Part of the chalanges of passage making is learing the information necessary
to have a safe and easy passage. For example if you rely on Jim Cornell's book
on World Cruising Routes, it says "The route enjoys favorable winds thruout
the year......
The winds for the first few hundred miles are mostly N or NW, becomming NE and
E closer to Hawaii.  A great circle route should be sailed for the entire
route because there is nothing to be gained by any alternative."    Wrong.

The sailors learned over 60 years ago, that by sailing the isobars, (lines of
equal barametric pressure) they could enjoy a predictable fast reaching or
down wind ride to Hawaii from California.  If you look at the pilot charts for
each month of the year, it will give the approximation of the location of the
pacific High, both by barametic pressure and by currents.  The center of the
high is basically calm, and the winds rotate around it in a clockwise
direction.  Many times if a sailor or power boater takes a rumb line or great
circle route to Hawaii, he will run right into the center of the high--and no
wind.  This is ideal for a power boat, or boat returning to the mainland, east
bound, but diseasterous for a racing sailboat.  What sailors learned is that
they sailed until they reached a fair wind--the start of the trades, and then
watched the barometer to keep the same pressure, assuring that they would
continue to have close to  the same wind velocity.  Fortunately the movement
of highs and lows are predictable--and that is a good reason to learn at least
some meteriology.  There are steering currents, and these are lead by the
winds aloft, and the higher level barametric pressure--such as the predictions
at 500 MB level--which has progostic significance as to the movement of the
highs, lows and fronts.  So one needs to down load and study the upper level
pressure gradients as well as the surface conditions.

This information is available via HF weather fax as well as via satellite
transmissions and on the internet at :
http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/ptreyes.shtml  (for the N. Pacific for example,
but the world is covered by various weather services).
The surface analysis will give the locations of the highs and lows, the fronts
and general wind directions and intensities. (there are currently a couple of
places in the  Pacific, I would want to avoid currently!) (currently the
Pacific High is at about 38 deg North and 134 West--quite close to the coast.)
Going down the links you can track the predicted (quite accurately) the
position of the Pacific high over the next few days--and thus determine the
best route, even in a motor  boat.  Of course the fuel management is extremely
important, and you have to know the trade offs of going an increased distance.
Fortunately this is fairly easy to determine during shake down cruises--and
tables should be formulated.

Before a passage, one starts tracking a weather for at least several days.
Many times we would time our departure,even at seemingly odd hours (like 7 pm)
to take the advantage of weather.

For example in going to Hawaii, one ideally would like the track of a power
boat to go thru the calm of the pacific high, or at least to have the winds
and seas behind.  If the Pacific high were to be further South than usual, one
would replot the course--not to the rumb line, but further South to take
advantage of calms or winds and seas from aft the beam.  Thus the savings of
fuel by not beating into head seas would more than make up for the slight
extra distance traveled--and there would be a much more comfortable ride.  I
give the example of the Hawaiin run, because it is one I have done a number of
times, but also because it is often the first step for voyagers from the West
Coast.  The same principles--looking ahead at pilot charts (both US and
British), watching the developing patterns and then making decisions of route
based on weather, rather than taking a route recommended in a book, apply in
all oceans.

(On one of my first Transpacs, I was the Navigator--the only information we
had available legally, was from a encoded message sent each AM from race head
quarters to all boats.  I saw where the high was, knew about the techniques of
sailing the isobars and made tactical recommendations to the owner.  The owner
wanted to go the great circle route--and late the second day out, the eventual
winner crossed our stern at almost 60 degrees heading South to get better
winds and conditions--we sat parked in the middle without wind for 3 days--and
did not do well in the race!)

Part of the fun of voyaging is figuring out what is the best and most
comfortable route to take.  And as noted this is East to West.  Some good
weather routers can do this, but it never hurts to have knowelge yourself--and
beable  to varify the decision, or if some local circumstance dictates a
change fo plan, have justification.

Bob Austin

Sad ending to what must have been a wonderful cruising dream.

www.bajainsider.com/baja-life/general-information/mark-saunders-dies.htm

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