Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# how to cross pacific by boat, and where to stay Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
marcballard69 04:23 UTC 26 Feb 2007 | Ive recently heard that its possible to cross the pacific ocean by yacht, I was wondering if anyone else has done this, gone as a crew member, and what were the costs (was it free?). Also does anyone have a yacht they might suggest or website to help me out? Also im looking to stop along the way not just blast thru, so if anyone has any suggestions, it would be greatly appeciated. Maybe people have favorite "have to visit" places, beaches, hikes or lookouts. Hopefuly off the beaten track. This is my first posting on thorn tree, looking forward to spending lots of time here, and hopefuly someone can help me out. My plans are to go from north america west coast acroos the ocean and end up in thailand in about 4 months, if that info helps out, in about november. thanx "its better to regret something you did, then to regret doing nothing at all" |
wave2angela 05:34 UTC 26 Feb 2007 | Your questions would take too long to answer in detail and it is hard to know where to start with basic tips. All adventures require research so start with the FAQ section of 'Life on the Ocean Wave' here on Thorn Tree. Crewing is rarely 'free', sometimes the 'ask' is unreasonable, I never pay for more than my own food, I often take my skipper out for dinner. There are free-to-use and pay-to-join 'crew wanted' sites; I find 7knots and Cruiserlog Crewfinder up-to-date. Cruiser Log has rules about boat owners looking for crew and expecting them to pay more than is reasonable and there is an interesting discussion on this topic at the moment. Commercial sites such as Offshore Passage Opportunities have invaluable sections on what to look for in a boat/skipper, questions to ask, stuff to take. Find out about sailing seasons; yachts follow age-old routes at certain times of year because of winds and weather. There is little point in trying to plan a voyage out of season. I doubt that you can get from the States to Thailand in 4 months by sea unless you found a place on a yacht being delivered. And as for not wanting to 'blast through', as crew you usually have little say in where you stop, how long you stay etc; breakdowns happen, parts are slow to get; relationships on board break down, and I have a list of boats to beware of! You need to be prepared to jump ship and have back-up funds and skippers insist on proof you have airfare home. You also experience stunning scenery from your on-the-move floating home, incredible snorkelling or diving, meeting a great bunch of boat people the most wonderful local folk and kids en route. Many boats leave Panama early in the year (Jan/Feb) on the 'Cococnut Milk Run' bound for the Galapago, Marquesas, Tahiti and then on through the South Pacific, they have to be tucked up in a 'hurricane hole' or out of the cyclone belt by Nov/Dec, either north to somewhere like the Marshall Islands, south to New Zealand or Australia. Boats travel at their own speed, some want to get around as quickly as possible, others spend YEARS in the South Pacific. It is quite common for crew to change vessels and most yacht clubs along the way have a notice board with people looking for crew or a berth. Boats often join Yacht Rallies for the safety of travelling with others. In May/June boat start to leave NZ and Australia bound for the South Pacific, and in June/July leave Darwin for waters to the north such as Indonesia, the Darwin-Kupang Rally which leaves in June I think; and r-t-w- Yacht Rallies such as the Blue Water Rally, and the ARC across the Atlantic. There is a big Rally scene in Asia at the end of the year, culminating with the Kings Cup in Phuket in December. And there is usually a local sailing 'scene' where ever yachts call in. Sydney Harbour on a sunny afternoon? Wow! Enough leads here to start you off. And me? Re-joining last year's skipper on a 37' Lagoon catamaran, out of New Zealand in May bound for remote islands for the whole season. Safe sailing........... | 1
raro 08:10 UTC 26 Feb 2007 | Yachts rarely travel in the South Pacific from Nov to April, as that is cyclone season. Not really that many cyclones, in general, but if you get caught in one while on a yacht, well, let you might let your next of kin know in advance what to do with your things. | 2
5waldos 13:11 UTC 26 Feb 2007 | how to cross pacific by boat, and where to stay delightfully broad second part of posting- welcome to the board- suggest staying on the boat most of the trip- would think it would be a long way to the nearest hotel. | 3
inelegy 20:18 UTC 28 Feb 2007 | marcballard69: <blockquote>Quote <hr>Ive recently heard that its possible to cross the pacific ocean by yacht, <hr></blockquote> Madness! Impossible!! You'll sail right off the edge of the world! ;-) | 4
marcballard69 05:07 UTC 01 Mar 2007 | wave2angela, wow, you know youre stuff. Thank you for the info, you seem to know youre stuff on this. All ive traveled before was east coast oz, and isrealegypt, were things were set up very easily. this time tho, i dont want to do something that everyone is doing. I thought that a yacht would be the way. i think im going to have to drop the sailing south pacific out of the begining of my rip, it doesnt fit at all. wave2angela, would you recommend sailing to someone new, i was thinking that a skipper would know that "secret spots" inelegy, if my fate is to fall of the edge of the world then ill take it, anyway, gravity will hold me to the other side! Im guessing that my dates and wants are unreasonable, back to the drawing board. One quick question tho, is fiji nice about november time? from what i remeber in australia, it was their summer. "its better to regret doing something, then to regret doing nothing at all" quote found carved into the underside of a hostel bunk bed on magnetic island in oz... | 5