Buddy boat for March 2018 Pacific crossing

[Candyman]

Hello Everyone

Sandy and I are new to the sailing world. We plan to spend this year honing our sailing skills on our leopard 45.

After Christmas next year and a full year of prep and planning, we plan to Circumnavigate the globe.

We are looking for others who maybe considering crossing the Pacific Mid Feb/Early March 2018?

If anyone is planning or knows of anyone who maybe planning a similar trip, please reply back!

Hope to hear from all of you!

Cheers
paulfuntimecandy@gmail.com

[Paul L]

Look at Lattitude38's Pacific Puddle Jump. They try and make it one giant buddy boat and advertising opportunity.
Its a 3 week crossing from Panama to the Marquesas -- you won't be staying near any boat for that long.

[SV DestinyAscen]

For a crossing like that it'll be very frustrating to coordinate with another boat unless it's virtually identical in performance and crew.

Since you're going to cross the canal I think you'll be able to find folks to share information and VHF/satellite companionship at shelter bay and staging anchorage outside of the west canal lock entrance. My two cents.

[Candyman]

Thnx SV,,, I will look into it.

Hoping to find others crossing similar time to kind of look after each other! Any assistance is greatly appreciated as well as all input! :-)

We hope to avge 8 knots so most boats will be in same avge. 45' cat Leopard.

Cheers
Paul & Sandy

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Candyman

We hope to avge 8 knots so most boats will be in same avge. 45' cat Leopard.

You may like to reconsider that figure.

[DtM]

4 or 5 more like it.c


and therefore you need to think about fuel

[Delancey]

Buddy boating only creates an illusion of safety. If you're not prepared to go it alone, you're not prepared. Do not go.

[robert sailor]

Very hard to buddy boat across an ocean. You can certainly keep in touch via radio on a preplanned schedule.

[AiniA]

I agree about the difficulty of buddy boating across an ocean. Also it is really not necessary. Informal radio nets form when people leave from various points - Panama and the Galapagos in particular. Your speed depends to some extent on the route you choose. The route from the Galapagos to Marquesas can be a bit slow unless you go a bit south to make sure you are fully in the trades. With our 45' monohull we use 125 nm per day for planning purposes - assuming we have decent trade winds. Eight knots is 192 per day. We made that distance only a handful of times (once did 211 but that was with a good current). The Pacific Puddle Jump is helpful and free.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Buddy boating only creates an illusion of safety. If you're not prepared to go it alone, you're not prepared. Do not go.

++ 1

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Buddy boating only creates an illusion of safety. If you're not prepared to go it alone, you're not prepared. Do not go.

Candyman,

I'm not going to tell you to not go, but I basically agree with Delancey's advice that you should really be prepared to go it alone. This is a serious caveat: no sensible person would want to go with you if you are not so prepared. However, it appears you now have the boat, which is a step in the direction you want to go. And there is time for a an offshore trip or two before you leave New Orleans for Panama.

Along the way to Panama, you will probably participate in radio schedules, and start to make friends.

Sailing in company, i.e. buddy boating, works well with close friends with similar boats who like to sail them pretty much the same, and for day hopping. In order to buddy boat across an ocean, you will find yourself changing your sailing patterns to accommodate the slower boats or struggling to keep up with the faster ones.

The reason to not count on buddy boating to keep you safe is that often sea conditions will not permit you to safely to go to someone's aid, even though you want to, but leaving your own boat then leaves your crew without their skipper....and of course, the same applies to someone who might help you, and that is another part of why I think Delancey's warning to you is valid.

I do not mean to be negative, but it is simply unrealistic to plan that everything will go the way you want it to. If it is a new boat, you must be prepared for teething problems. If it is a used, but new to you boat, you must be prepared for *stuff* to break. Basically, there is usually some breakage for every major passage. If you're prepared, this won't be catastrophic, but it will delay you, or you may have to return to port if you're not prepared to fix it yourself. If you're a good hands on sort of person, high in mechanical aptitude, spatial reasoning, creative practical thinker, you'll probably do fine, if you've experience with your boat's systems. That's an awfully lot to develop over the short period of one year.

Ann

[zeehag]

if you head to banderas bay earlier in high season, you will meet up with puddle jumpers. it is a loosely organized rally with folks leaving from all over west coastal mexico and cali. la cruz marina and vallarta --nuevo, paradice and old marina in bvallarta as well as the anchorage of fla cruz are good locations for this.

[tunnelvision]

We are in Bay St Louis and plan to cross around that time on our 380 Maxim. If your in the area stop in and say hi. Mike from S/V Mojo

[Candyman]

Hi Mike

Great to hear from you. We are practically neighbors. Happy to pop in bsl and visit a bit. Discuss plans etc.

I am taking all of the good advice from the experienced mates in the thread for sure.

Iam new to sailing but nor boating. i live on the water 20 miles from grand isle with several boats in the water at times 🛥🎣

Send me your contact details so i can get in touch!

Cheers
Paul n Sandy

[tunnelvision]

pm sent