The Pacific Crossing Guide 3rd edition

The Pacific Crossing Guide is a complete reference for anyone contemplating sailing the Pacific in their own boat. From ideal timing, suitable boats, routes, methods of communication, health and provisioning to seasonal weather, departure and arrival ports, facilities, likely costs and dangers, the comprehensiveness of this new edition will both inspire dreamers and instil confidence in those about to depart. This new edition has been completely restructured with Part 1 covering thorough preparation for a Pacific crossing and Part 2 covering Pacific weather patterns, major routes and landfall ports, with useful website links throughout. There are completely new sections on rallies, coral atolls and atoll navigation, the cyclone season and laying up, use of electronic charts, satellite phones versus HF radio, ongoing maintenance, and Pacific festivals. Completely updated, expanded and refreshed for the new generation of Pacific cruisers, this is the definitive reference, relied upon by many thousands of cruisers.

The Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation was founded in 1976 with the objective of advancing 'the education of the public in the science and practice of navigation'. Its members write - and keep continually updated - pilot books covering many different parts of the world. In the past twenty years Kitty van Hagen has cruised the Pacific extensively with her husband, Simon; through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos and on to Hawaii; up to Kodiak and the Pacific Northwest; a season cruising round Vancouver Island before heading south to San Francisco; to Mexico and a year spent exploring the Baha; from Mexico to New Zealand via French Polynesia; three years making the seasonal run between New Zealand and the island groups of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia before sailing on to Australia; then a return to New Zealand where they continued to be based for several years, sailing round North and South Island as well as the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island and across to Tasmania. Kitty is co-author of Yachting Monthly's highly acclaimed Classic Passages and author of The Sailing Cook Book (Collins) and The Happy Ship (Faber and Faber). Kitty has also written various articles for Cruising World, Sail and Yachting Monthly magazines.

Part I Preparations 1 Casting Off Work as a team to fulfil the dream Taking children Family and friends left behind Joining a rally 2 The Pacific Ocean Ring of fire The formation of atolls Human colonisation Ethnic groups European exploration and trade Culture and festivals Citizen science 3 Preparing the boat The perfect cruising yacht? Monohull or multihull? Sail management Downwind rigs Stormsails Wear on sails Mast and spars Standing rigging Running rigging Steering systems Self-steering: autopilot vs wind vane Ground tackle The main engine Fuel tanks Bilge pumps Water management Cooking fuel Fridges and freezers Temperature regulation Toilets and holding tanks Dinghies Outboard engines 4 Staying Safe Preventing water ingress Alarms Spray hoods and biminis Handholds and jack lines Man overboard (MOB) Getting the casualty back on board PLB AIS Lightning strike Fire Abandoning ship EPIRB Flares Liferaft Grab bag Security 5 Navigation and charting The basics of navigation Integrated or stand-alone electronics? Electronic charting When the electronics fail Using satellite imagery as a navigational tool AIS Radar Ship's log Watch keeping Eyeball navigation on coral atolls 6 Communications Short range communications Long range communications at sea Mobile phones and internet access Traditional 'snail mail' 7 The balance of power General electrical setup: the basics Power storage Power generation Alternative power generation Power draw and calculation of usage AC power Shore power Inverters 8 Routine maintenance and spares Corrosion Managing your maintenance Backups and spare parts Suggested spares Tools Manuals and parts lists 9 Provisioning and store keeping Stores and storage Fresh food Dried food Making bread Galley hints Water BBQs Fishing Waste disposal Hygiene and pests Trade and barter 10 Common health problems while cruising Injuries Burns Sunburn and skin cancer Ears Diarrhoea Seasickness Common parasites Biting flies Malaria Dengue fever Dangers in the sea Ciguatera Health and illness in toddlers and babies Women's health Common fears Basic medical kit Useful books to have on board Useful websites 11 Managing the paperwork Finance Passports and visas Ship's papers Formalities Courtesy flags Insurance Recruiting crew Pets on board 12 Cyclone season and laying up Leaving the cyclone belt Staying inside the cyclone belt Cyclone shelters - useful contacts Laying up Shipping home Part II Passage Planning 13 Pacific weather and weather forecasts The origin of Pacific wind systems South Pacific wind zones North Pacific wind zones Tropical revolving storms Pacific Ocean currents El Niño La Niña Madden Julian-Oscillation Weather forecasts 14 Routes to the Marquesas West Coast to Marquesas 1 San Diego 2 Puerto Vallarta Panama to Galapagos 3 Balboa The Galapagos Islands 4 Wreck Bay 5 Academy Bay Galapagos to Marquesas 15 FrenchPolynesia (the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands) The Marquesas 6 Atuona, Hiva Oa 7 Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva The Tuamotu Archipelago The Society Islands 8 Papeete, Tahiti 9 Maeva Beach, Tahiti 10 Moorea 11 Raiatea 12 Bora Bora 16 Southern routes via Easter Island and the Australs or direct between Chile and New Zealand Galapagos to Easter Island Chile to Easter Island 13 Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui Easter Island to Pitcairn Pitcairn to the Gambiers and Tuamotus Eastwards from New Zealand to Chile via the Australs 14 Raivavae, Austral Islands Australs to Easter Island Easter Island to Puerto Montt, Chile New Zealand to Chile via the Southern Ocean Chile 15 Puerto Montt, Chile 17 Bora Borato Tonga and Samoa via the Cook Islands The Cook Islands 16 Avatiu, Raratonga Niue Kingdom of Tonga 17 Neiafu, Vava'u Group 18 The Ha'apai Islands 19 Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu 18 Routes between 'the Islands' and New Zealand Tonga to Fiji Tonga to New Zealand New Zealand 20 Opua, Bay of Islands, North Island Cruising New Zealand 21 Auckland, North Island New Zealand to 'the Islands' Republic of Fiji 22 Suva, Viti Levu Fiji to Vanuatu Vanuatu 23 Port Vila, Efate Island Vanuatu to New Caledonia New Caledonia 24 Nouméa, New Caledonia 19 Routes to and from Tasmania and the East Coast of Australia Vanuatu or New Caledonia to Australia Australia to New Caledonia or Vanuatu Australia 25 Bundaberg, Queensland Bundaberg to Brisbane 26 Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane to Sydney 27 Coffs Harbour, New South Wales 28 Sydney, New South Wales Sydney to Hobart 29 Hobart, Tasmania Passages between Tasmania and New Zealand Passages northwards up the New South Wales coast Inside the Great Barrier Reef 30 Cairns, Queensland 20 Routes to and from Hawaii in the East Pacific Panama to Hawaii via Galapagos Hawaii 31 Honolulu, Oahu Hawaii to Canada Canada 32 Victoria, British Columbia Canada or California to Hawaii 33 San Francisco, California 21 Routes south and west from Hawaii Routes south from Hawaii Fast track to New Zealand South among the islands The Line Islands, Kiribati Hawaii to Samoa Samoan Islands 34 Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa 35 Apia, Upolu Island, Samoa Hawaii to Australia via the Gilbert Islands and the Solomon Islands 36 Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, Kiribati The Solomon Islands 37 Honiara, Guadalcanal Routes west from Hawaii The Marshall Islands 38 Majuro The Caroline Islands 39 Pohnpei Guam 40 Apra 22 Routes north from New Zealand to Japan and Alaska New Zealand to Hawaii via Tahiti The direct route north New Zealand to the Aleutians via Japan Japan 41 Fukuoka (Hakata), Kyushu Japan to the Aleutian Islands The Aleutians 42 Dutch Harbor, Unalaska Mainland Alaska 43 Kodiak Hawaii to Kodiak Appendices