

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Get Google Earth Plus and you can input your GPS in real time. I have found Google Earth to be EXACTLY accurate when the charts and plotter have boats on dry land in the Pacific!

Mark

Mark,

Don't you have to be connected with the internet in order to use Google Earth Plus? Don't see how that can help when at sea. Please enlighten me. Love Google Earth. Is there a feature that can really be used when not connected to internet?

Judy
S/V BeBe