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Old 21-03-2020, 05:35   #1
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Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Ahoy fellow sailors,

I’m looking to sail my Lagoon 620 from Queensland to Panama (yes the wrong way across the Pacific). Possible routes I found: 1. North (SE Asia, Japan, Alaska and than down the US west coast. 2. Direct: Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia and than straight to Panama. 3. South: NZ, Easter island, and up via South American coast. All routes have their pro’s and cons. Currently I’m leaning towards option 2 as this is the shortest, however, it is directly into the trades (for the biggest part?). Is this doable (cats don’t point that well)? What would be the best option and why? Also looking at fuel consumption etc.

This would be a delivery kind of sail, really the goal is to get from A to B as time efficient as possible (and safe obviously). Motoring a lot is not a problem, as long as fuel storage allows. I’ve also looked into yacht transport, but the price of 120k USD put me off.

Thanks in advance for all the advice!
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Old 21-03-2020, 07:36   #2
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

I think southern route via Chile would normally be the way. Cats are too hopeless upwind to consider others except very possibly motoring along the ITCZ if range allowed
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Old 21-03-2020, 09:35   #3
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

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I think southern route via Chile would normally be the way. Cats are too hopeless upwind to consider others except very possibly motoring along the ITCZ if range allowed
How are the waves typically in the doldrums?
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Old 21-03-2020, 09:50   #4
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Qld, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti can be a tough slog and usually requires lots of fuel.
Tahiti is an easy target from NZ.
NZ would also be a good location to choose route 2 or 3.

I've done 2 & 3 and preferred 3.
18 days Auckland - Valdivia.
Expect it would be less in a crewed multihull.

Late summer is good. You may have missed the window for this year.
Would you be tempted to keep going and take the Atlantic routes?
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Old 21-03-2020, 09:53   #5
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

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How are the waves typically in the doldrums?
There is most always a swell. I know people that have done Tonga to Hawaii and they tell me winds are usually slight and often from the N or S when there is wind.
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Old 21-03-2020, 09:59   #6
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

I would be inclined to choose option 3 if I had to choose one of these. Not sure it is all that far, certainly a lot less than the northern route. You would need to be prepared for strong winds at times. We got a lot of wind when depressions in the 40s got close to very high high further north. Also you get to go to some need sports. Easter island of course, but also Pitcairn. Mangareva in SE French Polynesia is a jewel.
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Old 21-03-2020, 14:17   #7
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

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Qld, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti can be a tough slog and usually requires lots of fuel.
Tahiti is an easy target from NZ.
NZ would also be a good location to choose route 2 or 3.

I've done 2 & 3 and preferred 3.
18 days Auckland - Valdivia.
Expect it would be less in a crewed multihull.

Late summer is good. You may have missed the window for this year.
Would you be tempted to keep going and take the Atlantic routes?
Than you were flying! Auckland - Valdivia is around 4.900 nm? In 18 days you had an average SOG of over 11 knots, that is impressive. Not sure if my cat would make that average. Or are there strong currents helping?
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Old 21-03-2020, 14:42   #8
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

I would say that is too fast for any cruising cat to have sailed the southern ocean, must have been very good sailing cat or something like a Deerfoot mono. Even on "200 mile"+++ day boats most crews find the need to slow down to keep things under control. You would for sure be going slower on your boat and would also need all the serious gear, drougues but possibly not a sea anchor. Also would need to really insure the strength off all those big windows and door. The side windows like to fall out of those occasionally.
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Old 21-03-2020, 17:57   #9
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Australia and most of the rest of the world are on lockdown. Any idea when reciprocal travel will re-open? At the moment, there might not be any re-provisioning of food/water/fuel along the way, so you'd have to plan on mostly sailing, and not motor-sailing. Take the route which would have the most rainfall, so you can replenish your water by catchment.

Probably your worst troubles would be political, not being allowed free pratique anywhere. It's very long, but possibly west around might work for a big cat like that, although the large vertical "windows" are a prob, and is the whole construction up to a trip around the Cape of Good Hope? With the corona virus epidemic, potential sea rescue personnel may be in short supply as well.

Ann
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Old 21-03-2020, 18:15   #10
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Some recent information about Panama:

https://pa.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
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Old 22-03-2020, 00:22   #11
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

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Australia and most of the rest of the world are on lockdown. Any idea when reciprocal travel will re-open? At the moment, there might not be any re-provisioning of food/water/fuel along the way, so you'd have to plan on mostly sailing, and not motor-sailing. Take the route which would have the most rainfall, so you can replenish your water by catchment.

Probably your worst troubles would be political, not being allowed free pratique anywhere. It's very long, but possibly west around might work for a big cat like that, although the large vertical "windows" are a prob, and is the whole construction up to a trip around the Cape of Good Hope? With the corona virus epidemic, potential sea rescue personnel may be in short supply as well.

Ann
Thank you for the concerns Ann, living in Europe so I’m aware of the restrictions. The projected timing for this trip would be January 2021. Hopefully the whole corona situation will be gone by that time.

Stay safe, wherever you are.
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Old 22-03-2020, 05:14   #12
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Why go the 'wrong' way? Cross the Indian Ocean and up S Atlantic to the Carib. Longer distance but all with the prevailing winds.
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Old 22-03-2020, 09:01   #13
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

And yet here's me planning to follow the general direction pioneered by Knox-Johnston, Moitessier etc etc.

Call me old fashioned but Pacific it is.
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Old 22-03-2020, 10:31   #14
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

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Than you were flying! Auckland - Valdivia is around 4.900 nm? In 18 days you had an average SOG of over 11 knots, that is impressive. Not sure if my cat would make that average. Or are there strong currents helping?
4900 is about right .
A little more or less depending on how far south you go.

A sustained 5kt lift SOG over Boat speed was the norm.
More at times.

Humboldt current is as good once you start your Northing.
I picked it up at 50S and 750 nm off shore.

Southern Ocean lived up to expectations with wind strength (40+true) and wave hight (5-7mt).
What surprised me was the well ordered sea state and consistent wind conditions.

No afternoon thunder storms or squalls. No confused sloppy seas coming from 3 directions, no diurnal wind change and no flying fish on deck in the morning.

Didn't deploy a drogue or shorten sail beyond second reef and #3 genoa.
My thinking was it would be less comfortable going slow.

Have had a scarier time in 30 kts and waves half the size off the Frazer Coast.

Even if you double the passage time to 36 days its got to be better than slugging it out along the short route through the ITCZ.
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Old 22-03-2020, 12:44   #15
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Re: Route from Queensland (AUS) to Panama

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rucksta View Post
Qld, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti can be a tough slog and usually requires lots of fuel.
Tahiti is an easy target from NZ.
NZ would also be a good location to choose route 2 or 3.

I've done 2 & 3 and preferred 3.
18 days Auckland - Valdivia.
Expect it would be less in a crewed multihull.

Late summer is good. You may have missed the window for this year.
Would you be tempted to keep going and take the Atlantic routes?
I see you have a Farr 43. Quick boat. I owned Snake Oil for awhile was a Farr 43. Was just sold again in Lake Macquarie. We were doing 10kts in a northerly from Galverston heading east with just the storm jib up about 12 years ago. Had 9ft draft at one time, I chainsawed the tip off the keel after consulting a yacht designer and now has 7ft 6.
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