----- Original Message ---- From: "scottebulger@comcast.net" <scottebulger@comcast.net> To: passagemaking-under-power@lists.samurai.com Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 8:00:07 AM Subject: [PUP] Departure timing: PNW to Hawaii >I'm building a plan for leaving the Seattle area in 2007 to cruise the S. Pacific and possibly further. >Does this suggest an 07 October or November Seattle departure is best? We made the trip from Seattle down to San Pedro, CA in mid October, 2002. It was a very pleasant trip with wind and seas on the starboard quarter. We did run into a few hours of near gale conditions off the Oregon coast, but nothing to cause concern. We do not have stabilizers of any type and did not feel the need on that trip. >We would harbor hop down rather than do it rapidly. We over-nighted in Newport, OR, Coos Bay, OR, and Eureka, CA where the City Clerk is a high school classmate. We were boarded by the CG in Coos Bay. They gave us a clean bill of health and after about 15 minutes we were on our way. It was a good experience. They were very polite, very careful with our boat, good humored, and gave us a lot of good information. We offered them a bottle of CA wine each and although they said they were mightily tempted, they politely refused. I recommend that if the weather is nice in October or November, do not dally too long along the coast, sightseeing. Get South as quickly as possible if it is nice. >Once in HI, I'd like to spend a month or so around the islands, and then head south. The guide >suggests March as the beginning of the safe season in the S. Pacific, but I still have a lot more to read. We leave for La Paz, MX in two weeks on October 27. Peter Pisciotta of this List is going to ride along with us to La Paz. We will cruise the Sea of Cortez and Mexico mainland this next winter. La Paz is becoming a real hub for the trawler crowd. There is a Krogen 54 there to be joined by a Krogen 48 and new Nordhavn 78 this fall. I have seen several N40's, KK39's, Nordic Tugs and American Tugs in the area. We are planning a crossing from Mexico to the South Pacific in March, 2007 or 2008. It depends on how much time we decide to spend in Mexico. 2007/2008 is the 40th Anniversary of the Peace Corps in Tonga. We were part of the first group of 20 volunteers there. We have not been back since and are looking forward to renewing friendships. One of our language instructors is now the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a couple of years ago the UN representative. Interestingly, my wife Eileen will come face to face with middle aged folks that she delivered 40 years ago as a midwife/paramedic in a thatched hut in Vava'u......no she never did lose one. Unfortunately we will not be able to reunite with King Taufaha'hau who died a few months ago. I believe that Mexico is the most common route to the South Pacific, at least for the sailboat crowd. Scott why don't you consider making your way down to Mexico and crossing from there? There is always the possibility of "budding boating" to the Tuamotus. The return route to the U.S. is the one that DONE DREAMIN' is taking through Hawaii and then to the PNW. >We will make a decision at this point regarding continuing east for a circumnavigation or returning to the >west and transiting the Panama Canal to cruise the Gulf states and the Caribbean. A circumnavigation has no appeal to us. We have visited many locations in the world by plane. We just want to visit our favorite places, the South Pacific and Mexico, in our boat. We will send occasional posts as we travel. Almost every place has WIFI now, or at least an internet cafe. Patrick and Eileen Gerety Willard 40PH ALOHA