Sailing across the Atlantic is one of the best adventures that any one of us can encounter, yet you need to do a lot of planning to make it both a safe and comfortable crossing.

Crossing The Atlantic Sail Times

It takes up to 21 days to sail across the Atlantic, and these approximate sailing times needed for individual segments:

You can expect a mixture of calm and relatively flat water all the way up to 5-foot swells.

Now, are these distances precise? Of course not! As any truly experienced sailor would know, it comes down to many variations, such as:

1. Your Boat Type and Sail Plan

We’ve heard of some Outremers and Sailwinds doing the entire crossing in a little over 2 weeks. Some professional racing teams can certainly make this trip in under 2 weeks, but a production/charter catamaran with beamy hulls is going to take several weeks at least.

2. You Get A Solid Weather Window

Planning your voyage before you depart from any of these ports should be at the top of your priority list. I’ve heard of sailors waiting weeks for the right weather window, even in the better times of year. Like they always say “Keeping a schedule is your worst enemy…”

3. Currents and Time Of Year

The currents can play a huge role in either decreasing or increasing your boat speed and thereby impacting your crossing times. It’s not just the current either as wave direction can play a huge impact, as too the amount of wind.

Best Time Of Year

It’s best to cross during the winter months where the trade winds are plentiful. This is November through to February. However, you can still cross the Atlantic at any time of year provided you’ve picked a great weather window prior and remember that it’ll be 3 to 5 days extra in those lighter wind conditions.

Route Planning

As I’ve touched on already, you’ll need to plan your route and provision your boat appropriately for the journey. This includes more water than you’ll consume (even if you have a water maker on board, as these can fail) plus food, spare parts and a consistent helm watch routine.

Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season starts in June and fizzles out in mid-November. This is when you’re far less likely to see other boats make this crossing unless they’re commercial vessels. In many instances, insurance policies won’t cover hurricane damage on personal yachts and catamarans which are sailed in hurricane season.

Tacks and Gybes

You can expect to tack and gybe multiple times on an Atlantic crossing. This is something best done during daylight hours to avoid any potential issues. During night watches, I recommend adding one reef into the mainsail to avoid any potential squalls. These are near-impossible to see even on a full-moon night.

Picking A Crew

You can always find a crew at either end of an Atlantic Crossing. From using Facebook groups to online forums such as CruisersForum, or even asking around at the local tourist hotspots, it’s pretty easy to find someone who wants a cheap ride and an adventure on the open seas.

Catch is though…you’ll want to find someone with experience for such a long crossing, a chances are too that you’ll paying a few bucks for this experience. Well worth it though, as a single-handed or 2-up crossing is tough work, even for those who have done ocean crossings before.

As a final thought: When you do land at your next port, aim to call head for a marina berth but always expect to anchor in the tourist months. Some of these anchorages can get real busy! Good thing we did the Atlantic crossing in a smaller yacht with a swing keel. 🙂

Move over #vanlife, ’cause given the rise of sailing channels like Sailing La Vagabonde over the years, #boatlife is here to stay. As a result, thousands of people are on YachtHub daily looking at the cost of a boat.

As an Australian, there is no greater place to become a liveaboard than the Gold Coast. Balmy summer days and mild waters make it the perfect spot, and it’s little wonder why I lived there for 4 years right across from the Southport Yacht Club.

I recently did some research to find some marinas on the Gold Coast that allow liveaboards, either short-term or long-term. And while you can stay on an anchorage for 7 days, sometimes you might want to stay longer to ride out an approaching storm front, restock your boat or do some necessary repairs. Or work directly from your boat!

Either way, I’ve got you covered. Here are 9 highly recommended liveaboard marinas on the Gold Coast:

1. Mariner’s Cove Marina (Main Beach)

My #1 best pick is always Mariner’s Cove Marina. Its location means you’ll have access to grocery stores, boutiques and public transport links. If you fancy catching some waves in the morning, then Main Beach and Narrowneck serves up an incredible 2-foot to 5-foot swell in the winter months.

2. Southport Yacht Club

Right next door to Mariner’s Cove is the Southport Yacht Club. Often it’s less likely that you’ll find an available berth here but alas, still worth a mention given the central location. There is nothing better than having lunch here on a weekday and catching up with the locals who all have one too many stories to tell.

3. Runaway Bay Marina (Hollywell)

The Runaway Bay Marina is still quite central and a place to spot some of the nicest waterfront homes around the Gold Coast. It can get a little crowded here so it’s worth calling up in advance to check if any of the 196 marine berths are available for temporary bookings. This is one popular spot for cruising catamarans and yachts coming in from Fiji and the rest of the South Pacific.

4. Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard

If you need some serious work done to your hull, engines or batteries, then you need to get it over to the Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard. This place is huge! Aesthetically-speaking, it isn’t the best given it’s a full-service boat-works area just like The Boat Works mentioned below, but well worth checking out regardless.

5. Calypso Bay Marina

The latest marina to open on the Gold Coast is Calypso Bay who allows liveaboards for short-term occupancy. The area is stunning and quite a distance away from the party boats and tourists of the Gold Coast. The area is still in development but you can see some real money here with the beautiful waterfront homes and upmarket dining options.

6. Tweed Marina

Fancy heading south? Across the border and into New South Wales, you’ll find Tweed Marina. They allow liveaboard cruisers for the short-term and this is the only marina you’ll find until you get down to Brunswick Heads. That said – you won’t want to leave with just how peaceful it is here at Tweed Heads with its numerous cafes and vibrant waterways worth exploring. No jet skis here and rarely do you find powerboats too!

7. Hope Island and Hope Harbour Marinas

There are two marinas here. You’ve got Hope Island Marina and Hope Harbour Marina which both allow liveaboard cruising couples needing a save haven for a little while. You can stay here year-round except for April and May where the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show comes to town.

8. The Boat Works

The Boat Works is a highly recommended place to find quality marine mechanics and upholstery experts, as well as staying in the marina. The place is quite busy and no doubt you’ll spot a few large superyachts as well. Based on Coomera, their claim is “Australia’s greatest boatyard” and I certainly would agree. Plenty of marine trades here and world-class facilities, though not always the best place to enjoy the serenity.

9. Bayview Harbour

A top spot to enjoy the quieter side of the Gold Coast is Bayview Harbour. This happens to be one of the oldest and most established marinas on the Gold Coast and you can certainly stay here as a liveaboard. Unfortunately, apart from some local cafes, there isn’t much shopping or much else to do here, so it’s really for the short-stay liveaboards.

Getting Started

And I’m done! That’s 9 great marinas worth checking into if you live aboard your boat. Of course, you’re unlikely to stay long term (several years) in these locations but you can certainly stay short-term. To get around some of the rules, you can always head off to one of the Gold Coast anchorages for a few days and then return, or head off to another one of these beautiful marinas!

Doing a pacific crossing on a monohull or catamaran is one experience you’ll cherish for years, but one that requires a ton of prior planning.

Crossing the Pacific – Sail Times

With more than 8,000 nautical miles to sail, it takes 2.5 to 4 weeks to make the longest leg of a Pacific crossing from Galapagos Islands to The Marquesas. However, most cruisers take 3 to 6 months, or even up to 12 months, to do the entire ‘Coconut Milk Run’ from Panama to Australia, by stopping into many atolls, islands and countries along the way.

Fortunately, this long crossing typically has favourable currents and strong tradewinds, allowing both a fast and comfortable passage with many cruisers referring this to being relatively easy sailing. Mild swell, predictable and clean winds and with next to no squalls, it’s a trip that’s well within your means, and yes, even if it’s your first large crossing.

That is – provided you do some strong planning, good provisioning and have more than 2 crew members. We certainly wouldn’t recommend an Atlantic crossing for a couple unless you’ve got some serious sea miles under your belt, otherwise, you’ll arrive into French Polynesia completely and utterly exhausted.

In this guide, we’ll help you better plan the trip so you can have a safe and comfortable voyage, and you’ll see why the South Pacific especially is one of the best cruising grounds out there.

West-Bound vs East-Bound

In many cases, it’s far better to head east-bound (towards Australia) as opposed to sailing towards the Panama Canal. This is because you’ll be sailing upwind with both tides and wind working against the boat.

Not only will the ride be more uncomfortable, but you’ll be putting more stress and strain on your boat at the same time. Many cruisers like us are out there to have fun and aren’t fond of an unpleasant crossing.

Length of Voyage

As we hinted at the start, you shouldn’t focus on the length of the crossing but plan for an entire year (or 3!) to do a Pacific crossing. This is because of the epic islands, unique cultures, incredible anchorages and stunning mounts (hello Marquesas!) that you’ll find along the way.

Unlike the Mediterranean, there are thousands of protected anchorages along the way paired with many available buoys (often times free) to protect the sensitive coral reefs. When you’re cruising, who’s in a rush? Especially when it’s the trip of a lifetime for many aspiring sailors.

Route Planning

A truly first-world problem is choosing which route you’d want to take on your first Pacific crossing, and there is no one-route-fits-all approach here. It really comes down to your boat type, crew numbers, vessel weight, time of year and current experience.

We would highly recommend stopping into the Galapagos Islands and stay for 2 to 3 weeks. Quarantine here is quite strict so you’ll have to consume or dispose of any food before entering port while ensuring you arrive on a spotless hull.

A drawback towards any Pacific crossing is experiencing the doldrums. This challenge is mostly felt after leaving the Galapagos Islands en route to French Polynesia, but then again…where else would you rather be?

For the following islands, their order is based on heading eastwards on a Pacific Crossing.

French Polynesia

If time permits, we would recommend 1 to 2 months in French Polynesia if you really want to experience the culture shock and the incredible hospitality. This country is the epitome of world cruising and ‘living the dream’ with the many atolls and empty beaches where few tourists ever visit.

For those of you rushing the trip, then you can’t leave without stopping into Taumotus and The Marquesas for their incredible mountains and lush rainforests. As an added bonus, the frequent rainfalls means that you’ll be able to get that salt off your deck too!

Tahiti

If you’re anything like us, Tahiti has been at the top of your bucket list for years. It sits almost smack-bang in the middle of Australia and the United States meaning it’s both difficult and expensive for every day tourists to explore. The benefit(s) of owning a sailing vessel after all, right?

Tahiti is a part of the Society Islands and is the most popular island for cruisers. It’s certainly worth a stopover to rest, recover and restock your boat with fresh provisions.

Tonga

One of the most beautiful things about Tonga is the short hops between its 3 main anchorages. This makes for a welcome reprieve after the Pacific crossing, paired with incredible hospitality.

Unfortunately, this is also where you’ll start seeing commercial tourism at play given the daily flights between Tonga and Australia. So if you’re missing modern civilization, just remember “Things get normal again from Tonga onwards”

Fiji

Things really start to get normal from Fiji onwards with resorts, hotels and restaurants never too far away from Suva. Fortunately, Fiji is a huge cruising ground and you could spend several months here without seeing the whole lot.

While snorkeling, fishing and diving can be found in many Pacific islands, Fiji is also where you’ll find some epic places to go surfing, kite boarding and even pick up some half-decent WIFI to catch up on social media back home. Like we said….you’re almost back to normality here.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu isn’t as busy as Fiji (fortunately!) and makes for a great stopover before you do your final stretch of sailing across the pacific. We fell in love with the amazing scenery both above and below the waterline.

The local people are warm and friendly while the local festivals can’t to be missed. Some say it’s the happiest country in the world, and we certainly couldn’t disagree! It’s at this point that you’ll start to feel some angst as the end of your trip is looming.

Finishing a Pacific Crossing in Australia or New Zealand?

For many who are finishing off their Pacific crossing, it’s hard to know whether to make a bee-line for Australia and enter in Brisbane, Coffs Harbour or Sydney, or make a diversion to Auckland. This depends on what time of year you’re making the Pacific crossing.

In late autumn through to mid Summer, it’s a perfect time to check into Auckland and explore the incredible cruising grounds of New Zealand’s North Island. However, the region is very cold in the winter months paired with less predictable weather systems making a leap to Australia more challenging for a novice sailor.

So in short, aim for Auckland if you can make it, otherwise sail direct to Australia’s east coast. Sydney to Brisbane can be cruised year-round with no cyclone seasons making a perfect base in which to explore, and later head for Auckland as summer approaches once again.