Has anyone here traveled to Fiji and surrounds over Australian winter months? Im starting to put a plan to head to tassie for Christmas and then head up the east coast in march and then out to pacific for winter?

Yes... We left for fiji back a few years now in our 31' Muira. Leaving from Coffs Harbour, in the teath of a South west change we did just under 7 days to New Caledonia. had a great time there for about 5 weeks. hitched a nice westerly blow to Fiji in 4 days. loved fiji - stayed a couple of months and then sailed from Suva to Tonga in 3.5 days - again on a south-west change. Spent a year in Tonga - with lots of adventures.

I would say that we worked the weather (and got lucky) and had great passages. We averaged 125 miles/day on passage.

We were planning to do the same passage to Fiji this year... in a bigger boat now with two kids....but Covid has currently laid this to rest.... next year though....

Best advice we ever had for sailing east of australia.... never leave if there is a high over australia forcast at more than 1030Hpa.

If there is, then there will be a squeeze somewhere and there is going to be some wind coming...

Ilenart said..
Suggest you get hold of a copy of Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes. There's a section on NSW to Fiji and it lists four options. Then another section for Queensland to Fiji which lists three options.

Ilenart

I met him in Vavau in 1979 with his wife and 2 children. Wonderful guy. We were sailing from Auckland, Kermadek Is, Tonga Tapu, Hapai to Vavau where I changed boats and sailed to Suva and from there a 17 day passage to Sydney passing close by New Caledonia and suffering a 180 knock down between Elizabeth Rock and Middleton Reef. My birth of fire upon which I made the decision to enter into yacht ownership.

nswsailor said..
BOM has just said we are in a La Nina phase now, will you need to take that into account.

Late cyclones?

La Nina now, we are talking Pacific next year... will this still influence next years cyclones?