Sailing to the South Pacific

Factual Questions
1

Having retired very young a couple years ago, I’ve been looking for something epic to do–something filled with adventure, daring, beauty and excitement. My long-term goal of climbing K2 collapsed after an acquaintance died there a couple years ago and he was a better climber than I. I am now considering sailing from San Diego to Hawaii and then exploring the islands of Tahiti, Fiji, and thereabouts over a period of several months.

I’ve talked to several friends who’ve made the trip and it all seems do-able and enticing. Problem is, though I am a competent sailor and navigator, I’ve never tackled anything this ambitious–not even close. Obviously, I will have to hire a skipper, and will need an experienced crew. Getting both is rather straightforward, however.

My concern, after inadvisably reading several books in the high-seas disaster genre, is the possibility of a sudden storm, a rogue wave, a boat disaster of some sort or simply running into modern-day pirates and ending up as shark chum. Truth be told, George Clooney’s “Perfect Storm” is giving me some pause, but I hear the south Pacific is usually quite docile and so my plans continue. Hundreds of sailors make this trip every year. I’m considering a steel-hulled boat in the 55-70-foot range. (A friend made a shorter trip in a 39 footer–much too small for my tastes.)

My question: have you any deep ocean cruising experience and, if so, what advice can you give? What kind of rescue support can we expect, if needed? What sights would you recommend? Stories of personality conflicts at sea?

2

I have been thinking of something similar for some time. I know several (older) retired couples who are cruising the Caribbean and other places. The Pacific is not high in my cruising preferences for several reasons: Very long passages, less support, pirates in some areas… The Caribbean and the Med are higher in my list.

I do not think you need to hire a skipper if you prepare yourself. My plan definitely does not involve hiring a skipper. Well, I guess it depends on what you are looking for. If you just want the experience of a long passage and then get back to real life, then yes, just get on someone else’s boat. But if you plan to do extensive cruising (as is my case) then you should plan it differently.

Risk is unavoidable but can be managed if understood. You can take as much or as little risk as you like.

This is really a very extensive topic and I could write pages and pages about what I know… and even about what I don’t know.

Regarding personalities, my observation is that generally this is the most difficult part. Generally , couples can manage quite well because they complement each other in different aspects and there is one who is clearly in charge. Groups of friends are more problematic. Either they are extremely close friends who can work out their differences or they have to be extremely disciplined, understanding that there is a job to do (sailing the boat) which takes precedence over everything else.

I do not know where you are located but I would be glad to talk about this on the phone as I am also thinking of a similar project. I am not sure I have the energy now to write everything which comes to mind. But I do have quite a clear picture of what is involved in the planning and carrying out of such a project. Feel free to email me.

3

The first thing to recognize is that your dangers, if you get separated from your engine or sail, are in this order: Hypothermia, thurst, hunger. Just because it was a warm day when you set out, doesn’t mean you can last the night.

4

Well, I’ve been sailing all my life, so here’s what I would suggest as far as a boat.

Anything over 45’-50’ and you are going to be hard-pressed to find anything in a sloop(single masted). That means you will be sailing a ketch(two-masted). Ketches are generally more difficult, but should be manageable if you have a knowledgable crew.

You mentioned you are looking for a steel hull. Not that I am advising against it, but if you think that it will protect you from a hull buckling wave, I don’t think that you would live through the storm that brought it on. Otherwise, the only thing you would have to keep any eye out for are deadheads(logs), rocks, and reefs.

As far as sails go, You should get both a spinnaker and a jenniker, so you can make the most of the wind. I would also get a spinnaker pole while you are at it, for the lazy days.

Definitely get a self-furling jib/jenny, otherwise you’ll be pulling it up and down by hand and bagging it every time, which is real pain in the ass(for me at least, my dad has a Hunter 33.5). If you buy a self-furling main, you will definitely love it from the first minute, but it may get a little pricy. In that case, buy some “lazy-jacks”, they are an inexpensive way to make things easy. While self-furling jibs are commonplace these days, mains usually have to be specially ordered. Self-furlers are also nice because they take only seconds to reef in a freak gale.

For a long haul like that, I would suggest an autopilot system. That way you can plot your course on the GPS and you should stay pretty true, give or take a nautical mile. You shouldn’t have many channels to contend with but I presume you may have a few shallows. A depth-finder should help you from running up a submerged sand bar or reef, but I suggest getting the local charts for the areas you plan to visit.

A radar may not be such a bad idea either. I can’t imagine that there would be a lot of fog in the South Pacific, but then again, I am not a weatherman. It just may keep you from hitting that rock or island in the middle of the night.

I would leave during mid-spring. I wouldn’t be caught dead out there anytime after September.

I have some books that I will flip through to see if I can think of something else.

5

Get a sat phone! You can call home to whomever you want to talk to, and if the radio breaks, you’ve got a second line of communication to the outside world. There’s some inexpensive models out there so you don’t have to worry about blowing your budget.

6

My mom has one of those. On a trip in March I was in Munich trying to make a call and the reception was either nonexistant or horrible. They call it a global network but the service was unexcusable. Has anyone ever had a good experience with one of those outside of North America?

7

On re-reading the OP and some of the responses it seems what I have in mind is a bit different. It seems the OP and other posters are thinking about a megabuck project involving a large (>45’) sailboat with crew etc. For that I would say you only need one thing: money (lots of it). Then you hire the guy who knows what he’s doing and let him take over from there. You just enjoy the ride. If you can afford that kind of boat and crew, you do not need to worry about any planning as they will do it all for you. You will be a passenger (and owner, obviously)

That is not my project for two reasons: (I) I am a DIY, and (II) I don’t have the dough.

I am thinking of the people I know who sail smaller boats (27 - 37’) which are much more affordable and can easily be sailed by a couple.

People who say: get the latest EPIRB, Short wave radio, radar, etc… never go sailing because they spend a lifetime working to make money to afford that stuff.

Anyway, I feel I cannot give any useful advice until I know more precisely what the OP is looking for. And even then it would fill a book.

8

I crewed the Trans Pac a number of years ago and we lost a couple of masts and had to be towed into Pearl Harbor, but really no spectacular problems. Be sure to get yourself a good skipper and crew and then be sure to listen to them. As you said hundreds of people make the run each year.

9

Just be sure to avoid Palmyra Island. :slight_smile:
Check out “And The Sea Will Tell” by Vince Bugliosi.

Great read, true story, lotta info re: cruising the South Pacific.

10

Read up on the places, cultures. Many people find the SoPac rather uniform, as compared to say the Caribbean or the Med, or have their [unwarranted] expectations unmet by diet of spam and rice and fish.

Don’t forget: services are fewer and pricier - and if you’re in a bind, remember you’re far from the Coast Guard [or other well trained equivalent], again, compared to the Caribbean or the Med.

11

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSES…

First, yes I am interested in a larger boat, either a ketch or schooner, and in the 50-70-foot range. Though my sailing/navigating skills are solid, I want to hire an experienced deep-ocean skipper–just in case. That said, I want this to be a real high-seas adventure, not a chauffered trip. The chartered boat will have plenty of navigational aids and communications and lots of food. re: the satelite phone idea, I like it, but I have little confidence in this technology out in the middle of the Pacific. A friend told me to stow a shotgun in case of pirates; I laughed and told him that’s a pop gun compared to what most of them seem to carry.

Again, my big concerns are: a freak storm, a rogue wave, a snapped mast, and possibly some unpleasant personality conflicts. Most of the crew will be in my age range: late 30s to early 40s, but have good experience. Again, however, nothing on the high seas.

I do plan on extensive cruising and that’s part of the appeal of going it without a hired hand. By the way, Sailor, I’m sure you do have plenty of good information to share.

12

Actually, depending upon the type of satellite phone you get, they can be quite reliable. Some of them won’t work in your part of the world, but there’s quite a few (Iridium [yes, they’re back up and working], Nera, and Thrane & Thrane, to name a couple) that will work where you’re going. If money’s no object, you can even get one that’ll let you surf the web at 64K! (All, for the low, low, low price of $11/minute!) Most of the phones have specialized models for marine use, as a lot of folks use them on their boats so they can call home to their loved ones.