wheels 543 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 interesting -- the wisdom of crew! Yeah I think it resembles the many varied ways people sail and coupled with experience too of course. Some like to cruise. Some are not so confident and like the opitions of safe harbors. Some feel it's safer to be well out to sea away from land. Some simply want to make the journey as fast as possible, some want to be out there amongst it. No one is wrong and No one is right. And that is what is so cool about Sailing. It is a sport and a past time that can be made to fit you and not the otherway around which is so often the case with many other sports and hobbies. Link to post Share on other sites
NevP 0 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 ... the west coast offers some good advantages...1. in prevailing NW and SW breezes if you get into trouble you are typically blown on shore (lee shore) Excuse my ignorance but "lee shore" and "advantage", are these terms not mutually exclusive? I can follow all the other points for and against but always thought that sea room is what you want if you're in trouble in a blow. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Is 100 miles off the coast still a lee shore? Should you be out there at all in a yacht that can't reach in a bit of wind? Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 that sea room is what you want if you're in trouble in a blow. My view also. To me a Lee shore is such that it's distance from you will pose a problem should something go wrong and you would run onto it within the time it takes to sort that problem. The only major difference I have found between West (Tasman) and East(Pacific) is the waves are so much shorter in timing between them on the West and in a blow you get a much shorter time period and steeper wave face. However, the other points to consider is tides around areas of the country and how the sea is influenced in certain wind directions with those tidal streams. To reduce those influences, get well off shore. And one slight advantage with the East coast is that the shelf is not so far out for much of it and yes it really does make a difference in bigger seas. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dry Reach Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 ... the west coast offers some good advantages...1. in prevailing NW and SW breezes if you get into trouble you are typically blown on shore (lee shore) Excuse my ignorance but "lee shore" and "advantage", are these terms not mutually exclusive? I can follow all the other points for and against but always thought that sea room is what you want if you're in trouble in a blow. as our tauranga friend found out! better to be blown onto a beach than blown offshore never to be seen alive again! also the wind on the west coast lifts over the coast quite far out to sea, and thus give a windshadow effect. i'd rather be blown onto a shore if l lost all contact and motive power than be lost of the east coast/ mexico! plus! you have more chance of radio contact and being rescued drifting towards land than away from it! Whats VHF direct line of site coverage with a Masthead arial?... 15 km? and better to lose your boat than to lose your life (and ya boat) comprehendo now? Link to post Share on other sites
Murky 1 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Certainly clear what you meant DR. Personally I wouldn't have said the history is that good for survival of crews of yachts coming ashore on the West Coast - especially in a blow. One example being the Townson near New Plymouth that came up in a thread here a while back - the accident report is probably still on the MNZ site. So for my money, I would be heading to sea. My recollection about the Tauranga incident that he went over the side quite early and the fact that the boat ended up a long way from its last known position was not influential on the outcome. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dry Reach Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Certainly clear what you meant DR. Personally I wouldn't have said the history is that good for survival of crews of yachts coming ashore on the West Coast - especially in a blow. One example being the Townson near New Plymouth that came up in a thread here a while back - the accident report is probably still on the MNZ site. So for my money, I would be heading to sea. My recollection about the Tauranga incident that he went over the side quite early and the fact that the boat ended up a long way from its last known position was not influential on the outcome. True but Slacko's comment above, is where i am coming from! I am not talking about rock hopping here or looking at the whites in the eyes of the pipi's stuff. Just being on the west side is safe enough! Link to post Share on other sites
khayyam 68 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 agreed, route choice is largely irrelevant if you go solo and don't stay on the boat. Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 as our tauranga friend found out! That was not as simple as drifting though. He had a self stearing uniot set up and the boom had gybed, which could have been what sent him over the side. (that's just my theory) But anyway, I would say the wind change and the self steering would have spun the boat about and it sailed itself to the Chatams, not blown there. If it was blown at drift, it would have gone North. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Rocket Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Umm I am firmly in the camp that believes blown on shore is a bad thing not a good thing.... If I was sailing to Sounds from Ak and I wasn't that experienced I would go East Coast purely because you can break the trip down into manageable chunks with harbours you can get into. West Coast takes no prisoners and there is nowhere to go! I also believe with modern kit you should get a weather heads up if strong easterlies are coming giving you a chance to duck into a harbour Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dry Reach Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Umm I am firmly in the camp that believes blown on shore is a bad thing not a good thing.... If I was sailing to Sounds from Ak and I wasn't that experienced I would go East Coast purely because you can break the trip down into manageable chunks with harbours you can get into. West Coast takes no prisoners and there is nowhere to go! I also believe with modern kit you should get a weather heads up if strong easterlies are coming giving you a chance to duck into a harbour Theres plenty on the west coast too!... if you are knowledgable. Auckland Russell Manakau (plenty if depth and width. New Plymouth Wanganui (Yachts sail in and out of here still but ab bit dodgy.) Lee of Kapiti (Waiorua Bay, very sheltered) Mana / Queen Charlotte Cound Wellington. Link to post Share on other sites
sow1ld 2 Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Just another factor in the mix to consider. Check mariner prices before you leave. It's all good to say you can pull in to x mariner until the weather clears but that can take weeks chewing up $$$. In 2005 We got stuck in Gisborne at $25 a day. Crew ran out of time, flights home where super expensive & then we where left with a boat in Gisborne and no crew. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Rocket Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 Ever been into Manukau in a roaring Westerly? Ditto for a bunch of others - even NP can just about close out and it is a tiny unsheltered entrance... Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dry Reach Posted July 7, 2010 Share Posted July 7, 2010 ) Ever been into Manukau in a roaring Westerly? Ditto for a bunch of others - even NP can just about close out and it is a tiny unsheltered entrance... Gisborne in a southerly? Napier in a easterly (rare) How many people have washed up on the west coast in the last 20 years? ... only idiots in ill equipped boats and using poor seapersonship (BB Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 8, 2010 Share Posted July 8, 2010 West Coast takes no prisoners and there is nowhere to go! I also believe with modern kit you should get a weather heads up if strong easterlies are coming giving you a chance to duck into a harbour I'm with Rocket. There is an added hazard in strong westerlies in that Mt Taranaki tends to divide and turn the wind flow with the result that you tend to get headed as you approach the cape from either direction. It is somewhat worse coming northwards as it pushes you into the rolling grounds of the Taranaki Bight. A combination of a 1000 nm fetch and shoaling water can produce some very nasty sea conditions. Link to post Share on other sites
Chewing Gum 17 Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 We did west coast return last year no problems in Feb / Mar - it was fun Took us 3 days from Reinga going south and 2.5 days return in mainly 15-25 SW I chose that way because I did not fancy the Wairarapa Coast. Also you can stop at harbours in the far north eg Mangonui, Awanui or Houhora and wait for the good weather - that is number one consideration. I would not bother with any of the westcoast harbours although most of them are navigable if you know where to go. I think Ahipara may also be ok in settled weather. Just head for Golden Bay if weather in Cook Strait gets a bit knarly.Mana is pretty shallow - only about 2 metres. Keep well offshore after New Plymouth (Rolling Grounds) Also going around Reinga and van Dieman stay at least 10miles off especially if the tide is against you. We didn't and it took ages - would definitely have been quicker to go further out. The main thing is to make sure you know your boat well and that it is as reliable as you can possibly make it. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Hey Bro, if you on a delivery and gotta choice west coast everytime especially if you can wait until after the spring westerly's Weather window forecasts are pretty good these days, if you go from Mangonui or north cape/spirits 3 - 4 days should be pretty comfortable. If you really want to enjoy your tour change your mindseat, forget about seeking shelter, the west coast harbours are very tricky and its not really part of the plan, the rumb line takes you 100nm+ off the coast and it very beautiful out there, you'll get a bit of breeze when you come in at Egmont and from there it a run in accrosss the straights into the sounds. The East Coast has more corners and East Cape, Portland, the Wairarapa and Palliser, if you do the coastal hop thing from port to port you'll need about two weeks, kill your liver and still get a smack somewhere Link to post Share on other sites
TimB 7 Posted July 16, 2010 Share Posted July 16, 2010 Marsh said Yes and every one of them is a wind factory. I know of two crews returning to Nelson from Auckland and who chose the East route took several months to complete the journey, caused by having to wait out the weather, crew disappearing etc etc. West coast is preferred. Link to post Share on other sites
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