PhilLougher
New member
I'm an ex-liveaboard taking time out to recharge the finances, by skippering an 80 foot private motor boat the wrong way around the world for someone else.
Currently in Queensland, Australia I need to find a way across the Pacific to the USA/Mexico/Galapagos, within my fuel range, visiting good locations where the owner can arrive and enjoy good diving holidays, that also have some facilities and most importantly fuel(We need up to 20,000 litres to "fill up" and fuel range is 2300 miles with an extra 400 left in reserve)
Obviously fighting the trade winds across will slow us down and use more fuel/affect our range and so I'd like to avoid this as much as possible
As I see it, I have 4 options, which I have yet to research completley
1.Auckland, New Zealand to Tahiti to Hawai to California
this route allows me to stay below the trade winds to Tahiti, but is probably over my max range
2.Japan to Aleutian Islands to Alaska to California
this route is definetly achievable, although only in June,July and August with good weather and could probably be horrible weatherwise and I don't know about any facilities in the Aleutians(Dutch Harbour?) as well as missing out on the best islands of the South Pacific
3.Motoring Eastwards down the ITCZ along the equator from the Solomans or Fiji
this route is purely theoretical and I have no idea of where to pick up fuel and depends on the seasonal variations of the ITCZ which moves North and South, but which would be the most direct and almost certainly the least windy route - which is good in a motor boat!
4.Shipping the boat to Tahiti and continuing as in 1.
which is expensive, but then its not my money!
Time and money are not high priorities and we may spend 2 years cruising the islands before making the crossing, but I do need some kind of plan as to how we are going to do it. Are there any liveaboards out there who have any ideas, or know of anyone who has done this, or have any suggestions?
I have heard that a Kuwaiti sailor motored his 42 foot Nordhavn motor boat across the Pacific the wrong way in the last few years, so surely its possible
The only source of reliable information I have is Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes, which, as its aimed at sailboats does not take account of our range limitations and also recommends routes with stronger trade winds which I am happy to avoid!
I welcome any suggestions.
Currently in Queensland, Australia I need to find a way across the Pacific to the USA/Mexico/Galapagos, within my fuel range, visiting good locations where the owner can arrive and enjoy good diving holidays, that also have some facilities and most importantly fuel(We need up to 20,000 litres to "fill up" and fuel range is 2300 miles with an extra 400 left in reserve)
Obviously fighting the trade winds across will slow us down and use more fuel/affect our range and so I'd like to avoid this as much as possible
As I see it, I have 4 options, which I have yet to research completley
1.Auckland, New Zealand to Tahiti to Hawai to California
this route allows me to stay below the trade winds to Tahiti, but is probably over my max range
2.Japan to Aleutian Islands to Alaska to California
this route is definetly achievable, although only in June,July and August with good weather and could probably be horrible weatherwise and I don't know about any facilities in the Aleutians(Dutch Harbour?) as well as missing out on the best islands of the South Pacific
3.Motoring Eastwards down the ITCZ along the equator from the Solomans or Fiji
this route is purely theoretical and I have no idea of where to pick up fuel and depends on the seasonal variations of the ITCZ which moves North and South, but which would be the most direct and almost certainly the least windy route - which is good in a motor boat!
4.Shipping the boat to Tahiti and continuing as in 1.
which is expensive, but then its not my money!
Time and money are not high priorities and we may spend 2 years cruising the islands before making the crossing, but I do need some kind of plan as to how we are going to do it. Are there any liveaboards out there who have any ideas, or know of anyone who has done this, or have any suggestions?
I have heard that a Kuwaiti sailor motored his 42 foot Nordhavn motor boat across the Pacific the wrong way in the last few years, so surely its possible
The only source of reliable information I have is Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes, which, as its aimed at sailboats does not take account of our range limitations and also recommends routes with stronger trade winds which I am happy to avoid!
I welcome any suggestions.
