Route Planning

Planning destinations while cruising comes down to a matter of preference. City lovers can spend weeks on the quay in Papeete or a month in a marina in Puerta Vallarta. Those with a desire for privacy head for quiet coves off the beaten path and enjoy the peace. Kid boats pile up where there are lots of beaches and good swimming. Fancy restaurants are of little use for parents who have no available baby sitters, but for retired couples, it's a great opportunity to get out of the kitchen. One couples' paradise is another's bore. We have come into a pattern of several weeks per anchorage where a beach is close, kid boats abound and the temptation to spend money is safely back in the city.

However, sailing takes serious planning and can be directed by weather, politics or the need for provisions. Pete looks at weather files regularly as we start gearing up for the next leg. We postpone leaving if it's too light or too much wind. We giddy up if conditions are currently perfect with predictions for bad weather later on. Anchorages too can present troubles. Tangling up the anchor chain in coral and listening it grind away all night makes for a short stay. Another reason we move is to meet up with company. We have backtracked 3 times in our trip and each time has been to meet up with guests. Usually the drive is to go forward at our own pace. Then there are those pesky visas that expire and make us move on to the next country.

The big picture of sailing is governed by global weather patterns and seasons. Certain regions are unsafe for cruisers at certain times of the years. Books are published with routes and time tables all spelled out. We have software that predicts average wind speed, likelihood of a gale, wind direction and expected boat speed. The Pacific Northwest is only a good place to sail in the summer and spring. That limits the times that we could leave and the months that we can return home. Mexico is not safe below a certain latitude from June through October. The safe season in the South Pacific is from April until November. Boats either hunker down in one of a few "hurricane holes" during the southern summer or go to New Zealand, Australia or Hawaii.

As we prepare to leave French Polynesia, a huge decision faces us. Because we can only return to Washington in the spring or summer, we either sail north now, or wait another year. The farther west and south we go, the farther we have to get home again. The trip back from New Zealand is about 7,500 miles or 9 weeks of sailing, plus stops to rest. The trip from here is about 5,000 miles via Hawaii and could be done by September. Now that we are reaping the rewards of our efforts, it seems a shame to head home now. However, we are facing challenges as a family as we live this life. We have decided on a compromise and a "one island at a time" policy. We are going to spend the next 2 to 2 1/2 months sailing to and around Tonga. We will visit Rarotonga in the Cooks on the way. At that point, we can still reach Hawaii and winter the boat there. We have also considered the very costly option of having the boat shipped home on a freighter. New Zealand for the hurricane season is still an option, but we have agreed not to talk about that until Tonga, by which time I will have started the next school year (one of our biggest challenges). We're going to work on our difficulties this summer and see where it takes us.

That's our plan for now. We appreciate all the prayers, letters and help we have received from home.

-Kellie