Outfitting for Transpacific

[Rotschrek]

I'm a ways out yet, aiming for a February 2017 departure at the moment, but curious on reccommendatons in general for a solo sail from San Diego down to Cabo then across to the Marquesas and on to at least New Zealand, quite possibly Australia. Are there any reliable guides I can reference for necessary supplies and backup equipment? Rules of thumb for provisioning?

No, I have not purchased the vessel, but it will be a 34 - 42' most likely sloop to cabin rig. I'm paying cash and still looking for the right vessel so I'm still talking in general. I will have a solar array for backup / luxury power, and a desalination unit. Anything else nonstandard I should seriously consider as well?

On top of that, and aside, any suggestions from anyone who has done the route on possible trade items I should consider stocking with any spare space that won't necessarily get me flagged as a commercial use? This is a personal trip, and I may resettle st the end, or it may become the first leg of a much longer voyage.

Thank you!

[dilligaf]

You might look up "Puddle-Jump" Latitude 38

[Stumble]

Start with the ISAF regulations for offshore racing. I would heavily suggest all of the optional gear as well as the required. This will bring the boat up to contemporary safety standards in terms of equipment and outfitting.

Books on long distance provisioning would be worth devouring, as well as anything on electrical, and mechanical repair. But what you need depends a lot on your current experience.

[msponer]

"The Voyagers Handbook" by Beth Leonard has equipment recommendations and lists for various budgets and styles.

"Buy, Outfit, and Sail" by Fatty Goodlander is fun to read and from a complementary, but different perspective.

I last sailed that route 15 years ago, and did not find much opportunity to trade. Other than beer and cigarettes with fishermen.

BTW, if you want to maximize your time in Mexico, its more common to leave San Diego in November. And then jump off to the Marquessas is March or so.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Rotschrek.

[exMaggieDrum]

Not sure if you plan to buy the boat in San Diego and then push off for Mexico, or from some other port. I would highly recommend that you allow some significant cruising time (not just sailing time) before you head off from wherever. Many things can become obvious when you have to anchor out over several days, and have a multiday/night sail, that you would not see if you only did day sails from and to port. So many things to sort out and make sure they work, especially batteries and charging systems, engine, electronics, you......

And March/April is the "normal" time to leave for the SP as it allows more of a safety factor against late season storms south.

Myself, I would not attempt your short schedule since this is November and March is pretty close, even if you are a very experienced skipper. But others have done it. But I have seen firsthand some disasters under this exact scenario too.

Understand that I am a conservative type when it comes to passages going to places where parts are expensive if you can find them. I have also crewed on boats where the skipper did not do a good job sorting out how the boat works. But if you do it, it may work out fine for you. Fair winds and calm seas.

See the current thread about the young couple who bought a boat sight unseen for the Caribbean. Lots of posters on there egging them on so who am I to say.

[Hobie_ind]

In addition to the heavy weather gear and spares which everyone jumps to immediately......consider your light air and downwind sailing equipment carefully. Given how much more they'll be used, sails and a pole that are EASILY set singlehanded is every bit a safety consideration as your emergency gear.

If the pole is easy to set out you're more likely to do it and take stress off your rig from collapsing and flogging sails in the swell. I may be in the minority, but I love our twin headsails and two poles for singlehanded downwind sailing.

[exMaggieDrum]

Duh! I should read better (and think better too). I just noticed you are planning your trip in 2017 and for some reason my brain thought 2016. Plenty of time to find a boat and sort it out, but my recommendation to do some shake-down cruising still stands.

I would second the recommendation by one of the posters for the book: "The Voyager's Handbook" by Beth Leonard, but make sure you get the 2nd Edition and not a used copy of the 1st. We made the South Pacific trip in 2006-2008 and I have found her recommendations and the way it is presented to be very, very good. There are lots of others but if I could only have one this is the one I would get.

You will have a blast! I would suggest as above to spend some time in Mexico. But when you leave, leave from PV or north - La Paz, Cabo, Mazatlan. We left form Zihuatanejo (for personal reasons) and it put us 400nm farther east out of the NW trades. Cabo is a terrible place to hang out IMO so I would recommend La Paz to provision and get ready. You would have an extra couple of days added on to get out but La Paz is a great place and you will have lots of other cruisers who will be leaving from there. But PV and Mazatlan are very nice too and many will leave from those, especially PV. But San Diego would work but it is a hard place to get moorage for more than a very few days.

[Rotschrek]

Thank you all. Yes, I'm aiming for 2017, because I'm not rushing on buying the boat yet. Home until I sail is San Diego, but I appreciate the Xover tips, though i don't plan Mexico to be more than a shakedown leg. I was aiming for Cabo, but I'll probably do more research now.

Pole as in for rigging repairs? The comment elsewhere seems to suggest a 2nd mast. This may be my relative inexperience, but please clarify so I'm sure I understand, thanks.

[Stumble]

No a pole, as in a spinnaker pole.

Instead of worrying about the trip itself I think you may need some basic sailing classes and experience.

[Paul Elliott]

Take a look at the tutorial information on the Pacfic Cup website:
https://pacificcup.org/kb

This is targeted at the San Francisco-to-Hawaii race, but much of the information is quite applicable to longer and non-racing passages.

[Rotschrek]

That I have, we almost never use spinnakers in this area, and they had never been referred to as "poles" sorry. The hard part is there is virtually no foul weather to get anything but fair weather sailing here. The most we ever see are some rough rollers in a couple places when the winds pick up. But then most boars here are for showING off $ anyways.

[gilgsn]

Hello, you would be very lucky to find a boat you can outfit in such a short time.. I got mine in August of last year and planned on leaving in April.. Now I figure next month' and I am not quite ready yet.. Oh wait, you said 2015! There is hope then :-)

Gil

Sent from my A1-830 using Tapatalk

[Rotschrek]

What took you the extra 6+ months?

I've put this off enough years, I'm going to hold to my timetable at this point, but if I have to move up the purchase to allow for unforeseens...

[gilgsn]

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