Is there a wrong direction to circumnavigate?

[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?

[Paul L]

Doable if you aren't concerned about the security issues heading down the Red Sea route and you don't want to take advantage of the tropical trade wind sailng available going west about.

With kids onboard and being relatively inexperienced my personal call would be west about.

[TXnewbie]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Doable if you aren't concerned about the security issues heading down the Red Sea route and you don't want to take advantage of the tropical trade wind sailng available going west about.

With kids onboard and being relatively inexperienced my personal call would be west about.

Kind of my thoughts without a lot of research. That part of the world indimidates me greatly.

[daletournier]

E to W, winds at your back.

[double u]

"Is there a wrong direction to circumnavigate?"
...going west to east you sure are gonna find out...

[Wotname]

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?

Dunno about a wrong way but there is a hard way and a easy way; easy way is the way almost everyone goes, west about; following the trade winds.

The hard way (east about) is to beat into thousands of miles of trade winds or take the high latitude southern route - not for the faint hearted. Yes, enough people go east about which says it can done but it remains the hard way.

[boatman61]

From Gib to Panama is just 6 weeks max sea time.. and downhill all the way.. no bribes, pirates or war zones..
Your choice.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Dunno about a wrong way but there is a hard way and a easy way...

This ^^^^^

If doing a circumnavigation isn't challenging enough for you, in and of itself, then do it east about and make it all that much more challenging. Nothing "wrong" with doing it that way. It will just be harder, take longer, and be less comfortable.

To my thinking, circumnavigating is a hard enough challenge all by itself. I would go west about.

[double u]

Originally Posted by boatman61

From Gib to Panama is just 6 weeks max sea time.. and downhill all the way.. no bribes, pirates or war zones..
Your choice.

btw, u might remember: in the early 80ies Colombia was the "pirate-danger-zone"...

[Suijin]

When you're crossing 2,800 some odd miles of ocean at a stretch you really want to maximize your safety factor, and that primarily comes down to the predictability of weather patterns. You should have a very good reason for choosing the harder, less predictable route. Simply wanting to visit europe first instead of last, and paying for the privilege by bucking 15,000 miles of headwinds doesn't strike me as prudent thinking.

If you really want to visit europe first, cross via the Azores, do Europe, then return via the trades and continue on your way east to west.

[double u]

otoh: if u ask "land-folks nothing whatsoever that has to do with sailing is "prudent"...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by double u

btw, u might remember: in the early 80ies Colombia was the "pirate-danger-zone"...

I believe that was limited to coastal stuff and folks anchored.. also some drug smuggling influence.. so sail 100nm offshore as I did (no interest in Columbia) there was little to no risk.
The Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean however had motherships ranging 500-1000nm out to sea keeping their fast skiffs supplied... a different kettle of fish from the opportunistic piracy around the world.. SE Asia for example..

[double u]

true, true...

[Adelie]

They need to invest in a copy, any edition, of Cornell's WorldCruisingRoutes.

[1Sunseeker]

If you have to ask, are you really ready to do it? And whatever way you go if you don't make it, was it the wrong way? Or was it the right way but poorly handled? IMHO it seems to me there is a lot of the world that I really don't have any interest in. Nor do I want to see. So that begs the question, why do you want to do it? If you must, I would think, follow the wind.