Subject: Departing New Caledonia in April

Is it possible to sail south from New Caledonia to New Zealand to catch the west winds and thus head East from New Zealand? I have to clear New Caledonia no later than May first. I understand the SE trades will be virtually “on the nose” for the run South. The objective is to bring the vessel as far East as possible prior to making a Northward run towards Hawai’i. Ultimate objective is getting the vessel to Alaska.

Thanks

John Orella

Hi John,

Yes, your plan could work if the wx does what we expect it to do! But with worldwide wx patterns changing lately, who knows! We have some friends who left Tahiti went to Hawaii then Alaska and they made it. Another alternative is to go from Noumea to Japan then East from there. Many choices, no guarantees about the wx! The best is to take your time and use a routing service or some wx guru on SSB and use the best wx windows you can find. Have a great sail!

Luc Callebaut, s/v Sloepmouche

PS: Jimmy Cornell ” World cruising routes” is quite informative on the subject.