Sailing across the south pacific

[monkos]

Hi There! Can anyone give any advice on sailing across the south pacific from galapagos to brisbane!
Do many 45ft sailing boats do the crossing and is the stormy weather over by april!
I`m going to be part of a 4 man crew.
Just wondered about safety concerns!
Cheers!

[tdw]

Originally Posted by monkos

Hi There! Can anyone give any advice on sailing across the south pacific from galapagos to brisbane!
Do many 45ft sailing boats do the crossing and is the stormy weather over by april!
I`m going to be part of a 4 man crew.
Just wondered about safety concerns!
Cheers!

Cyclone season is from November to March I think, maybe April. This year is being touted as an El Nino year . Plenty of 45'ers make the crossing each year, very few are sunk. My question would be why Brisbane ? Plenty of nicer places on the East Australian coast to head for. Brisbane is just another biggish city of no particular charm.

[sailorjim99]

monkos
You just come on to Brisbane. Ignore tdw...We got Moreton Bay, dozens of islands, happy marinas, friendly water police, a great Vol.Rescue Serv. and fantastic weather.
Not mention many yacht clubs who would welcome you and your mates.
Pick the right weather and head for the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays.
Get your clearance in at Scarborough, just to the north of Brisbane City.(about 15 miles) Bus and train to the city and it is a safe city.
Look me up at Queensland Cruising Yacht Club..

[tdw]

Originally Posted by sailorjim99

monkos
You just come on to Brisbane. Ignore tdw...We got Moreton Bay, dozens of islands, happy marinas, friendly water police, a great Vol.Rescue Serv. and fantastic weather.
Not mention many yacht clubs who would welcome you and your mates.
Pick the right weather and head for the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays.
Get your clearance in at Scarborough, just to the north of Brisbane City.(about 15 miles) Bus and train to the city and it is a safe city.
Look me up at Queensland Cruising Yacht Club..

SJ - I wasn't knocking Queensland, the coast or even Brisbane for that matter, I just don't see why anyone would cross all those miles of ocean to visit an essentially boring inland city. I suppose , as is the case with Pittwater near Sydney, you could say Moreton Bay was part of Brisbane but I wouldn't. I wasn't attempting to spruik any other city. Hobart is a wonderful place, the one capital city in Australia that I yearn to sail into. Sydney, take away the harbour and it's a dirt noisy overcrowded hole. Melbourne, for a city a lovely place but I wouldn't want to sail there. Adelaide, inland and stinking hot in summer. Perth, inland, boring as batshit. Darwin, I've never been there but apart from the heat and crocs supposedly quite nice especially rated for it's Asian eateries.

Now maybe Monkos meant Queensland and not Brisbane specifically. If he did, no argument from me, go for it. The Queensland coast would have to be one of the three top places to cruise in the whole of Australia. The other two being Tasmania and NW Western Australia/Northern Territory.

[capecodphyllis]

You wrote --

Now maybe Monkos meant Queensland and not Brisbane specifically. If he did, no argument from me, go for it. The Queensland coast would have to be one of the three top places to cruise in the whole of Australia. The other two being Tasmania and NW Western Australia/Northern Territory.

Just out of curioisty, what kind of house could I buy for 400,000 Australian dollars in some the areas that you mentioned? Here on Cape Cod, that would buy you a two bedroom shack on one-tenth of an acre. Any decent place in the U.S. near the water has become so damn expensive I am thinking about leaving the country for good.

[hellosailor]

Phyllis-
http://www.workpermit.com/australia/...calculator.htm

Oz is one of many countries that won't just let anyone in. Before you go any further, check out the online sources to see if you even can.

[capecodphyllis]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Phyllis-
http://www.workpermit.com/australia/...calculator.htm

Oz is one of many countries that won't just let anyone in. Before you go any further, check out the online sources to see if you even can.

Well, that puts a quick end to that idea. According to the website, I don't qualify for a permanent visa under *any* criteria. In fact, no one over 45 can get in.

Here I am: self-sufficient, independently wealthy, in no need of any hand-outs, and I "don't qualify" for citizenship. Or even an extended stay.

Amazing when you consider that Australia is being flooded by poor, unemployable, Third World "assylum seekers".

Obviously the immigration laws only apply to "racist" white people - just like in America.

[chris_gee]

I thought the original poster just asked about sailing there not immigrating and that arose with a second person. The cyclone season extends through April sometimes with a late one in May. A reasonable boat of that size with a good captain should be fine but it is quite a long trip.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by capecodphyllis

Well, that puts a quick end to that idea. According to the website, I don't qualify for a permanent visa under *any* criteria. In fact, no one over 45 can get in.

Here I am: self-sufficient, independently wealthy, in no need of any hand-outs, and I "don't qualify" for citizenship. Or even an extended stay.

Amazing when you consider that Australia is being flooded by poor, unemployable, Third World "assylum seekers".

Obviously the immigration laws only apply to "racist" white people - just like in America.

Actually I think you'll find that provided you didn't want to work it would be relatively easy for you to get residency. The restricion on older folk is really to try and prevent people coming here and going onto social security. I dare say I'd get the same bums rush if I tried to get a green card.

As for aud400,000 you might find something far north Queensland but it certainly wouldn't be ocean front although possibly near to the coast. USD400,00 might be more like it however.

[mandovai]

Hi Monkos,
my girlfriend and I crossed from Galapagos to New zealand in 2005 on our 36 ft Westerly Conway. Galapagos to Marquesas was a very pleasant crossing. Society Islands to Tonga was a squally one with nasty little lows on the weather chart that look like nothing but are surprisingly stormy. Tonga -New Zealand was of another category. In twelfe days we were hit by 3 low pressure systems (they travel at 40 knots here). The second one brought us 5 hours of over 60 kts winds and about 20 hours in the normal region of the 30-40 knots. That was the nastier but relatively brief. We met a californian chap that was cruising on his 26 ft and made the same crossings we made that year. So, if you will crew on a 45 ft, you shouldn't have safety problems, provided that the skipper is reasonably experienced and is sailing consevatively. But do not forget that if you break a stay or similar (very possible on such a long delivery, as we broke three of them but had spares), the crossings will get MUCH longer. I would say that ayway the bigger risk in all the business will sure be the relationships with the other crew members.
As for the stops: don't miss Isabela in Galapagos, Fatu Hiva in Marquesas, at least one atoll in Tuamotu, and at least one of the nicest Society Islands such as Bora Bora or Moorea. Prices in French Polynesia seem to be very expensive, but all the basics are very cheap as they are subventioned by the government (flour, sugar, rice, pasta, emmenthal cheese, tomato sauce etc). And if you like to hiking in the forest you will be able to come back with your backpack full of fresh fruits (bananas, papayas, limes etc).
Cheers