Introduction | Long passages | Strategy and tactics

If you are departing on a long ocean passage there will not be reliable forecast data available which covers the passage. This is just how it is. We are more fortunate than all previous generations of sailors, in that we have access to a wide range of tools to help plan passages. For long, and short, ocean passages, just as for all of recorded history, your experience, judgment and knowledge is important.

Strategy and tactics.

How would you plan for a 50 day passage, such as the sail between New Zealand and Hawaii?

Two of the routes between New Zealand and Hawaii, that you will discover from reading cruising guides are roughly shown:

The two routes are, very approximately:

  1. head generally SE to around 38° south, then east until you are somewhere south of the Society Islands, then head north and cross the ITCZ. Hopefully you are now far enough east that you can ride the trades on your beam, or behind, to Hawaii.
  2. head north from NZ, cross the ITCZ. Search for the counter current that can run east, north of the equator. Beat into the wind, riding this current, until you have a decent sailing angle to Hawaii.

Its useful to remember that there are two types of decisions:

  • strategic. Strategy is the overall plan. In this case, the strategy would be one of the plans above. Not a lot of detail, just an outline and goal.
  • tactical. Tactics are the short term actions you perform to achieve the strategy. Many different tactics may achieve the same strategy.

In developing a strategy for this particular passage, one of the two general routes above can be chosen. Once you have decided on the general shape of the passage, the remaining decisions are:

  • when do you depart?
  • what day to day tactics do you apply to achieve your goal?

These are discussed in more detail soon.