"Scheduled trip" - US to New Zealand

[Omatako]

Some forumites may recall some discussion around me doing a "scheduled trip" from San Diego to New Zealand on a newly acquired vessel and the pros and cons of such a venture.

OK, so the trip is complete and the boat is in NZ and there is a whole range of interesting stuff that came from the voyage. For the interest of others on this forum I will be posting some threads of the assorted expectations and outcomes starting with this:

The voyage was originally set to take from 23 May to 31 July including the purchase and preparation of the boat in San Diego and the journey via Marquesas, Bora Bora and Raratonga to NZ.

The purchase happened ahead of schedule with me arriving in San Diego on 23 May, test sailing the boat and doing an offshore change of ownership the same day.

The preparation went exactly according to schedule and even included a whole range of additional things that were done that were not originally contemplated. We left the US on 7th June as planned.

The voyage took:

- 24 days to Nuku Hiva (two days longer than planned)
- 4 days spent in Nuku Hiva (as planned)
- 8 days to Bora Bora (as planned)
- 5 days in Bora Bora (two longer than planned, brilliant stop!!)
- 5 days to Raratonga (planned)
- 4 days in Raratonga (two longer than planned because everything is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, we arrived on a Friday evening)
- 16 days to New Zealand (two days longer than planned, shocking weather conditions, ended up in Tauranga 180 miles south of Auckland and now have to fetch the boat back after a string of essential repairs are completed.)

So long story short, the schedule wasn't out of range and the extended stays were largely the result of the over-run on time.

I will periodically post short accounts of each leg, the trials and tribulations, equipment failures (and successes) and other stuff that may of interest to forumites contemplating similar journeys.

So we are all safely in NZ but a relatively strung-out crew (including me) and the vessel is in reasonably good shape.

Regard, Andre

[Cruisingdad]

Thanks for the post Andre. Good information.

- CD

[camaraderie]

Congrats Andre...I am eating crow!! Will be interested to hear the details when you can.

[Stryker72]

I am looking forward to hearing the details, sounds like a splendid trip!

[sailingdog]

Thanks for the update... I hope you have photos to post.

[davideureka]

heres part one