Page 40 of 63 FirstFirst ... 3036373839404142434450 ... LastLast
Results 391 to 400 of 626

Thread: Around the World from West coast?

  1. #391
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pogen View Post
    Isn't a West circumnavigation doing it the hard way?
    All I know about the course can be found here: https://pjsails.com/the-course-to-sa...und-the-world/

    I must say that after watching forecasts for the past 4 months I'm less optimistic about the course having lots of downwind legs.

  2. #392
    pogen's Avatar
    pogen is offline Sailing canoe "Kūʻaupaʻa"
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    927

    Default

    Joshua Slocum went West, and I remember reading in his book that this was the hard way. Capt. Bligh of the Bounty tried to sail from England to Tahiti going West, spent a month trying to beat past Cape Horn, gave up, and then turned East to pass south of Africa. The Volvo and Vendee Globe both go east. I'm sure you have thought about all this.

  3. #393
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

    Default

    Oh yeah it'll be hard all right. In fact it's good that I'm an ignoramus. Otherwise I would not have started this. The web is full of horror stories of eastbound circumnavigations. But since very few go West the little I read was not as intimidating. Foolish ...

  4. #394
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

    Default

    Well, it's been quite tedious downloading all the Navionics subscription charts for this course ... Several days into it and I can now say that I've got it all on one device. Two more to go ... Now, I also did some research and this is what I got so far: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xS...Ez&usp=sharing

  5. #395
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,095

    Default

    The course will have a lot of upwind....so you want a boat that can take it in the face for days on end.

    but you know this.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  6. #396
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

    Default

    The amount of time I'm wasting with Navionics charts it's inhumane ... After a full week I've only been able to get the charts for the course on an iPad. On an Android everything goes to hell ... This is driving me nuts!

  7. #397
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3,485

    Default

    Monsieur, what delicious freeze-dried food is tempting your tastebuds today?

  8. #398
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    907

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Philpott View Post
    Monsieur, what delicious freeze-dried food is tempting your tastebuds today?
    We tried pad Thai with chicken yesterday, which I also had on the way to Hawaii. It's good ... And it was a reminder of how it's going to be sloshy for a long time. I'm trying to think if there any hard biscuits that hold for long, don't taste too bad and will give my teeth a work out :-)

  9. #399
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3,485

    Default

    I’ll make some hard tack, add dried cranberries, bring it to the 3 Bridge awards meeting Wed night.

  10. #400
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Capitola,CA
    Posts
    3,338

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AlanH View Post
    The course will have a lot of upwind....so you want a boat that can take it in the face for days on end.
    Though I have not spoken with PJ regarding his proposed route nor timing, I have studied pilot charts, taken world ocean weather classes, and sailed much of his route from California to Australia.

    It's surprising to many how much potential off-the-wind sailing PJ could encounter. Certainly most of the way from SF to Torres Straits is in the tradewind belt, good for CHANGABANG. The Torres Straits is the first of 3 "weather gates" with the likelihood of light, variable winds, as well as seasonal cyclones after mid-November.

    Thence across the Indian Ocean as far as the Mascarene Islands, Mauritius and the southern tip of Madagascar is again in the tradewind belts...and then to the second gate, Cape Agulhas, as the southern tip of Africa. Getting around Agulhas will be a significant challenge for PJ, much upwind for the last 500 miles along the South African coast with potential post-frontal wind against Agulhas current. Fortunately there is relief from grief with nicely spaced, sheltered anchorages and buoys. Webb Chiles on his Moore-24 recently made this passage, albeit with stops, as well as once getting blown backwards 60 miles overnight.

    Once past Cape Agulhas/Cape of Good Hope, it is again tradewind sailing to reach South America and PJ's turning buoy off Argentina. This leg circles the South Atlantic high pressure counter clockwise, fair weather sailing with lighter winds near the center of the High.

    The passage down (up?) to Cape Horn will be into increasing southwest headwinds in the lee of the South American continent. This could be PJ's most difficult leg. But there are also anchorages of refuge and mooring buoys in both the Falkland Islands and along the mainland, as well as just inside the Straits of Magellan, if needed. (Note to PJ: don't trust those Danforth imitation French anchors...)

    Rounding Cape Horn east to west depends on catching a weather window when the prevailing westerlies in the Drake Passage are taking a nap. Though I would not suggest it without being able to power, PJ's route does not necessarily require leaving Cape Horn to starboard. He could go through the channels and fjords further north, or beat upwind through the Straits of Magellan, leaving Cape Horn to port. But then he doesn't get his earring, hihi.

    Once past the tip of South American, north of latitude 50 south, the westerlies increasingly fair and diminish in intensity. As well, the Humboldt Current provides a good push into the SE tradewind belt. No need to go close-hauled all the way to the ITCZ at 8-10 degrees N. Just follow the well trod "Clipper Route."

    Once in the NE trades, PJ is almost home free. Close reaching would have CHANGABANG leaving the Hawaiian Islands well to port (west). Approaching the Eastern Pacific High Pressure Ridge near 30N, he'd stick his bow into the High, tack to port, and close reach towards the barn.

    How much close-hauled is this guesstimation? Probably 25% of PJ's route is with the wind forward of abeam. About 6,000 miles....that's alot. But doable..In 1997 I sailed WILDFLOWER 6,000 miles mostly upwind from New Zealand to Santa Cruz, including 30 days on starboard tack..Had everything including the anchor, 50 feet of chain, folding bike, water jugs, and deflated dinghy hanging over the starboard side of my 27 footer. It took me several hours to tack nearing Kauai.
    Last edited by sleddog; 02-09-2020 at 10:30 PM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •