Pop music & Pacific

[A CheeseHead]

Crosby, Stills, & Nash wrote & performed a tune named "Southern Cross".

It starts with a departure from Avalon, on Catalina Island, and proceeds as follows:

"Got out of town on a boat goin' to Southern Islands
Sailing a reach before a followin' sea
She was makin' for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete"

The Transpac's rhumbline to Hawai'i is ~237º. Papeete is almost due S of Hawai'i . The rhumbline bearing from Los Angeles to Papeete is ~210º.

I can see how one's likely course is dependent on the location of the Pacific High and on anything too-interesting in the way, so there'll be a certain amount of variation on the way to the trades (as we dug pretty far S from Gran Canaria to pick up the trades to Barbados).

So: what does it mean to be making for the trades on the outside? Outside of what, exactly?

Enquiring minds ....

[OldManMirage]

Likely means making for the trade winds and staying outside of the doldrums.

Great song too. That trio has some good stuff.

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

Likely means making for the trade winds and staying outside of the doldrums.

Great song too. That trio has some good stuff.

I understood "making for the Trades" for that's what we did to get from Gran Canaria to Barbados. The Doldrums (ITCZ, to be precise) lie directly in the path from LA to Papeete (initially via the NE Trades), for that "Equator" thing is also in the way. Consequently they cannot stay outside of the Doldrums AND get to Papeete.

Therefore the question remains unanswered: WTF did Crosby mean by "on the outside"? Or is that just a tad of Poetic License there to fill out the riddum?

[tamicatana]

Answered here

https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic/155521-csn-southern-cross-video/&do=findComment&comment=4538468

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

Answered here

https://forums.sailinganarchy.com/in...omment=4538468

Well, sorta. Most of the comment beats the obvious into submission. But: "Sailing on the outside is sailing on the leading edge of the wind - in this case, catching the easterlies as they bend toward the south, due to the Coriolis effect, off the N. America Pacific Coast."

Not entirely sure that is an explanation, more likely a touch of that there Poetic License.

[Tetepare]

Ah, thought this would be about Isa Lei

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by A CheeseHead

Well, sorta. Most of the comment beats the obvious into submission. But: "Sailing on the outside is sailing on the leading edge of the wind - in this case, catching the easterlies as they bend toward the south, due to the Coriolis effect, off the N. America Pacific Coast."

Not entirely sure that is an explanation, more likely a touch of that there Poetic License.

Well yeah, almost all of their songs carry a lot of metaphoric poetry in them. Maybe not as bad as the Beatles, but you know those guys were definitely experimenting with more than just their music. I seriously doubt they meant for it to be taken as sailing directions. Lol.

[A CheeseHead]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

Well yeah, almost all of their songs carry a lot of metaphoric poetry in them. Maybe not as bad as the Beatles, but you know those guys were definitely experimenting with more than just their music. I seriously doubt they meant for it to be taken as sailing directions. Lol.

If the mean ol' mainstream media are to be believed, there was a notable quantity of that Colombia Marching Powder consumed by those lads. Consequently, their navigational abilities may have been rather impaired.