TXnewbie,
1) First off, you've received some good
advice to head to Europe and enjoy your time cruising there, and then head back across the Atlantic....and onto to a circumnav if you wish to continue....
And, you appear to accept that
advice...
So, that's all good...and I won't pile-on and be redundant.
2) But, what I would like to do is give you some well intended (and for most
novice offshore sailors, much needed) info/advice, regarding:
a) your eastbound Atlantic passage and..
b) your route from Aus back to the US...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TXnewbie
Might be a dumb question however our plan is start in US June 2019 after wintering in southern waters, we are heading to Azores. From there we want to spend a few years in Europe with the kids. Question is should we continue to Pacific from there or head back across Atlantic through Panama to do all the Pacific island and eventually get to New Zealand and Australia then route back to US. Can you do all those southern islands while going west to east?
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a) instead of retyping a lot, or cutting-n-pasting a lot here that isn't directly on point of your question, I will just point you to a couple excellent threads here, that have a wealth of info and advice for you:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-122743-5.html
And, more info:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-122743-6.html
And, this thread about what not to do, and how not to get into trouble on an eastbound Atlantic
passage.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-145794-3.html
b) Regarding heading back to the US (or to EU) from Aus/NZ...
Anyone sailing the western
Indian Ocean needs to be aware of serious
security issues thereabouts, and most sailboats either avoid this area altogether (by
shipping their
boat to the
Med, or selling their boat in Aus), or stay way south, heading from the Cocos Keeling Islands, across the
Indian Ocean to Mauritius or Reunion (or
Seychelles, and then onto Mauritius and Reunion)...and then to
South Africa, keeping as far south as possible and as far away from the
east coast of
Africa as possible...and for sure with heightened lookout for any suspicious activity...
(Remember, the entire western Indian Ocean is a
security issue, not just the Gulf of Aden / Horn of Africa)....just because you don't hear many news reports of pirate activity, it doesn't mean it is now a safe area of the world....and slow-moving, low-freeboard
boats are VERY easy targets!)
{FYI, I have friends that are in
Seychelles and love the islands/climate, but are concerned about
security there....and while they are a beautiful place, I actually don't recommend sailing there at the moment, as that places you in some fairly dangerous waters....perhaps a flight there from S. Africa, as a respite after a long Indian Ocean passage would be best...

}
{Of course those vessels considering running thru the Gulf of Aden, around the horn of Africa, or the even thru the Red Sea, either have serious firepower and adequate trained security personnel on-board, and most run in fast convoys, many escorted by US/UK/French/Japanese Navies (even Iranian Naval forces are out there "protecting" these critical waters!)...and those are the big/fast ships, not small sailboats!}
Further, a few years ago, I researched and tested (both in the lab and at sea), and wrote a very detailed paper on
communications systems for ISAF and World Cruising, for vessels transiting these high-piracy areas of the Gulf of Aden, Horn of Africa, etc., and the entire western Indian Ocean...(and also forwarded the paper to the SSCA board and OCC directors)
I have never, and will never, publish this publically as I feel the need to keep the methods of secure
communications to just those considering transiting these areas...
So, if a particular rally / vessel /
skipper is considering these areas, please get in touch and we can discuss these matters.
3) Finally, in regards to pilot
charts and Jimmy's World Cruising
Charts...
https://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.po...2&pubCode=0003
https://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.po...ubConstant=APC
Pilot charts are free to download, and I have compared Jimmy's "World Cruising Routes" and "Ocean Charts" to the US GSIA Pilot Charts....and along the major sailing / cruising routes, there is no change in ocean currents, and only some minor changes in
wind speeds...
Jimmy's charts make a nice presentation at a yacht club meeting, etc., but for anyone planning an ocean passage, the official pilot charts are just as good....
Now, yes, they do publish some nice
books and charts, but for "TXnewbie", I recommend he look at the Pilot Charts on his computer now, and get a very good idea of where/how and why most sail the routes they do...
My recommendation is mainly so he can learn what the currents and winds do, in the various months, in many locations....and use that knowledge to make informed decisions....rather than just read a book and take the author's advice.
Some comments that pilot charts aren't as good as they used to be, are somewhat misleading....as the pilot charts may need to have some historical updates, but don't forget that it can take decades for historical climate changes to be recognized as "climate" rather than "weather"...
Yes, recent
weather patterns are a bit different than what many have been accustomed to, but that doesn't mean that the pilot charts are wrong, just that we sailors need to pay more attention to mid-term
weather patterns (weeks to months of weather), rather than the "obsession" for accurate 3 to 5 day weather forecasts...
TXnewbie, I hope this helps.
Fair winds.
John