We're looking for writers! It is tempting to rush off to the Society Islands (which include Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea and Bora Bora) and tackle the inevitable jobs list, but most people regret it. A three year round-the-world sail gives you the opportunity to relax and get some serious adventuring in while still keeping to a semi-rigid schedule.
Its important to consider all the different factors when making up your mind about where you want to sail like your budget, your long term schedule, and of course, the capabilities of your vessel and the experience of your crew. Once youve had your fill of green and lush beauty (yes, it rains) and have filled the boat with Pomello grapefruit, mangoes, coconuts and pineapples, its time to push off to the Tuamotus. The hurricanes that pose a risk on this passage usually develop in the Gulf of Mexico with many days warning before making it this far west. 
Early in your passage, you will have to traverse the Gulf Stream current. From the Azores its 900 miles to Gibraltar, an excellent first stop in mainland Europe and the gateway to the Mediterranean. The average cruising vessel should be able to make this crossing in under three weeks. Sailing directly from California to Polynesia in the winter. There are a variety of places to explore on the final sail back to Florida. Once you have made your way through the NW Passage, winter will already be well on its way. I have made the passage down the coast in the winter, and I wouldnt recommend it for anyone but highly experienced sailors on bulletproof boats. The first challenge on such a voyage is crossing the Bay of Biscay. For people who plan to depart from Northern Europe, its a good idea to make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to Southern Spain or Portugal before the weather gets ugly in October or November. In the next three sections, we will explore sailing circuits of the Atlantic, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. This voyage is definitely only recommended for highly experienced sailors on seaworthy and proven vessels. 
Immense and diverse, the expanse of the Pacific offers some of the finest tradewinds cruising youll ever experience and a wealth of friendly cultures. The worlds largest ocean contains endless amounts of natural beauty, unique wildlife and sites of cultural interest. Cruisers who sail directly from the US West Coast have various weather patterns to keep in mind. The longest passage you should have to make on this route is under one week, so this route is a good choice if long offshore passages arent your thing. You will want to keep well to windward of the Mosquito Coast (a dangerous lee shore), but San Andreas Island and Providencia Island both make for good stops on your way to the Bay Islands of Honduras. If you time it right and miss the cyclone season, sailing across the Pacific can amount to some incredible cruising experiences. Cape Horn itself is only a few hundred miles from Antarctica. 
This is actually a good thing, because you will really want to make sure everything onboard is shipshape before reaching South Africa. Further south, you have a greater chance of light winds and more time getting across the ITCZ. This passage is a little more complicated than the Atlantic crossing in the previous section because you will be transiting the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (known among sailors as the ITCZ or the doldrums).
This ocean leg is the Pacific Ocean proper, with approximately 3,000 miles of what should be tradewind sailing at its best, a mile-melting broad reach and an equatorial current beneath you. This passage is famous for consistent trade winds, and the prevailing weather will push you all the way to the Caribbean. After youve passed Tahiti, part of the Windwards group of the Society Islands, your journey opens up before you. Keep in mind that all of the ports of the Pacific coast of Washington and Oregon are river bar crossings, and thus can only be safely entered when conditions are calm. Crossing the worlds largest ocean can be a life-changing challenge. This route is called the Milk Run because it is considered easy when compared to rounding Cape Horn or sailing through the Southern Ocean. If you are lucky, you will be able to sail north of it and get consistent winds the whole way across. If you get to the coast of Portugal unscathed, you could make it all the way to the South Atlantic before you get to your first serious storm of the voyage. super convenient map that gives a complete overview of the cyclone seasons across the world, extensive checklist of 41 Cruising Essentials, step-by-step guide on how to plot a course on a nautical chart.
In 1969, the first nonstop sailing circumnavigation was completed in Falmouth by Sir Robin Knox Johnston, and to this day most round the world sailing races depart from either Britain or France. If you choose instead to depart from Mexico, you will want to plan to depart Southern California in late November and cruise Mexico through the winter.
This is one of the best ways you can stay ahead of the wave when it comes to planning your next boating adventure wherever the winds may take you! Today, most who venture into the south are professional sailors taking part in a round the world race such as the Vendee Globe or the Volvo Ocean Race. The Marquesas and Tuamotus are, in my opinion, the best bits of French Polynesia. Once you have decided upon a route, the best way to prepare is read everything you can find about it and sail your boat as much as possible. Seas are gentle with long, lazy swells and, apart from the very rare trough reaching up from lows in the south, it is settled tradewind sailing. Fortunately, this sailing route is near the end of their trajectory, which means by the time most tropical depressions get this far they have been on the radar long enough to get out of the way. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This region is worth a summer of exploration on its own. Its possible to make it to Australia and onwards if thats your plan, but many cruisers fall in love with the region and cruise there for many years. But zoom in on the chartplotter and the islands and island groups are plentiful. I still have yet to close a circle around the world, but I have a heck of a lot of experience planning offshore sailing routes across the oceans. The first two or three days out of Kiribati are through the ITCZ, so its a good idea to take advantage of the light wind to motor NE instead of due north. Departing Florida in November, you can begin your journey island hopping through the Bahamas. When examining planning charts and contemplating sailing the Pacific Ocean, it looks huge. The national park in the Galapagos is sensitive to foreign species and so you can expect to have all your fresh food removed when you arrive. In some cases, commercial freighters have broken in half because of the incredible size of the waves. Then you would round the Cape of Good Hope in November and cross the South Atlantic directly to the Caribbean. If you get stuck in the middle you may find yourself motoring for much of the passage. We discussed the crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia in the Trans-Pacific Sailing Routes section above. This will help you get the best sailing angle for the grand finale back to Europe. Personally, I am extremely tempted to cruise the Greek Islands and the coast of Turkey before wrapping up my Meditteranean sail with some off-the-beaten-track side trips to Northern Africa or the Middle East. Make sure to subscribe to the SailAndProp.com newsletter for more tips to help you plan your sailing routes across the oceans. If you are planning to sail to French Polynesia, you can choose one of three options: 1. Since then I've enjoyed sailing very much - and I've never been afraid of the water again. Some cruisers will want to stick to the Western Med and thoroughly explore Spain and Southern France. Your cruising time will be extended significantly if you have to wait and make repairs at one of your stops, so its worth spending the time on it before you leave to save you any problems in the middle of your trip. Weve done three tours of the South Pacific and would happily go back in fact we might return in 2020. From the Southern Bahamas, cross to the Dominican Republic, and make your way to the Virgin Islands via Puerto Rico. Once the trade winds set in and the crew have adjusted to life at sea, its time to enjoy one of the most beautiful places in the world the open ocean. At the age of 23, I delivered a 40 foot sailboat through the Southern Ocean, and I can say from first hand experience its no joke. The shortest route between the capes passes far to the south, but its a good idea to stay north of 45 degrees to avoid the worst of the weather and ice. You might choose to go on the northern route, crossing through the Torres Strait, or the southern route. In this section, we will explore the typical westabout sailing circumnavigation by way of the Panama Canal. How long does it take to sail across the Pacific? Start with your boat and do a thorough, honest evaluation - is your vessel ready for the journey? Out here there is no rush hour traffic or pollution. The options for offshore sailing routes are as wide ranging as your own ambition and capabilities allow. Stopping here can add a few hundred miles to your crossing, but some sailors decide to stop here in order to take advantage of stronger trade winds further south. Always keep an eye on the horizon and be ready to reef the sails quickly if necessary. This book covers all the routes we discussed in this guide and its considered the ultimate bible for offshore sailors. The 6m tidal range can also come as a bit of a shock. Here, you can have days (or weeks) of little to no wind, punctuated by sudden, violent squalls which seemingly come from nowhere and typically last less than an hour. This means sailing due north for the first week or so out of Hawaii. The ITCZ is an area of variable winds in between the NE trade winds in the Northern Hemisphere and the SE trade winds in the Southern Hemisphere. If you are lucky, you will be able to sail the whole way, but make sure to bring enough fuel in case you get stuck. Now you are in the beautiful southernmost city in Africa, which is an excellent jumping off place for the final leg of your circumnavigation crossing the South Atlantic Ocean back to the Caribbean. Most sailors only turn east once almost to 40 degrees south, which is the official start of the Southern Ocean. The advantage to this option is the ability to circumnavigate the world even if you only have one year available, and to get to sample a wide variety of countries around the world in a short period of time. The Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji are just some of the many highlights, so dont be tempted to rush back home too quickly. Its also extremely hot and humid. If you continue west-southwest toward 6 degrees south latitude and 100 degrees west latitude, you should find that the trade winds become stronger and more stable. Once my vessels refit is complete I will begin with a one year circuit of the Atlantic Ocean as a kind of extended sea trial. The ice limit in the Pacific is a little further south than the Indian or Atlantic Oceans, so once you pass New Zealand its usually safe to sail a little farther south. This will give you a better sailing angle later on in the passage. Rather than focusing too much on the length of the journey, consider it a chance to settle into your adventure and appreciate the solitude of the sail. Even Christopher Columbus spent several weeks here topping up his water and supplies before sailing into the unknown on his first voyage to the Americas in 1492. Personally, I find offshore passages like this to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruising life.
You are an oceangoing sailor and thus one of the luckiest people alive. Snorkelling is the highlight here and the lagoons are home to the prettiest and most diverse coral I have ever seen. The ideal time of year to cruise the Med is in the summer, when the water is warm and the sun is shining. What Route Can I Take to Sail Across the Pacific?
In the same period of time, 286 such storms were recorded in the North Atlantic region. One popular alternative is to hire a yacht delivery captain to bring your vessel back home for you. With proper planning and a solid understanding of offshore sailing routes I know that I can sail anywhere in the world. Bear in mind, however, that any fresh food you have with you when you reach the Galapagos Islands will be removed to protect the delicate ecosystem. But how long does it take to sail all the way across? It is estimated that 10,000 sailors died trying to round the Horn in the age of sail. Dan Bower explains how to prepare and where to sail, Sailing across the Pacific is the adventure of a lifetime, but proper preparation is vital. If the Pacific High is located further south, you may need to motor through light winds for 3 or 4 days. It is 8,000 nautical miles from Panama to Australia (you can cross the Atlantic in 2,200 miles) and, because of the scale of the charts and the size of the islands, it appears to have little land. Despite the official window starting in February, you could also leave in late January, depending on what the cyclone forecasts are saying. ImproveSailing is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Most of the time, this is an easy downwind sail which will provide you an opportunity to see how your vessel and crew handle offshore sailing before the much longer passage ahead. Of course, to sail this part of the world you will need to be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting for the weather and ice. The distance from Panama to Australia is 8000 nautical miles but the time it takes to sail this distance depends on the winds, the size of the vessel and stopping times. The best way to manage this passage is to motor-sail directly south along the coast of Colombia and Ecuador until you are past the Equator. At this time the greatest challenge for cruisers wanting to explore this area is obtaining a permit to cruise Russia. This is when the rough winter weather starts to die down, but before the risk of hurricanes begins in June. For the purpose of this article, we will presume you are departing from the Caribbean, but the same routing could easily be adapted to apply to sailors who sail from Europe or either coast of North America. Many round the world sailors encounter their first gale here, and there is a good chance that the wind will be on the nose. Plan on leaving for Hawaii by early July. Make sure to go over our extensive checklist of 41 Cruising Essentials, to ensure you don't forget the most important gear and tools. Once you have carefully navigated through this maze of islands and reefs, make your way to Darwin or Bali, either of which makes an ideal jumping off point to cross the Indian Ocean. Either way, you are likely to encounter rougher seas in the Indian Ocean. Sailors in a well found and properly prepared seagoing yacht should have no problem.