Leaving Florida in January, you would transit the Panama Canal in February and cross to the South Pacific in March, arriving in Tahiti by April. Onwards from here you are never far from the next anchorage. For many centuries, tall ship merchants used the strong prevailing winds in the Southern Ocean to deliver goods around the world at record speeds. You are an oceangoing sailor and thus one of the luckiest people alive. Weve done three tours of the South Pacific and would happily go back in fact we might return in 2020. We will begin with a one-year sailing circumnavigation of the North Atlantic from the East Coast of the USA. A sailboat doesn't have to be expensive if you know what you're doing. Now is the time to choose how long you wish to stay in the Pacific as that will dictate how much time you have on the way in order to make sure youre in the right place for cyclone season. Some cruisers will want to stick to the Western Med and thoroughly explore Spain and Southern France. Once the trade winds set in and the crew have adjusted to life at sea, its time to enjoy one of the most beautiful places in the world the open ocean. Almost every offshore sailor has a copy of World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornell on their bookshelf. The shortest route between the capes passes far to the south, but its a good idea to stay north of 45 degrees to avoid the worst of the weather and ice. This ocean leg is the Pacific Ocean proper, with approximately 3,000 miles of what should be tradewind sailing at its best, a mile-melting broad reach and an equatorial current beneath you. When sailing across the Pacific, the two main points of departure are: Below we'll go over both these journeys in more detail, and what to expect for both. The longest passage you should have to make on this route is under one week, so this route is a good choice if long offshore passages arent your thing. The Canary Islands are a perfect place to solve any issues that come up on the passage from Gibraltar. Its also a good idea to read up on other sailors experiences of the route youre planning to take. If you make it to Southern California by the end of September, you have two months to relax before the season begins to sail down the coast of Baja California. Once you get to the Marquesas Islands, you are in the heart of one of the most loved cruising grounds anywhere in the world. Make sure to go over our extensive checklist of 41 Cruising Essentials, to ensure you don't forget the most important gear and tools. Depending on the position of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) you may be able to sail down the rhumb line or, if not, head a bit further south for more stable conditions. Despite the official window starting in February, you could also leave in late January, depending on what the cyclone forecasts are saying. Leave your boat here and fly home until April. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. From west to east, they are the Cape of Good Hope (Africa), Cape Leeuwin (Mainland Australia), SE Cape (Tasmania), SW Cape (New Zealand), and the most notorious of them all, Cape Horn (South America). The sail up the Atlantic is similar to the passage on the way south, but in reverse. If you have a multi-national crew, youll also need to check the individual visa requirements for every nationality at every stopping point. I have made the passage down the coast in the winter, and I wouldnt recommend it for anyone but highly experienced sailors on bulletproof boats. This option is much too fast for most sailors, but it is certainly possible to circumnavigate in one year if you have a fast boat and a very determined crew. Its about 850 NM directly from Panama to the Galapagos Islands, but you will most likely end up sailing over 1,000 NM. I like to leave Hawaii with enough fuel to motor for 1,000 NM, and I have always had enough for the entire passage. But if you are brave, and you understand the risks associated with sailing through this area, the Red Sea route opens up a fascinating and exotic part of the world for the intrepid sailor. Here we will discuss the sailing route for a cruising sailboat which aims to circumnavigate the world by way of the Five Great Capes in one season. Once in the NE trade winds north of the Equator, you will want to sail an arc to the west from the NE tip of Brazil to the Azores. About us The first is the North Pacific Hurricane Season, which lasts from June until November, and the other is the South Pacific Cyclone Season, which is between November and May. I don't like spam - I will only send helpful content. This route through the Caribbean is known as the Thorny Path because its upwind all the way to the Leeward Islands. Photos: Tor Johnson / Dan Bower / Olivier Parent / Alamy. Its a long trip, but its downwind the whole way and you dont have to worry about crossing the ITCZ, so most cruisers enjoy this leg of the voyage. Then you are in the perfect position to safely complete your transatlantic sail to the Caribbean (described in the previous section, Trans-Atlantic Sailing Routes). If you do end up buying something from Amazon or other companies linked to on this site, we may earn a very small commission. Anywhere south of Grenada is considered outside the hurricane belt, including all of Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia and Panama. For many of the sailors departing Europe for the Caribbean, the passage from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean is their first long-distance offshore passage. This is often the longest nonstop passage that sailors will make in the Pacific. If you plan to remain in the Caribbean for the summer months, make sure to check with your insurance company before you leave. When you make up your mind to sail into the sunset, the endless possibilities of potential sailing routes can seem overwhelming. The first challenge on such a voyage is crossing the Bay of Biscay. With favorable winds, the journey can take approximately 5 - 10 weeks. ImproveSailing is compensated for referring traffic and business to this companies. For those who love to sail, circumnavigating is the ultimate challenge, and a voyage like this would certainly be worth it even confined to a strict schedule. You want to be well past the Horn by the end of March when the weather turns even more dangerous. A typical cruising vessel should easily be able to make this passage in five to seven days, even faster if the Portugese trade winds give you a boost. In the next three sections, we will explore sailing circuits of the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. The best way to manage this passage is to motor-sail directly south along the coast of Colombia and Ecuador until you are past the Equator. Within minutes of our arrival, I had already made friends with a boater who was displaying a self-built sailboat he had sailed all over the world. As with any sailing voyage, the speed of your journey will depend on the winds. I can remember quite clearly when I first decided that I wanted to sail around the world on offshore sailing routes. For instance, when youre sailing from the Galapagos to the Marquesas Islands, the fastest route involves setting a course south-southwest down to 3 to 4 degrees south latitude. The route you choose will determine how long the journey takes and the time of year will also have a big part to play, not to mention any decision to stay a while and explore the islands along the way.

One popular alternative is to hire a yacht delivery captain to bring your vessel back home for you. If the Pacific High is located further south, you may need to motor through light winds for 3 or 4 days. Most sailors stop in the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and Cartagena, Colombia before landing in Panama to explore the San Blas Islands and Bocas del Toro. Then you would round the Cape of Good Hope in November and cross the South Atlantic directly to the Caribbean. This voyage is definitely only recommended for highly experienced sailors on seaworthy and proven vessels. You will need to be on guard when navigating this region, even with navigational equipment, so its worth knowing roughly what youre up against. Most cruisers choose to spend at least six months cruising through French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia before finishing in New Zealand, Australia, or hauling out their boat and flying home for the cyclone season. I once spent eighteen awful days in the ITCZ, during which I covered less than 200 NM. A three year round-the-world sail gives you the opportunity to relax and get some serious adventuring in while still keeping to a semi-rigid schedule. This book covers all the routes we discussed in this guide and its considered the ultimate bible for offshore sailors. If a world cruise through the tropics sounds a little too tame, then a circumnavigation by way of the Southern Ocean (called the south by Southern Ocean veterans) might be for you. For the purpose of this article, we will presume you are departing from the Caribbean, but the same routing could easily be adapted to apply to sailors who sail from Europe or either coast of North America.

From the Azores its 900 miles to Gibraltar, an excellent first stop in mainland Europe and the gateway to the Mediterranean.

Most of the time, this is an easy downwind sail which will provide you an opportunity to see how your vessel and crew handle offshore sailing before the much longer passage ahead. After youve passed Tahiti, part of the Windwards group of the Society Islands, your journey opens up before you. You will want to keep well to windward of the Mosquito Coast (a dangerous lee shore), but San Andreas Island and Providencia Island both make for good stops on your way to the Bay Islands of Honduras. Brochure cruising in the turquoise, sheltered water of a typical French Polynesia atoll. You really cant beat real world experience for a Pacific passage. Going from the Galapagos to the Marquesas is by far the longest stretch of the journey, taking you across about 3,000 nautical miles of open water. In the spring, you will make a very similar passage as those who left directly from California, but it will be a significantly shorter trip. Then you can sail north along the coast of Belize and Mexico to Cancun, which is a perfect final stop before crossing over to Cuba or directly across the Gulf Stream to Florida, whichever you prefer. Fortunately for the cruising sailor, the worst of the weather can be avoided by careful weather routing. Personally, I find offshore passages like this to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruising life. In Yachting World August 2022 issue we talk to one of the biggest names on the offshore racing scene, Kevin Escoffier and take a look around his brand new foiling. The chances of a big storm at that time of the year is much lower than the middle of the season. I sailed this area in 2011, and it remains one of my favorite all time places to cruise in the world. Bermuda is less than a weeks sail from most ports on the East Coast, and makes an excellent port of call on the way across the Atlantic. My profession has allowed me to sail all over the world from Greenland to the Southern Ocean and many places in between. In some cases, commercial freighters have broken in half because of the incredible size of the waves. For this reason, I like to make a stop at Christmas Island, Kiribati on the voyage between Tahiti and Hawaii. 9034 GD Marsum In the same period of time, 286 such storms were recorded in the North Atlantic region. If your launching point is Panama, you have a window from February through to June. Another option for cruisers with limited time is a six or seven month clockwise circuit of the Caribbean Sea. The vast majority of these boats are traveling between the two most popular cruising destinations in the world the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. You may want to wait until November to make the final sail up the Caribbean Islands back to Florida in order to time your arrival with the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. This route is called the Milk Run because it is considered easy when compared to rounding Cape Horn or sailing through the Southern Ocean. The distance from Panama to Australia is 8000 nautical miles but the time it takes to sail this distance depends on the winds, the size of the vessel and stopping times. After you round Cape York, you are in the Torres Strait, a region known for wildly fluctuating tides and currents. Plan on leaving for Hawaii by early July. By sailing directly north from Hawaii, you may even be able to avoid the Pacific High altogether and finish your circuit with a coastal cruise down the beautiful Inside Passage. When this occurs over the shallow continental shelf, the result is massive breaking seas. The worlds largest ocean contains endless amounts of natural beauty, unique wildlife and sites of cultural interest. If you are lucky, you will be able to sail north of it and get consistent winds the whole way across. South of 40 degrees, the prevailing winds are behind you again, but you will likely encounter a gale every 3 to 5 days. Its a good target to stay between 45 to 50 degrees south for this part of the voyage.

As you prepare to sail across the oceans there is no better way to keep up on the latest boating information than on this site. This passage has been successfully completed by a six foot boat, a liferaft, and even a man in a dinghy who left port without food or water. In order to have enough time to cruise Polynesia, you will need to make the sail north to Hawaii during hurricane season. Another option is to sail to the Australian coast and wait out the cyclone season in a safe place, maybe Port Douglas or Cairns. To take an example, the Tuamotus - once known as the dangerous archipelago - involves navigating badly charted reefs, unpredictable currents and low-lying islands to come into the majority of ports. Youre in the Galapagos among the sea lions, enjoying the sun, while your friends are in the midst of a European winter. There is reason to believe that Somalia and the Red Sea will be once again safe for cruisers in the very near future. In between 1969 and 2010, there were thirteen cyclones recorded in or near French Polynesia. It requires hard work, perseverance, the ability to adapt, and the willingness to take on a certain amount of (calculated) risk to run a remote business at sea. This will allow you to reassess the weather situation before the final leg to Hawaii, and will give you the opportunity to explore a fascinating remote island that few people get to visit. If you arrive in Gibraltar by May or June, you have the whole summer to cruise the Med. This could get you back to Florida in under a year. Many round the world sailors encounter their first gale here, and there is a good chance that the wind will be on the nose. Once you have decided upon a route, the best way to prepare is read everything you can find about it and sail your boat as much as possible. Now you are in the beautiful southernmost city in Africa, which is an excellent jumping off place for the final leg of your circumnavigation crossing the South Atlantic Ocean back to the Caribbean. The next legs of this voyage require more careful planning with the weather. This will give you the chance to catch the southeast trade winds. Once you have made your way through the NW Passage, winter will already be well on its way.

Fortunately, this sailing route is near the end of their trajectory, which means by the time most tropical depressions get this far they have been on the radar long enough to get out of the way. Privacy Policy, Improve Sailing helps you to make your sailing dream actionable, by writing in-depth articles on practical questions. Did you find the answer to your specific question? Departing Florida in November, you can begin your journey island hopping through the Bahamas. Further south, you have a greater chance of light winds and more time getting across the ITCZ. By May, you would be in Tahiti, beginning your cruise of the South Pacific. So get a solid weather report in Kiribati, and once the coast is clear you can head north toward Hawaii. This voyage might not be for everyone, but if someone were to make the offer I would take it without second thoughts. You now have the entirety of Southern Europe to your disposal. The Society Islands have an interior like the Marquesas and lagoons like the Tuamotus, but neither are quite as good. If you continue west-southwest toward 6 degrees south latitude and 100 degrees west latitude, you should find that the trade winds become stronger and more stable. But some cruisers who have made it this far realize its actually easier to just keep sailing all the way around the world. The summer is short in the far north, and the ice free season is usually limited to just part of August and September. The options for offshore sailing routes are as wide ranging as your own ambition and capabilities allow. Snorkelling is the highlight here and the lagoons are home to the prettiest and most diverse coral I have ever seen. Cape Horn marks the pinnacle of any Southern Ocean circumnavigation, and fortunately, its usually much easier sailing from here on out. For this reason, the storms often become much more severe than in the rest of the world, and the waves are known to regularly reach unfathomable heights.

Sitemap 5