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Old 05-11-2010, 11:02 PM   #1
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Hi everybody,This issue used to amuse me, now I find it annoying.Just read (on another site) yet another U.S based skipper describing his voyage to Hawaii as " CROSSING THE PACIFIC" !!!!Have a look at an elementary school atlas, there is a lot more Pacific than just the sector between west coast USA and Hawaii.While the completion of any blue water voyage is an event to be proud of, to "hype" this sector as an ocean crossing (Trancpac Race, SIC ) is going way to far.
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Old 05-12-2010, 12:30 AM   #2
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Agree one hundred percent - also the other favourite "Offshore" or even "Blue Water" being used to hype up a passage.

I guess there are statistics that illustrate that the majority of sinkings, strandings, damage to boats and rescues occur in coastal waters. My own experience of real white knuckle events are those that were close to shore, not 100nm away from the surf and reef.
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Old 05-12-2010, 01:45 AM   #3
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And that, MMNETSEA is a fact...... The most harrowing experiences I have had have always been near shore.....

C
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Old 05-12-2010, 04:03 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fusion40' date='11 May 2010 - 07:02 PM View Post

Hi everybody,This issue used to amuse me, now I find it annoying.Just read (on another site) yet another U.S based skipper describing his voyage to Hawaii as " CROSSING THE PACIFIC" !!!!Have a look at an elementary school atlas, there is a lot more Pacific than just the sector between west coast USA and Hawaii.While the completion of any blue water voyage is an event to be proud of, to "hype" this sector as an ocean crossing (Trancpac Race, SIC ) is going way to far.
BTW, cannot help making the following statement....having done the crossing twice, in TransPacs, I find it a little disconcerting and annoying that anyone could not find that a major accomplishment, and that it would not be a Pacific crossing. 2700 miles of open Pacific Ocean is not a crossing? In who's demented thought process?

Clearly the Pacific in its entirety is much larger, but there are relative few that even get offshore and out of site of land. For many, the crossing to Hawai'i is a major accomplishment....said to be anything less is not to intelligent a statement....

Just saying....

C
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Old 05-12-2010, 11:15 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boomerang' date='13 May 2010 - 03:03 AM View Post

BTW, cannot help making the following statement....having done the crossing twice, in TransPacs, I find it a little disconcerting and annoying that anyone could not find that a major accomplishment, and that it would not be a Pacific crossing. 2700 miles of open Pacific Ocean is not a crossing? In who's demented thought process?

Clearly the Pacific in its entirety is much larger, but there are relative few that even get offshore and out of site of land. For many, the crossing to Hawai'i is a major accomplishment....said to be anything less is not to intelligent a statement....

Just saying....

C
Boomer,

Suggest you read ALL of my post I already stated that West coast to Hawaii is a major voyage, but it should not be styled a Pacific crossing. !!!
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Old 05-13-2010, 02:14 AM   #6
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Oh, I read ALL of your post.....and I still stand by my reply.

Where have you sailed? I have not done the Pacific other than to Hawai'i from San Diego, but I have done the Azores to Antigua, and from the Canaries to Antigua.... I suppose you'd now say that I have not done the northern route, so I could not possibly call mine an Atlantic crossing....LOL....

Have you ever made any crossing of any kind? How about out of site of land? I think not....or you would not have made your obtuse comment....I am sure you know what they say about opinions....especially opinions without substance....

I also suppose the three hurricanes I have endured on board would be nothing to you as well because only two were away from the marina? You?

You see, I can back up my comments... I still stand by mine....substance my man, substance....

C.....
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Old 05-13-2010, 02:43 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boomerang' date='13 May 2010 - 09:14 AM View Post

Oh, I read ALL of your post.....and I still stand by my reply.

Where have you sailed? I have not done the Pacific other than to Hawai'i from San Diego, but I have done the Azores to Antigua, and from the Canaries to Antigua.... I suppose you'd now say that I have not done the northern route, so I could not possibly call mine an Atlantic crossing....LOL....

Have you ever made any crossing of any kind? How about out of site of land? I think not....or you would not have made your obtuse comment....I am sure you know what they say about opinions....especially opinions without substance....

I also suppose the three hurricanes I have endured on board would be nothing to you as well because only two were away from the marina? You?

You see, I can back up my comments... I still stand by mine....substance my man, substance....

C.....
Charles, Could I suggest that the topic is valuable in inviting contributions without over personalising the content.

Richard
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Old 05-13-2010, 04:48 AM   #8
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There is an awful lot more of the pacific than between mainland US and Hawaii. If in fact you bumped into Australia you may well call it a pacific crossing.
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Old 05-13-2010, 10:50 AM   #9
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OK, fine, folks.... And my apologies for "personalizing content...." which I admit I did to a degree.

I know that the trip from CA to Hawai'i is not, per se, a crossing, but it is a substantial "crossing event" for most folks. It felt in the original post that the event was being minimized, though there was a nice disclaimer (save) at the end...for most "cruisers" it is substantial and in most peoples minds that could be construed as a crossing.

As QLD (sorry, not familiar with your name yet) put it, bumping into the land down-under would definitively be....but give the skipper a break! Most people never get out of site of land.....

My apologies to all.....can I come back and play now?

C
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Old 05-13-2010, 11:34 AM   #10
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Hi Chas !!

Come back and please bring the ball

Richard
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Old 05-13-2010, 11:42 AM   #11
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As an Australian news commentator once said, the US and Australia are "two cultures divided by a common language."

I waffle back and forth between talking about"crossings" and "passages". In some of the English-speaking countries we've visited, "crossing" is not as rigorous as "passage". For example, from Trinidad to Grenada, it would be a "crossing", but from Trinidad non-stop to Antigua would be a "passage." Which have we done? Few nice trips, and two pretty horrible ones, one from the Solomons Islands to Vanuatu, and another from Samoa (formerly called "Western Samoa") to Pago Pago, American Samoa - probably the worst trip we made in all the years we were sailing out there. I called the Samoas sail a "crossing", and the Solomons to Vanuatu beat was a "passage".

However, not knowing just how much the American skipper crowed about his "Pacific Crossing", he could have indeed talked as if his accomplishment surpassed Joshua Slocum's.

I once got into trouble pooh-poohing a American's boast about all the miles he had put on his sailboat when I learned that almost all of it had been done motoring up and down the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Cruel me for failing to recognize just how proud of himself that fellow was.

Can everybody just shake hands and start over?
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Old 05-13-2010, 01:19 PM   #12
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Reminds me of meeting a cruiser in Trinidad a few years ago at a BBQ, who was an “expert” on cruising as he had been cruising for 14 years. Don’t get me wrong – he had. He had left Florida 14 years earlier and it had taken him and his wife that time to reach Trinidad and had just logged over 3600nm. He was very proud of himself. There was another cruising couple at the BBQ who were on their second circumnavigation who openly stated that they thought the 14 year cruiser was just another idiot who did not know anything about cruising as he had not even crossed an ocean.

Hey, sailing is fun and cruising is whatever you make it out to be – you do not have to sail around the world to be classified as a cruiser. Yes, sailing from the US mainland to Hawaii is not necessary crossing the Pacific but to some, it is. Let them glow in their own perceived glory – maybe they will continue further next time and hit that big chunk of land further west. Or maybe they will realise that the Pacific is a lot bigger than they imagined at first.

At least the person managed to find Hawaii – you see, the chart chip only covered that stretch of water and it said “Pacific Ocean” and in smaller type underneath “North America to Hawaii Islands”
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Old 05-14-2010, 08:28 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnT' date='14 May 2010 - 12:19 AM View Post

Reminds me of meeting a cruiser in Trinidad a few years ago at a BBQ, who was an “expert” on cruising as he had been cruising for 14 years. Don’t get me wrong – he had. He had left Florida 14 years earlier and it had taken him and his wife that time to reach Trinidad and had just logged over 3600nm. He was very proud of himself. There was another cruising couple at the BBQ who were on their second circumnavigation who openly stated that they thought the 14 year cruiser was just another idiot who did not know anything about cruising as he had not even crossed an ocean.

Hey, sailing is fun and cruising is whatever you make it out to be – you do not have to sail around the world to be classified as a cruiser. Yes, sailing from the US mainland to Hawaii is not necessary crossing the Pacific but to some, it is. Let them glow in their own perceived glory – maybe they will continue further next time and hit that big chunk of land further west. Or maybe they will realise that the Pacific is a lot bigger than they imagined at first.

At least the person managed to find Hawaii – you see, the chart chip only covered that stretch of water and it said “Pacific Ocean” and in smaller type underneath “North America to Hawaii Islands”
Thanks Guys (and Girl) for the BALANCED comments (and I do include Charles in that.

I am reminded of the Texan rancher, visiting Australia, who boasted in a bar " On my ranch I can ride for 2 days and not reach the far boundary!!"

an old Aussie stockman (cowboy) commented " yeah, I had a horse like that once".

cheers to all.

Pete
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Old 05-16-2010, 06:22 AM   #14
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I find the whole confusion of terms interesting. I'm thinking about: Crossing vs passage vs cruise vs voyage.

Here's what I thought these things meant. This is only what I though, not anyone else's view.

Voyage and cruise being "big picture" words encompassing the entire trip undertaken.

Passage as a term to describe several days, weeks, or months at sea getting from one port at the beginning to another port at the end.

Cruises and voyages have numerous "passages" typically unless one is trying to set some kind of non-stop record!

A crossing is a type of passage.

Crossing as a term being used to describe getting across something. Pacific crossing might be to cross a large segment of the Pacific but not all of the Pacific. Crossing could be describing a smaller trip--crossing from mainland to an offshore island within site of the mainland even.

+++

Out of term meanings and into reality:

Anyone who successfully completes a trip can be proud of it--and I will congratulate that person for their successful sailing/motoring. I can't comment on the validity of the pride that some folks feel. I'm just happy for them that they're proud of their accomplishment. I have my own standards regarding what I think I can be proud of accomplishing myself. I will hold no other sailor to my standards--those are for me alone and don't need to be shared. To date, I have completed NO passage of significance. Only little bits of coastal cruising here and there and lots of day sails. Someday I'll have numerous passages/crossings under my belt and they'll be of the sort that I'll feel proud to have accomplished... and I do hope that my voyaging goes on for years and years.

Fair winds,
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Old 06-29-2014, 02:31 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redbopeep View Post
I find the whole confusion of terms interesting. I'm thinking about: Crossing vs passage vs cruise vs voyage.

Here's what I thought these things meant. This is only what I though, not anyone else's view.

Voyage and cruise being "big picture" words encompassing the entire trip undertaken.

Passage as a term to describe several days, weeks, or months at sea getting from one port at the beginning to another port at the end.

Cruises and voyages have numerous "passages" typically unless one is trying to set some kind of non-stop record!

A crossing is a type of passage.

Crossing as a term being used to describe getting across something. Pacific crossing might be to cross a large segment of the Pacific but not all of the Pacific. Crossing could be describing a smaller trip--crossing from mainland to an offshore island within site of the mainland even.

+++

Out of term meanings and into reality:

Anyone who successfully completes a trip can be proud of it--and I will congratulate that person for their successful sailing/motoring. I can't comment on the validity of the pride that some folks feel. I'm just happy for them that they're proud of their accomplishment. I have my own standards regarding what I think I can be proud of accomplishing myself. I will hold no other sailor to my standards--those are for me alone and don't need to be shared. To date, I have completed NO passage of significance. Only little bits of coastal cruising here and there and lots of day sails. Someday I'll have numerous passages/crossings under my belt and they'll be of the sort that I'll feel proud to have accomplished... and I do hope that my voyaging goes on for years and years.

Fair winds,
I found this to be the most reasonable post, because I share this POV.

One person's voyage may be inconsequential to others, but that goes both ways. What should matter is that the person has accomplished something for their life, for their soul or dreams, not for another sailor or for some stranger sitting at a computer.

The real crossing one has to make is that boundary we often impose on ourselves, or that is created by the expectations or limitations imposed by others such as unsupportive friends or family. Make THAT crossing, and the journey can be life changing regardless of any miles covered. The biggest journey is inside us.
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Old 06-29-2014, 03:01 AM   #16
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Nice to see older topics revisited. I was never quite so proud of myself as I was following a sail across the Joseph Bonaparte gulf between Darwin (Australia) and King George River. It was my first time genuinely out of sight of land, being a crossing of about 200 miles.

I was relatively new to sailing and had just upgraded from an Endeavour 23 (drop keel) to a 36 South Coast, full keeled ketch. I had become used to sailing the little boat by myself and, as I wasn't very confident on the bigger boat, I did not want to endanger anyone and so, I set off across the gulf alone. I had a good trip across and spent five days near the waterfall within the magnificent and remote river. The sail back was uphill all the way and was tough.

Since then I have never reached the level of satisfaction I felt at having made it both ways without ending up dead. In retrospect, I should have taken crew and should have had more gear on the boat.

As with many cruising boats of the time, I had a VHF and HF radio, and a depth sounder. I had no radar and my first GPS (Magellan) was still 18 months away (It was a boat show special and cost me $4000).

I remember stopping for a beer at the Darwin Sailing Club after picking up my mooring in Fanny Bay. I was tanned, unshaven, beaming with pride and was fully taken aback when a local sailor opined that my trip was nothing much more than a day sail in protected waters.

Every personal sailing milestone passed is significant, and deserves an enthusiastic hearing. There is no better marine medicine than hearing a respected fellow sailor telling you "Very well done".
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Old 06-29-2014, 02:18 PM   #17
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Nice to see older topics revisited. I was never quite so proud of myself as I was following a sail across the Joseph Bonaparte gulf between Darwin (Australia) and King George River. It was my first time genuinely out of sight of land, being a crossing of about 200 miles.

....... Clip...

Every personal sailing milestone passed is significant, and deserves an enthusiastic hearing. There is no better marine medicine than hearing a respected fellow sailor telling you "Very well done".
Thanks for sharing that! I truly appreciate that anecdote.

And I really agree with your last point above too! Made me smile.
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