Australia to western Canada

[mischief]

So we are closing in on the day we move aboard. We have now pushed the date up and hope it will happen by October.

My wife has minimal offshore experience so far except a 2 night passage.

So after we move aboard we will start going up and down the east coast of Australia (okay this damn ap is acting up again and I'm typing blind so please bare with my grammer and spelling, lord help the auto correct )
After that we plan a lord Howe trip than tassie New Zealand a few islands etc. but then I would like to sail back to Canada where I was born and raised.
If anybody has had experience doing this trip I'd love to hear your experience.
I've been kind of mauling over going north to Japan than further up to Russia and across to Alaska. Than down the coast to Van.
Just throwing out ideas and I have not done too much investigating. I suppose that's why I'm asking here. To get some ideas of routes and possibilities.
Thanks
Koo loo koo koo ka loo ka koo its like the call of the great white north eh!

[boatman61]

Hi Mischief... this is from a quick glance but I'd work my way up to the Southern Line Islands via Papatee etc through your summer/autumn.. then jump the equator following the Line Islands till conditions/wind favourable for a jump to Hawaii... from there I'd do a straight run for Canada...
But then I'm not into the sight seeing side of sailing...

[Paul Lefebvre]

Check out the blog in bethandevans.com . They did this passage in 2005, via Hawaii.

[Paul L]

I have some friends who did OZ, Japan ( 2years), then Aleutian Islands, over winter in Kodiak, Alaska, then down to Vancouver.

[jimbim]

We came from Southeast Asia to Japan, but met a lot of sailors there, either coming from Australia/New Zealand or circumnavigating the Pacific, who were heading for Alaska or somewhere else on the west coast of North America. Long way to go with little in between. Osaka in the inland sea to Victoria took me 74 days in my little boat.

[JPA Cate]

To the OP:

You wrote, "I've been kind of mauling over going north to Japan than further up to Russia and across to Alaska. Than down the coast to Van." That is the trip that the original owner-builders of our boat made. They had a wonderful time.

In fact they enjoyed it so much that they went back and did it in the new boat they built!

Enjoy,

Ann

[Ocean Diamond 2]

Hi Mischief,
So envious of your plans.
We would love to follow in your wash, so will take interest in this thread.
Still working but sail out of Lake Macquarie
Derek

[mischief]

Hi Derek

Thanks for the encouragement. We are only a stones throw from you up here in Nelson Bay.

I thought I was a bit of an odd ball but sounds like I'm not the only one that would like to cruise areas that are a bit more remote. If circumstances worked out my idea of fun would be cruising Antarctica, the NW passage greenland Baffin Island Patagonia etc. however I doubt the admiral would be on board for that yet I think going as north as Alaska would be something she would be into. Maybe circum Tassie and south NZ too. That's okay with me anyway.

When I was younger living on a big wall for a month while climbing remote routes or being 1000m up an ice route was my idea of a good time. Now with kids and family I'm happy sport climbing and think 30 pitches of a 5.8 route would be a great day out. Guess what I'm saying is Ive slowed down and don't have to take everything to extreme. Sure would be fun sailing to Antarctica though.

Here's hoping someone that has sailed the northern easterly winds to Canada chimes in. I'd love to hear some first hand experiences.

Oh and btw long lengths at sea would be fantastic in my eyes. But I lived alone in tent for a year when I was younger. In fact before we immigrated to Australia my wife and I planned to live in the Arctic for a year (as traditionally as possible) unfortunately those plans changed from some unforeseen circumstances and since then we have started this adventure. Okay sorry, now I'm just rambling on...but I get excited about living instead of working 9-5 as a drone where the most consequential decision is white or whole meal bread? Blah! Life is where what you do has a direct consequence of your life.
Reef now or later? Navigation, stores, maintenance, problem solving etc, when you are totally self sufficient the way we were meant to be, brings satisfaction that can only be had by doing and no amount of money can buy. Where the consequences of poor decisions can become life threatening means you are now living. But maybe that's just me. I'm probably just going crazy because this refit is taking me so long (since I'm working to much and should be working on the boat more). Yeah I got to get back sailing.....hopefully just a few more months.

Okay I hope my rambling has not been too boring or hard to read!

[Ocean Diamond 2]

Hey Mischief,
Dont excuse yourself for dreaming, a lot of us are still in the hum-drum awaiting for that final moment when we can let go the dock lines.
Like me I suppose, its still head down and dream till the time arrives.
We sailed up to the bay for easter but the 110 a night at Peppers was too much so back we went back Saturaday.
It will be anchor out crusing for us
Derek

[RedHerring]

You may want to skip Russia and head straight to US Aleutians from Japan. Kurils and East Kamchatka are beautiful, wild and virtually uninhabited, but the weather can become ugly any time of the year, navigation season is like three-four months long, and they really aren't set up for receiving foreign yachts in that area. Although, I'm pretty sure that if you somehow made it to Anadyr, you'd be a local celebrity, make the national TV news in Russia, and it'd be one hell of an adventure for you and your liver

How do I know? Grew up on Okhotsk Sea northern shore, kinda nearby by the standards of that part of the world.

If you intend to go, you may want to talk to this guy: Call or send e-mail -. As far as I understand, he lives in Oz, but also runs the one and only sailing charter on the entire Kamchatka Peninsula.

[Svan]

If you're sailing to Canada, might as well stop in Mexico first.

My only thought is to weather. Are you equipped to obtain weather information during your long stretches away? Practicing it?

Enjoy the journey.

[mischief]

Wow thanks Red Herring

Its nice to have some first hand insight. I had considered the remoteness and also the short season if one did not want to winter in Russia. So was sort of thinking a fast push through if that would be the chosen route.
Of corse one would need a contingency plan and be prepared if you only made it part way due to unforeseen circumstances. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Sheesh you have me thinking how cool it would be to go where few have cruised before. Give me elements over piracy any day. You couldn't pay me to sail around Somalia!
I do remember reading an account of a couple I believe that sea kayaked up the Russian coast. Ill have to see if I can dig it up. I do remember thinking what a great cruising destination it would be.
Of corse we are open to all options and I've even considered going west to eastern Canada and over the NW passage but again I don't know if my wife would be keen enough for that. Although in a few years we could get a record thaw and less pack ice. Or we could get a record recovery of pack ice and get caught out.

I'm still liking the idea of a north and than easterly pacific passage.

[RedHerring]

Originally Posted by mischief

Of corse one would need a contingency plan and be prepared if you only made it part way due to unforeseen circumstances.

There is large scale commercial salmon fishing going on every OTHER summer along the East Kamchatka coast. I don't remember if it's odd or even years though - salmon runs alternate between E and W coasts of the peninsula. You may want to time your passage so that you at least have some fishing boats in the area, in case **** hits the fan. Otherwise, up north from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky there won't be anybody.

Kurils and South Kamchatka host a bunch of military infrastructure. You'll want to know where it is, and give it a wide berth.

Having a Russian crew onboard is probably a good idea, to handle all the local diplomacy issues Either that, or enlist the help of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky sailing community ahead of your arrival. Actually, you'll need an invite from them to get a Russian visa, in the first place.

Most everyone you meet there will be thrilled to see a foreign sailboat in their waters, although I'd imagine they may not have a worked out process in place to handle your arrival.

Having said all that, the contact I gave you should be more than happy to give you infinitely better info.

Originally Posted by mischief

I've even considered going west to eastern Canada and over the NW passage

Sure, insanity of the brave is the wisdom of life. All you need for that is a sailboat with ice class and enough heat insulation for several months of -40C (while you are wintering out in Tiksi).

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Svan

If you're sailing to Canada, might as well stop in Mexico first...

I hope you are been facetious.

[Capt Phil]

Not been west of Hawaii on the water but on the Vic-Mauii after a nearly straight run across, the delivery back we took the north route around the Pacific high that gave us dependable wind but somewhat heavy seas. I fished commercially in the Bering Sea as well as the Kamchatka Archipelego years ago and just seeing another boat in those waters back in the day was an event! A little more activity up there now, I guess. Chatted with a japanese sailor from Osaka back in the 80's who sailed his home built sloop from Japan to Vancover and said it was a cake walk the whole way. I recall him telling me he lived on rice and salmon the whole way and gained weight!
I'd sort out the weather issues for the trip as you do your coastal cruising and prepare, prepare, prepare. Hope you make the trip... cheers, Phil