# Cruising the pacific...eastwards?



## Caleuche (Jun 8, 2011)

Still new to the forum, so forgive me if this isnt posted in the right section.
I'm planning to start cruising in a year or so, currently busy in south east Asia. 
I have enjoyed reading the experiences of other cruisers in the area and would love to cruise the pacific towards south and central America. 

My concern is however the prevailing winds and currents, is a trip eastwards really doable and what would be the route we need to take ? Would like to stay out of the 40 and 50 degrees and skip the cyclone season, so what would be my best options ?


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Suggest you get hold of Cornell's book, World Cruising Routes. It will tell you where you can go and when you can go there. To go west you have to out of the trade wind belt, either north or south. It is possible, but much harder, and weather not as nice as going west in the trades.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Yes to what KS says. Rule of thumb is to cross Pacific east to west, coconut run and all that. Keeping in the TWB and heading east is going to be a long hard slog. 

Other alternative is to head north from Singapore to Japan and do northerly crossing to Aleutians and down into PNW America. Would be quite an experience, not for the faint hearted and by no means tropical conditions.

Of course if you intend only cruising towards America and not actually going all the way then its not such a problem. Many Australians and New Zealanders to a Pacific loop which will entail windward work for some of the way but can be relatively benign. (provided you don;t run into another Queen's Birthday storm.)

Off the topic - KS, you likely to get as far south as Sydney ?


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## EalyPA21 (Aug 17, 2010)

I agree with TDW


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

*Another Idea*



Caleuche said:


> Still new to the forum, so forgive me if this isnt posted in the right section.
> I'm planning to start cruising in a year or so, currently busy in south east Asia.
> I have enjoyed reading the experiences of other cruisers in the area and would love to cruise the pacific towards south and central America.
> 
> My concern is however the prevailing winds and currents, is a trip eastwards really doable and what would be the route we need to take ? Would like to stay out of the 40 and 50 degrees and skip the cyclone season, so what would be my best options ?


Since you are in SE, why not cruise up the So. China Sea from Singapore, stop in Tioman Island, then make your way up to Malaysian Borneo, cruise Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah. Great cruising grounds, very few cruisers, friendly people, excellent provisioning and plenty of duty free ports. In late October you can make your way up to the Philippines. Excellent cruising in Palawan. What cruising was like in the Pacific 30 years ago. Also in October or March you could go further Eastwards to Pulau. Then you are back in the heart of the Pacific. Plenty to see and do, right in your backyard. We just finished up a year in Boreno and the Philippines. Most excellent!


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

aeventyr60 said:


> Since you are in SE, why not cruise up the So. China Sea from Singapore, stop in Tioman Island, then make your way up to Malaysian Borneo, cruise Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah. Great cruising grounds, very few cruisers, friendly people, excellent provisioning and plenty of duty free ports. In late October you can make your way up to the Philippines. Excellent cruising in Palawan. What cruising was like in the Pacific 30 years ago. Also in October or March you could go further Eastwards to Pulau. Then you are back in the heart of the Pacific. Plenty to see and do, right in your backyard. We just finished up a year in Boreno and the Philippines. Most excellent!


Sounds like a plan ...

Aeventyr60, welcome to SailNet btw. You have any pics of your travels on line ? That really does sound as you say, a most excellent trip.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

*Cruising Borneo & Philippines*

No pics online, but can answer any question you have about our voyage.


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

*Summer in Brisbane*



tdw said:


> storm.)
> 
> Off the topic - KS, you likely to get as far south as Sydney ?


Our plans are to keep the boat in Brisbane but we will be doing some landcruising in both Oz and NZ and certainly Sydney is on the list. We have not made any plans as to timing though other than to arrive in Australia at the beginning of September since we have to go back to Canada for a wedding.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

aeventyr60 - thanks. I've been on boat for the weekend but will throw some questions at you shortly.


Killarney ... not sure if we will be in sydney September but probably so. If you feel like it, drop me a line closer to your visit and we'll catch up. Best way to see Sydney is from the water.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

aeventyr60 said:


> No pics online, but can answer any question you have about our voyage.


We really should take this to a new thread but I'd love to discuss Tioman, Palawan and Borneo.

To be frank, I'm not obessed with the tropics but Malaysia fascinates me (especially the food ) .

(yes I know Palawan is in Phillipines)

Also , you route from Palawan into the Pacific proper.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

Better you try Kudat in Eastern Borneo to the Pacific, or the very Eastern part of the Philippines to Pulau. Palawan is in the far West of the Philippines.

Routes can vary depending on time of year, strenght of the trades and how far down they go toward the equator...

Food-How about this? We shop in local markets. everthing fresh. for 20-25 bucks we walk out with 2 huge bags of fruit, veggies, chicken, pork. enough for a week or so, maybe more if we catch fish. Boy am I in culture/price shock being back in the states the last 3 weeks....Miss the local food stalls, redang curry, squid on a stick, lamb curry, roti's etc. Duty free booze has gin for 7 bucks a liter, beer is 9 bucks a case. Dinner out in a local restaurant costs us 8-9 bucks, including a beer for me. We do a local breakfast of Roti's and coffee for 3 bucks. Your cruising buck goes a long way in Malaysia.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Caleuche said:


> ..... currently busy in south east Asia.
> I have enjoyed reading the experiences of other cruisers in the area and would love to cruise the pacific towards south and central America.
> 
> My concern is however the prevailing winds and currents, is a trip eastwards really doable and what would be the route we need to take ? Would like to stay out of the 40 and 50 degrees and skip the cyclone season, so what would be my best options ?


Let me toss out this option and we'll see what the antipodean sailors think of it:

SEA to Western Australia to SE Australia to NZ to Tahiti to Hawaii to US California to Central America

I think the winds work but you'll have to get the seasons right. Leave SEA in November, be in SE Oz by late January (you'll be in low 40s here to NZ), cross to NZ in February, to Tahiti in March/April (in low 40s for the beginning of the trip) proceeding onto Hawaii in May/June and to US/Canadian west coast in mid-late (northern) summer (low 40s here as well) to So. California in September/October, Baha-ha in November to Mexico and on to Central America thereafter.

Toughest part of this trip is probably the legs from SE Oz to Tahiti, esp. the first week or so of the NZ to Tahiti leg.

But you probably do want to check Cornell.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

One would really have to ask why bash your brains out to get to the So. Pacific when so many other good cruising grounds exist? After 12 years of sailing west, and being confronted with the age old problem of returning west, I decided to enjoy what was in front of me. It I wanted to get back to the west coast from here, Malaysia, I'd continue West across the Indian Ocean and up the Atlantic , through the ditch and out into the Pacific. I'd skip the trip back to Mexico, continue on to the Galapagos and then onwards to the Marquesas, Tuamotous and french Polynesia etc.

As far as you above route planning goes. You'd need to exit SEA quite a bit earlier. Making your way down the East coast of Australia is no cake walk. Bashing in 15-25 knots of trades, behind the reef and next to the land, not easy. There is a very narrow weather window in I think November that the Aussies will use to get down the coast, usually a fickle northerly that in some years never develops. Sailing up this coast was some of the best trade wind sailing ever, going against it, yuk! You might not need to go to NZ on this passage depending on how tough you realyl are. Some folks leave the SE Australian coast and make Tahiti, very hard wind sailing, very few attempt. Even those that start in NZ for Tahiti have a rough time of it. As for the last part, have known a few folks who have gone from Tahiti to Kiribas and then to Hawaii. The last portion on to the USA pretty staitforward. I think you'd be looking at a lot more then a year journey, what with breakdowns, recovery times and then being in so many fantastic places. Most folks have either sold their boats, shipped them home or continue Westwards. While I loved the South Pacific, I can't see any reason to "bash" to get back there. To many other interesting place downwind of me.

Bllly- where was your photo taken? I think that is a pretty cool shot!


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