Equipment list for Pacific crossing

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by akprb

A week or so in New Zealand?

It is a very small country, don't you know

[TrentePieds]

A week isn't gonna be long enuff to even learn the background to how Auckland got its name :-)!


TP

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

A week isn't gonna be long enuff to even learn the background to how Auckland got its name :-)!


TP

Not many people know that it is a corruption of Orcland..... the land of the orcs....

They are a big tourist drawcard in Unzud these days.....

Edit... and just in case you think I am making this up https://corporate.aucklandairport.co...rs-to-orc-land

[Benz]

I remember trying to plan a big cruise with all the charts spread out and the world before us...it's fun to run your finger along the chart and say: ooh, I'll go here, here and here; then pop over there for a spell, and check out this place on November 15. Nothing wrong with it, but my experience was that anything more than a few weeks out (and even that) was impossible to plan in any detail.
I've never done a cruise where our plans didn't change dramatically, sometimes on the fly, as weather, new information, budget, season and whimsy dictated.
So by all means, pore over the charts, gather information, have a list of places to go: but don't be surprised if you wind up doing a somewhat different trip than planned. But it's all good. As long as you're sailing, travelling, living, having a great time, it will be unforgettable.

[JPA Cate]

Tidjian,

NZ was one of the most physically beautiful countries we visited. You'd be hard put to see too much of it by car in two months! We spent 3 seasons there. You must, of course, do as you want, and once you're used to living on a boat and going *there* by sail, you can go wherever you want, always being aware of visas, lengths of stay, and cyclone/typhoon seasons. And, once you get your Cornell, you'll be able to see which routes are easier inside the seasons.

Ann

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Benz

I remember trying to plan a big cruise with all the charts spread out and the world before us...it's fun to run your finger along the chart and say: ooh, I'll go here, here and here; then pop over there for a spell, and check out this place on November 15. Nothing wrong with it, but my experience was that anything more than a few weeks out (and even that) was impossible to plan in any detail.
I've never done a cruise where our plans didn't change dramatically, sometimes on the fly, as weather, new information, budget, season and whimsy dictated.
So by all means, pore over the charts, gather information, have a list of places to go: but don't be surprised if you wind up doing a somewhat different trip than planned. But it's all good. As long as you're sailing, travelling, living, having a great time, it will be unforgettable.

Not sure if pilot charts have been mentioned already.... free downloads here Atlas of Pilot Charts - Covering the Major Oceans of the World or buy paper ones.

I prefer paper for planning and daydreaming...

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Not sure if pilot charts have been mentioned already.... free downloads here Atlas of Pilot Charts - Covering the Major Oceans of the World or buy paper ones.

I prefer paper for planning and daydreaming...

Or the 'updated' Cornel Ocean Atlas pilot charts. They have more detail and additional info than the older Pilot Charts

[TrentePieds]

On my pokey, el cheapo little laptop I often amuse myself here:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...y:49.3/zoom:10

If you click you'll just get the Straits of Georgia, but scroll and mess with the scaling function, and you can see the entire world. It is quite wonderful in more ways than I can count, and just this morning, because I've set it the program to show wind patterns, I had a wonderful "teaching aid" to teach MyBeloved what a "Pacific high" looks like, as well as a typhoon in waters where we will never go. This sort of display, or something like it, is, of course, where the CBC's weather-lady gets her "forecast" for the evening news. Might even be the basis for the CCG's WX transmissions. Only once, a long time ago, have I thot I wouldn't sea the shore again, and that was because I'd blithely accepted the CBC's weather-boffin's forecast rather than make my own :-)!

So it tickled my funnybone this morning when I noticed a post on another thread where someone wanted to know if an electronic barometer would be sufficiently accurate, and if it is necessary, IIRC, to store the readings for 2 weeks. As we do so often, Willy Occam and I had our heads together and were chuckling over that one.

Someone mentioned the Pilot Charts for Tidjian's benefit, and they are, I agree, invaluable, but if I were planning to do what he is bent on doing, I think I just might dig deep enuff to have access to this sort of information in — what is that modern expression? — "in real time". Willy would just have to learn to live with it! I also like, not because I have any real need for it, but because it amuses me, to learn something about the particular vessels I see around me, and here in the Straits I like to know what the SAR vessels and those nifty little cutters that replaced the RCN's YAGs are doing.

And since there was a number of posts on the merits of AIS, here, Tidjian, is an example of what YOU would look like on the display in grown-up ships if you had "active" AIS. Your boats name, her momentary speed and her momentary course [well, SORT of momentary :-)], would all be there along with your APPROXIMATE position. If things get crowded, that's gotta be better than your wearing a radar reflector :-)

And with this sort of equipment, given the right software, you can even play solitaire when things get boring :-)

Cheers, and the best of the season to all :-)!

TP

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Tidjian

Then I'll have the uncertain path to New Zealand which I could spend a week or so. Then head up to the Philippines post November which I think is a good season to be there. When storm season comes round I can always dip into the Gulf of Thailand up to Bankok if need be. Spending time there and hence completing my journey.

This is just a rough assessment of where strategy is at.

NZ to Phillipines is well over 4000 miles by the shortest route and "post November" will put you into the cyclone belt for the first half of the trip.

[JPA Cate]

^^^
Plus, it is always possible to catch an early one, in October, as we did, one year in Vanuatu.

Ann

[Tidjian]

Okay okay! Haha. Maybe my timeline estimations are off. I'm sure I could hit Tonga and stay until they kick me out! I guess not understanding the seasons fully of each area it's hard to say how long I'll stay anywhere. Also port fees and docking fees, travel expenses, inn costs, etc. I could see myself staying in Middle-Earth a very long time if I could afford it. All stuff I'll have to research on each area I plan to visit. I've all ready grabbed my lonely planet books to most of southeast Asia. I'll have to grab one on New Zealand, Aussieland, and Hawaii. Although in most places I doubt I'll venture far from the coast as I'll be wanting to retreat to my boat at night to save money on hotel costs.

I snagged a book on backpacking (I'm still young enough to get away with this) and I wonder if the couch surfing website still exists.

Thanks again all. Always appreciate the insight.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

[Tidjian]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

On my pokey, el cheapo little laptop I often amuse myself here:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais...y:49.3/zoom:10

If you click you'll just get the Straits of Georgia, but scroll and mess with the scaling function, and you can see the entire world. It is quite wonderful in more ways than I can count, and just this morning, because I've set it the program to show wind patterns, I had a wonderful "teaching aid" to teach MyBeloved what a "Pacific high" looks like, as well as a typhoon in waters where we will never go. This sort of display, or something like it, is, of course, where the CBC's weather-lady gets her "forecast" for the evening news. Might even be the basis for the CCG's WX transmissions. Only once, a long time ago, have I thot I wouldn't sea the shore again, and that was because I'd blithely accepted the CBC's weather-boffin's forecast rather than make my own :-)!

So it tickled my funnybone this morning when I noticed a post on another thread where someone wanted to know if an electronic barometer would be sufficiently accurate, and if it is necessary, IIRC, to store the readings for 2 weeks. As we do so often, Willy Occam and I had our heads together and were chuckling over that one.

Someone mentioned the Pilot Charts for Tidjian's benefit, and they are, I agree, invaluable, but if I were planning to do what he is bent on doing, I think I just might dig deep enuff to have access to this sort of information in — what is that modern expression? — "in real time". Willy would just have to learn to live with it! I also like, not because I have any real need for it, but because it amuses me, to learn something about the particular vessels I see around me, and here in the Straits I like to know what the SAR vessels and those nifty little cutters that replaced the RCN's YAGs are doing.

And since there was a number of posts on the merits of AIS, here, Tidjian, is an example of what YOU would look like on the display in grown-up ships if you had "active" AIS. Your boats name, her momentary speed and her momentary course [well, SORT of momentary :-)], would all be there along with your APPROXIMATE position. If things get crowded, that's gotta be better than your wearing a radar reflector :-)

And with this sort of equipment, given the right software, you can even play solitaire when things get boring :-)

Cheers, and the best of the season to all :-)!

TP

Is that really accurate??

There are so many boats. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of boats out on the oceans. I guess I never realized how populated the waters of the world have become. I figured after leaving the coast you'd be lucky to spot another boat out on the open ocean. That display looks like a damn highway of traffic all over. I see the importance of an AIS now.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Tidjian

Is that really accurate??

There are so many boats. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, of boats out on the oceans. I guess I never realized how populated the waters of the world have become. I figured after leaving the coast you'd be lucky to spot another boat out on the open ocean. That display looks like a damn highway of traffic all over. I see the importance of an AIS now.

Actually you figured right, it's rare to spot other sailboats while crossing an ocean, really rare. If your in a shipping highway then your chances of seeing ships is much higher but even ships enroute are more of a chance encounter. As you start to get closer to shore of course that all changes.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Tidjian

Okay okay! Haha. Maybe my timeline estimations are off. I'm sure I could hit Tonga and stay until they kick me out! I guess not understanding the seasons fully of each area it's hard to say how long I'll stay anywhere. Also port fees and docking fees, travel expenses, inn costs, etc. I could see myself staying in Middle-Earth a very long time if I could afford it. All stuff I'll have to research on each area I plan to visit. I've all ready grabbed my lonely planet books to most of southeast Asia. I'll have to grab one on New Zealand, Aussieland, and Hawaii. Although in most places I doubt I'll venture far from the coast as I'll be wanting to retreat to my boat at night to save money on hotel costs.

I snagged a book on backpacking (I'm still young enough to get away with this) and I wonder if the couch surfing website still exists.

Thanks again all. Always appreciate the insight.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

The trouble with Lonely Planet and other backpacking guides is that they're geared toward packers travelling over land and by public transportation, but on a boat you'll have access to so many more amazing and wonderful places than backpackers do that you can stay off the cattle trails and discover all sorts of places they'll never see. Better to trade the weight of backpacker guides for cruising guides meant for boats, then borrow a peek into a packer's guide if you're somewhere wishing you had one. After all, where there's backpackers, there's backpacker's guides.

[JPA Cate]

About encountering other sailboats at sea, yes it is rare, BUT some of them will be unlit at night. This is less common now, with LED nav lights, but it is creepy as heck! The sailboat, on a moonless night, is almost invisible. There's a huge temptation to throw something heavy into their cockpit when you're angry at them for terrifying you, and endangering you. But of course, you bear off, to keep them a safe distance off.

Tidjian, the cruising guides will do you more good than the LP books, I agree, but their maps are useful for getting around unfamiliar towns, and give you a little background history. However, if you are set on a tiny boat, you're going to have to triage your stuff to get the possessions to a small enough space. Some cruising guides are available on CDs. If you have a laptop that can play CD's, you might want to go that route. You would want to carry a spare, but the laptop can also become your main navigation tool, by running open CPN, and using C-maps.



Ann