Panama to Marquesas how much diesel? March.

[AiniA]

We did Panama - Ecuador - Galapagos -E aster - Pitcairn- Mangareva and very much recommend the route. Even from Panama to Ecuador (the widest ITCZ in the world we were able to sail almost all the time. Our slowest day was just under 100 nm (Bristol 45.5 cruises at almost 40,000 lbs but has a large sail plan and we use an asymm often). We heard a lot of the discussion on the SSB from boats going to the Marquesas. If people came far enough south they found lots of wind (sorry forget how far south they came to avoid the calms).

I agree with comments about stocking up in Panama and not just for fuel. It is great spot for provisioning and essentials (wine, beer, rum) are very cheap. There is a store there that likely is owned by Costco (US company) that was terrific.

[onavegador]

I did Panama - Galapagos - Marquesas. Fill up as much fuel you can safely store and be patient under way when the wind is sometimes weak. This because the Diesel is expensif in French Polynesia and top up not always posible with docking the boat near the pump.
About the wind it depends of the year, the month and your luck. When starting from the Galapagos I decided after about 100 NM southwest off where to sail. I sailed to Nuku Hiva and had good wind to sail, friends sailed to Gambiers and sailed during the same time in a dead calm.

Good luck!

[icemate]

Originally Posted by sailabroad

I'm wondering how much time other cruisers plan for when motoring on a passage from Panama to the Marquesas south but not stopping in the Galápagos - March this year.

I have 260Ltr of Diesel which would allow me 120 Hours or 5 days~optimistically, around 800Nm of continuous motoring.

I was wondering if there are are people out there that can say how much Diesel they actually used?

Does 120 Hours sounds a bit meager for the ITC, and therefore a more reliable wind wise approach from Ecuador to Easter Island might be wiser.

We carried a ton of Diesel across the Atlantic that we never used..

Thanks

I sailed a Nan-Tai 37 HD Cutter from Panama to Pago Pago vis Marqueses and used only $42 in diesel when I arriver in Pago Pago. Most was used exiting the Panama Canal. If you want to use a lot of diesel, don't sail but use a power boat

[watevaworx]

Hi,
We did the trip last year in May and the weather was unusual to say the least . We carry 540 litres and used about 250 of that. We do run the generator about 4 hours a day. good luck and have fun Glenn

[double u]

"About the wind it depends of the year, the month and your luck"
people have been unlucky in stron El-Nino years...

[zeehag]

how many miles to travel
what number of hours is that with conversion using your own data,
current calculations--
wind calcs--remember this is a la nina winter, to be followed in s=may by alleged normalcy as this cold current dissipates
donot forget the return trip or subsequent passage.
how much does your diesel use hourly
ok figger that, and ta daa your magic number, personalized for your own boat. good idea to write that into your logbook.

[msponer]

Hi, I've done that trip twice. In 2000 there was beautiful wind and we did not motor at all once we got out of the ITCZ. Last year (2016) the wind was much lighter and so we motored way more than I expected. That said, we had the option to motor far, and so we did. As Moondancer said, one large catamaran we know is philosophically opposed to motoring, and in the light winds last year spent 54 days on a passage that took us 20.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[El Pinguino]

Hmmmm..... the more I look at this the more I think I would be maxxing out my fuel lift. You are going to need those drums for refueling in the Pacific anyway... might as well carry them full as empty.

March is only 5 weeks away..... is the wx going to change remarkably in that area in that time?

I'd be starting to look at the gribs on a daily basis ... yes I know - gribs is gribs - but its about as good as it gets for that area.

Me? on a long passage I ship 200 + 300 = 500 litres..... gives me 1000 miles if needed.

[DefinitelyMe]

We're in Marquesas now. Winds have been poor recently. The semi-permanent high off the coast of Chile has been screwing things up because it hasn't been where it usually is. A boat that just arrived a month ago took 40 days. It took us 9 days to get up here from the Gambier Islands due to Northerlies or no winds. Neither us or he other boat motored at all, though we spent a fair bit of time bobbing. The GRIB forecasts have often been very wrong of late. However, the trades are filling in again and I suspect that by March you'll be fine.

When we did it last year we got very lucky. 8 days from Panama to Galapagos and then 21 from there to Pitcairn. Motored for 2 days of that. However, our experience last year is probably not applicable to you this year as things have changed in the SP.

I'm not saying anything useful am I?........... Sorry!

[icemate]

I left Panama in late March and only used $42 in deisel fuel. I sailed and sat with sail hanging for a few days and it took me 74 days to go from Panama to Pago Pago, Am. Samoa. You own a sailboat to relax. If you're looking for speed, see a drug dealer.http://www.cruisersforum.com/images/.../whistling.gif

[chouliha]

Latitude 38 publishes a yearly recap from boats that jumped that year. Included in that article are hours motored. If memory serves me it's usually in the Sept issue.

We did the trip 2 times. Once from Mexico (20 liters) and in 2015 from Ecuador(30 liters). Our tank is pretty small 120liters

If you have a fuel certificate the fuel in FP is about 1/2 price. Without certificate it was about $1.50 a ltr.

But I agree with the majority. Why not top up in Panama?

Good luck

Chuck
Jacaranda
Tahiti

[YesIsail]

In Panama stock cheap on coconuts, green banana and passion fruit those last long. In San Blas, Panama we buy by them and put them in the fridge (not the coconut which you can leave outside on the sun, they can last 2 months or more.