Non NZ cyclone season options

[owly]

The popular cyclone season destination seems to be kiwiland.......... stop over at Minnerva, wait for a weather window and head to Bay of Islands, etc. NZ is an attractive place I look forward to visiting, but it seems a bit illogical to head further south in the southern hemisphere cyclone season. Considering that the Gilberts, Carolines, Marshalls, Northern Line Islands, Hawaii, the Marianas, Japaj and various other groups are north of the equator....... Is that logical or sensible? Not to mention Wake, Midway, and Japan.
I look forward to visiting NZ, and spending some time at Minnerva (North or South), but once ensconced in NZ, you are basically stuck there for 6 months....... how many dare the dreaded Tasman to AU? I've heard they weight one's testicles before that crossing ;-)


Hawaii is OK with me...... I basically like the place but get cabin fever quickly!..... the crossing to Cape Flattery in the off season does NOT appeal to me....I've seen the so called "Pacific" in that season, and it's not a pretty sight! I'll never forget the day I took my bride to La Push, Wa. after a storm....... she stood in stunned shock watching the HUGE brown rollers sweep into the Quillaute river mouth past the haystack rock........native fishing boats disappearing completely between them..... even as a sailor and kyaker it was breathtaking.


I'm not a fearful guy..... but I'm not foolish either...... I'm not a conformist, I go places others do not........ I'm interested in the alternatives..... who goes north rather than south, who crosses the great barrier reef, and hangs out in OZ. the Philippines and Indonesia, etc, north to Japan, etc....

[Rucksta]

If your departure is Fiji or Samoa and destination Oz, the hops across the Coral Sea have less chance of unavoidable adverse weather than does the Tasman.

[seandepagnier]

basically if you can get near the equator you are more or less safe from typhoons, but maybe lightning will strike you down instead. papua new guinea, solomon islands, indonesia.

the real reason to avoid new zealand may be that you really get very little for your money there. For example, it is cheaper to buy new zealand food products in samoa and you can mail order a rivet tool from the usa and pay shipping to new zealand cheaper than buying it locally. Also a good destination to develop skin cancer, and deal with lots of rules and people that dont make any sense.

dont count on the philippines for avoiding cyclones... it is the epicenter of typhoons and they can strike any month of the year, however the southern parts are deemed safe most of the time. The parts that are completely safe from storms are dangerous from pirates.

[JPA Cate]

Staying within 5 to 10 degrees either side of the equator will keep you pretty safe. Don't forget there are typhoons on the N. side, if you're considering the Phillippines or Japan. There are sound reasons insurance companies want you north or south of 22.

Guam gets hit. Some places in Oz also get hit, but you can get far enough South to be safe.

I think you should take a look at the globe and see where you might want to try, and then the pilot charts, for the winds. Then look at the islands, do they have appropriate anchorage? Will they let you in? Perhaps Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia would fill the bill for you? 5 N/158E

Ann

On edit, while seandepagnier had conflicts in New Zealand, Jim and I enjoyed it. The people were very friendly towards us. A native Californian, I loved the greenness of it. We car toured there*, and it is the only place I have ever been where the authorities could have saved a lot of money by marking the unscenic places instead of the camera opportunities--there were that many of them.

* We bought a used car there; kept it 2 years; and sold it for $200 less than we paid for it. Bought one windscreen, an alternator, and replaced one front wheel bearing. All in all, very satisfactory.

[larsfforsberg]

Is this an old post? You can't go to any of these places right now. You might be able to get into Fiji - but that defeats the point of avoiding typhoons. Twilight zone episode?

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

the real reason to avoid new zealand may be that you really get very little for your money there. For example, it is cheaper to buy new zealand food products in samoa and you can mail order a rivet tool from the usa and pay shipping to new zealand cheaper than buying it locally. Also a good destination to develop skin cancer, and deal with lots of rules and people that dont make any sense.

Wow, you are really down on New Zealand. I have sailed to there three times and I disagree with your conclusions.

Things are more expensive but skilled labor is much less and readily available. Whangarei has two good haulout yards, many sources for tools and supplies. You can get quality machining, welding and other services at good prices. And BTW, I did buy a riveting tool in NZ at a tool store for not much more than the US price.

The last two times I pulled my mast was in New Zealand, 12 years apart. I had it stripped and painted both times. I managed to get a customs and visa extension for me stay and did a major refit in 2008-9. Everything I bought marine related was VAT free as a vessel in transit. I shipped in 600 pounds of boat equipment via a freight forwarder without import duty or taxes.

So please tell me of your experiences that have given you such a negative view of New Zealand.

[DreamCatcher37]

Due to Covid country closures, and many topics listed above, Bella Sirena is considering/thinking through non stop Mexico to Indonesia, goal Raja Ampat.
Comments?
Tons of scenic places in Indonesia only for the vessel with spares for most everything including patience. The country is open and an agent is mandatory for a zillion reasons.

[owly]

I've liked the kiwis I've met over the years, and I'd love to visit NZ, but it seems like the entire cyclone season is a LONG time. I'm sure there is plenty to do there from what I've read. The more out of the way less developed places have more appeal to me. That seems like the perfect season to explore the vast wilds of Southern Chile with their system of fjords with only a few remote towns.... Looks like a wonderful cruising ground! Everything south of Puerto Montt looks awesome.....more so the further south you go. One leaves Polynesia for the southern summer. This country looks on the map and Google Earth like it would put the Alaska Panhandle & inside passage to shame in sheer wild beauty and ruggedness... islands and passages, littered with national parks and nature reserves, and almost no towns. I've long dreamed of exploring this country, but from what I've read, at least the southern end toward the Beagle Channel and Straits of Magellan have three basic weather patterns... very wet, or very cold, or both... quite a system shock after the sunny isles of Polynesia. It also sounds like rules and restrictions are not very compatible with leisurely cruising.... signing out from one port with a specific destination and schedule to reach the next, advance notifications, inspections, calling in your location daily, fees, etc....typical Latin authoritarianism... not really compatible with free spirits. I would not be comfortable in that area without at least one "buddy boat". There is good reason to monitor the movements of boats in such wild and rugged country..... One could easily disappear off the face of the earth and nobody would know where to look.

[jordanbigel]

One vote for the Marshall Islands - completely safe from cyclones, although tropical storms can form nearby and bring rain. The Gilbert Islands (Kiribati) are a convenient stopover on the way to the Marshalls, but I've never heard of anyone spending more than a few months there (a stop at Butaritari after Tarawa is highly recommended).

[owly]

Originally Posted by larsfforsberg

Is this an old post? You can't go to any of these places right now. You might be able to get into Fiji - but that defeats the point of avoiding typhoons. Twilight zone episode?

This won't last forever...... it's critical that vaccines be distributed in these areas as well as here. It may well be that before long a "vaccination passport" will get one into these kinds of places.. Unfortunately the antivaxxer morons contribute to the evolution of the virus into more virulent faster spreading strains ....... along with the failure of western nations to distribute the vaccines more widely. Australia has a huge problem with the latest and most contagious version. Their policy of simply locking things down, and failure to push the vaccine out widely has led to a new outbreak. NZ will face the same thing I suspect.... You can't keep it out! Exposure is important to developing a resistance, and so called "herd immunity".... you won't get "herd immunity" but herd resistance..... only 42% of my state has been fully vaccinated... I got my second Moderna shot in early April.... I saw my idiot neighbor carrying "heat" today......but he won't get vaccinated. We have ZERO crime here..... only a dufus walks around with a loaded pistol..... only a moron refuses a FREE vaccination for a potentially deadly disease. I didn't die of Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus, and countless other diseases that killed people in the past........ I haven't had flu in 15 years...... since I started taking the vaccine..... I've lost 4 friends.... FOUR..... to Covid, and I have no hesitation in branding those who refuse the vaccine as absolute morons!! To evolve, a virus needs a pool of unvaccinated victims. This is continuing and evolving in the US and Europe ONLY because of a pool of people who have not been vaccinated. If it is available, and you refuse it..... YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.... Covid can ONLY be stopped by getting the vaccine out there.... It matters not at all what started it at this point.. what matters is how you stop it.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by DreamCatcher37

Due to Covid country closures, and many topics listed above, Bella Sirena is considering/thinking through non stop Mexico to Indonesia, goal Raja Ampat.
Comments?
Tons of scenic places in Indonesia only for the vessel with spares for most everything including patience. The country is open and an agent is mandatory for a zillion reasons.

Well, yes. Indonesia is in deep Covid trouble these days, as it has devastated their supply of health care professionals, people dying because they ran out of oxygen. And, it is closed. People allowed to transit, but not go ashore. Enforced.

Eventual opening, maybe next year????

Ann

[kryg]

Before you call people morons who will not take the vaccine, you should first learn to source and read published scientific papers on the subject, before you make an urban myth general comment as you have. Otherwise, you come across foolishly.

Originally Posted by owly

This won't last forever...... it's critical that vaccines be distributed in these areas as well as here. It may well be that before long a "vaccination passport" will get one into these kinds of places.. Unfortunately the antivaxxer morons contribute to the evolution of the virus into more virulent faster spreading strains ....... along with the failure of western nations to distribute the vaccines more widely. Australia has a huge problem with the latest and most contagious version. Their policy of simply locking things down, and failure to push the vaccine out widely has led to a new outbreak. NZ will face the same thing I suspect.... You can't keep it out! Exposure is important to developing a resistance, and so called "herd immunity".... you won't get "herd immunity" but herd resistance..... only 42% of my state has been fully vaccinated... I got my second Moderna shot in early April.... I saw my idiot neighbor carrying "heat" today......but he won't get vaccinated. We have ZERO crime here..... only a dufus walks around with a loaded pistol..... only a moron refuses a FREE vaccination for a potentially deadly disease. I didn't die of Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus, and countless other diseases that killed people in the past........ I haven't had flu in 15 years...... since I started taking the vaccine..... I've lost 4 friends.... FOUR..... to Covid, and I have no hesitation in branding those who refuse the vaccine as absolute morons!! To evolve, a virus needs a pool of unvaccinated victims. This is continuing and evolving in the US and Europe ONLY because of a pool of people who have not been vaccinated. If it is available, and you refuse it..... YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.... Covid can ONLY be stopped by getting the vaccine out there.... It matters not at all what started it at this point.. what matters is how you stop it.

[RaymondR]

Total deaths in Australia during 2021 from covid = 0, that's zero, nada, none, mate.

Total cases in Australia from the latest version is in the tens, that's 10s mate, not hundreds or thousands.

Australia's biggest problem at the moment is scare mongerers (mainly state based politicians and their professional health advisers and a predominately left wing media)

[Paul L]

New Zealand is one of the most welcoming and enjoyable stops on a typical circumnavigation. Great people, lots of excellent boat supplies and talent. Easy touring. And some decent sailing and anchorages.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by owly

I've liked the kiwis I've met over the years, and I'd love to visit NZ, but it seems like the entire cyclone season is a LONG time. I'm sure there is plenty to do there from what I've read. The more out of the way less developed places have more appeal to me. That seems like the perfect season to explore the vast wilds of Southern Chile with their system of fjords with only a few remote towns.... Looks like a wonderful cruising ground! Everything south of Puerto Montt looks awesome.....more so the further south you go. One leaves Polynesia for the southern summer. This country looks on the map and Google Earth like it would put the Alaska Panhandle & inside passage to shame in sheer wild beauty and ruggedness... islands and passages, littered with national parks and nature reserves, and almost no towns. I've long dreamed of exploring this country, but from what I've read, at least the southern end toward the Beagle Channel and Straits of Magellan have three basic weather patterns... very wet, or very cold, or both... quite a system shock after the sunny isles of Polynesia. It also sounds like rules and restrictions are not very compatible with leisurely cruising.... signing out from one port with a specific destination and schedule to reach the next, advance notifications, inspections, calling in your location daily, fees, etc....typical Latin authoritarianism... not really compatible with free spirits. I would not be comfortable in that area without at least one "buddy boat". There is good reason to monitor the movements of boats in such wild and rugged country..... One could easily disappear off the face of the earth and nobody would know where to look.

Sadly Chile is closed up as tight as a crab's bum at forty fathoms just now. I wouldn't count on it being open this Austral summer.


Apart from that it would be an ideal destination.
In a normal world a not unreasonable plan would be head to NZ at the start of the cyclone season and then move on to Chile in January. It will take about the same time Tahiti - Chile as it takes from NZ.

'It also sounds like rules and restrictions are not very compatible with leisurely cruising.....'
I don't know who you have been talking to but it is really quite relaxed.... the Zarpe rules and daily email check-in in the south are there for your own good.

Mas Aqui
https://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Chile

https://www.docdroid.net/bO63FbL/202...anchorages-pdf

And also I have a voyage report somewhere on CF dating from early 2016.. should be easy to find.