Doing my passage planning

killarney_sailor · #1 (**permalink**) 12-23-2011

I have started doing my passage planning for when I leave Brisbane in April(ish). This is really quite fun as you sit down with various resources (the internet being so amazingly useful for this). I am planning for the time period from April, 2012 to August, 2013 and for a good chunk of the earth from eastern Oz to eastern North America.

I have a couple of dates that I am working around. Likely doing the rally from Darwin to Bali. Rally starts July 28 and gets to Bali on Sept 23. Would like to go to Carnival in Salvador, Brazil which starts on Feb 7/13 and lasts for about 5 days. Apparently it is the second best one in Brazil after Rio. There are more generall needs as well, get around the coast of South Africa in mid-summer but not too late so some time in November which means that I have 6 to 8 weeks from Bali to Durban. Also want to get to Bermuda no later than mid-June to avoid hurricane issues. Want to spend some time in Grenada because we enjoyed it so much last time.

Some questions to sort out:
1. Do we go around the north end or south end of Madagascar?
2. Do we try to go into the Amazon River?
3. Do we aim towards NYC and live onboard as we did before? Maybe my wife can get her job back there (she got laid off as result of the financial crisis which sent us on our way sooner than we thought)?
4. If we carry on do we return to Canada via the Erie Canal (this mast is a pig compared to the ones I have handled this way before - don't even know if the mast crane in Oswego is big enough)? If we go up the St Lawrence route how many weeks can we get in Newfoundland? Cruised there a number of years ago and it is incredible. With the exception of the weather it might be better than anything so far.

Anyway, it is all getting me quite excited just thinking about it. For those who are thinking about this sort of the thing, be aware that this is the first order of thinking. Later comes the detailed stuff - what charts, guides do we need, what is the visa situation, etc.

tdw · #2 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

Killarney,
I think it may have rated a mention here but there have been some reports of the piracy problem moving south towards the north west tip of Madagascar,

Some folk would worry about the Amazon because of Peter Blake's death but from what I've read that was more to do with a personal vendetta against his environmental stance on illegal logging than run of the mill piracy.

I know bugger all about NYC liveaboard but Newfoundland sounds like my kind of place.

Cheers to you

Andrew

St Anna · #3 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

Are you OK for the bit from here to Darwin?
When do you get back here??

killarney_sailor · #4 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

I think that my flight back to Oz is March 23 and going west I actually get there on the same day. Coming back to Canada it was two days later. Crossing the dateline by boat at 6 knots is really different than crossing it by plane at 600.

I looked at the 2011 piracy map and there was one incident toward the end of Madagascar. More of a problem if you are coming from a bit further north than Chagos. I think the decision will be based on decisions about time usage - how much to spend in Indonesia, Chagos, Mauritius, Madagascar/Mozambique, South Africa. I think I do want to hit the Carnival in Brazil so may work back from Feb 7 there.

copacabana · #5 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

Killarney, carnaval in Salvador is a good call indeed. FYI, there is a pretty serious pirate problem in the Amazon and you'd want to look into this before going. Most of the pirate activity involves raiding transport boats that carry goods (mainly electronics) out of the "zona franca" of Manaus. There have been a number of deaths, Peter Blake's being the most known. It wasn't a "revenge" killing as suggested above. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and reacted. There is a French cruising rally that goes into the Amazon and if I'm not mistaken they hire armed police boats for protection. All boats are at some degree of risk in the Amazon. That said, the rest of Brazil doesn't have a pirate problem. While the Amazon is an amazing cruising destination, there are other equally amazing and less-known cruising grounds. Check out the network of inland rivers, islands and mangroves between Paranaguá, PR and Cananeia, SP. It's one of the richest ecosystems in Brazil and an incredible place to explore if you have shallow draft.

killarney_sailor · #6 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by copacabana

Killarney, carnaval in Salvador is a good call indeed. FYI, there is a pretty serious pirate problem in the Amazon and you'd want to look into this before going. Most of the pirate activity involves raiding transport boats that carry goods (mainly electronics) out of the "zona franca" of Manaus. There have been a number of deaths, Peter Blake's being the most known. It wasn't a "revenge" killing as suggested above. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and reacted. There is a French cruising rally that goes into the Amazon and if I'm not mistaken they hire armed police boats for protection. All boats are at some degree of risk in the Amazon. That said, the rest of Brazil doesn't have a pirate problem. While the Amazon is an amazing cruising destination, there are other equally amazing and less-known cruising grounds. Check out the network of inland rivers, islands and mangroves between Paranaguá, PR and Cananeia, SP. It's one of the richest ecosystems in Brazil and an incredible place to explore if you have shallow draft.

Thanks for this. It is interesting saying that you want to be somewhere halfway around the world in 14 months. Should be easy to arrange it, but you never know. The rivers that you mention - we have 1.5 m draft, is that ok? Is it charted or is there a cruising guide that covers it?

As for the one that needs translation, it is nice that we are so international. Not sure of the language even - not Chinese, perhaps Japanese?

copacabana · #7 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

1.5m draft is fine. There are no cruising guides for the region, but you can get charts and get local advice while there. It's not to hard to cruise there and if you always move around on a low tide you can float off later if you go aground. As you get closer to the date of arrival you can PM me and I'll try to put together an information package for you. FYI, all Brazilian charts are available for free on line as raster charts, so if you use laptop charting you're all set to go.

tdw · #8 (**permalink**) 12-24-2011

Copa .... Happy to acknowledge that you would probably know more about the Bake incident that I do. Cheers.
TD

1833usmc · #9 (**permalink**) 01-04-2012

Check with U.S. State Department travel warning list. Once under way, re-check the list every few days. Pirates are not stupid. They are amphibious criminals. They change their M.O.'s and move around to reduce their risk. Stay aware of your surroundings and simply travel smart.

Capt Len · #10 (**permalink**) 01-04-2012

Venezuela speaks Spanish. Brazil speaks Portuguese. They are different countries.Both have some citizens who want your stuff. My understanding is that Peter Blake was killed as he rushed on deck against intruders, . This also happened in the BC Gulf Islands a few year ago. and in Mexico yesterday .It can happen any where and any time .Not to live in fear but a bit of homework and preparedness may avoid the common armed visitor who sees an easy mark. No easy answers, but Slocum used carpet tacks.