Bob Blog

Bob McDavitt's ideas for sailing around the South Pacific.
Disclaimer: Weather is a mix of pattern and chaos; these ideas are from the
patterned world.

Compiled Sunday 13 August 2023

Public Holidays
Sailors crossing the South Pacific are juggling their travel taking into
account factors such as the weather, and time out for tropical relaxation,
maintenance, and provisioning, plus the impending end of the cruising season
at end of October. 1 November is the nominal start of the cyclone season.

One factor that isn't usually taken int account, but can prove to be an
embarrassment or even a problem for newbies is the rather peculiar variation
in public holidays across the South Pacific

For example, tomorrow is a public holiday in Samoa for Father's Day, and
Tuesday is a public holiday in NEW CALEDONIA, FRENCH POLYNESIA and VANATU to
commemorate the Assumption of Mary. (Mary's assumption is also the patron of
Aotearoa /New Zealand, but not a public holiday there).

So, to help you plan voyaging between now and the end of the year here are
the public holidays across the South Pacific, from east to west and from
north to south

French Polynesia:
August 15 Assumption Day
November 1 All Saints' Day
November 11 Armistice Day
December 25 Christmas Day

Cooks :
26 October Gospel Day
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day

Niue:
19 October Constitution Day
30 October Fourth Monday in October Peniamina Gospel Day
25 December Christmas Day
December Boxing Day

American Samoa
30 Nov (4th Thursday) Thanksgiving Day
25 December Christmas
26 December Family Day

Tonga
18 Sep Crown Prince's Birthday
6 Nov Tonga Day
4 Dec King Tupou I Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

Samoa
14 Aug Father's Day
9 Oct Lotu a Tamaiti (Day after white Sunday)
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day

Fiji
7 September Constitution Day
Evg 26sep to evg 27sep Mawlid
10 October Fiji Day
13 November Diwali
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing Day

New Zealand
23 October Labour Day
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Boxing day

Vanuatu
15 August Assumption Day
5 October Constitution day
29 November National Unity Day
25 December Christmas Day
26 December Family Day

New Caledonia
15 August Assumption day
24 September New Caledonia Day
1 November All Saint's Day
11 November Armistice Day
25 December Christmas Day

Australia observe Christmas and Boxing Days
Norfolk Island adds the following
9 Oct Norfolk Island Agricultural Show Day
29 Nov Thanksgiving Day (30 Nov in USA)

TROPICS
DORA stayed south of Hawaii but, in cahoots with a large HIGH at 30N,
brought a squash zone of enhance trade winds to Hawaii that fanned some
wildfires, bringing widespread death and destruction.
FERNANDA is now off the west of Mexico, and LAN is heading for Tokyo.

WEATHER ZONES
The South Pacific Convergence zone is expected to have a quiet week across
the Coral Sea to north of Fiji. A showery trough is expected to form over
the Fiji area by mid-week and then go southeast forming a new Low near 30S
south of southern Cooks by end of the week. Apart from this trough it looks
to be a good week for sailing from Tahiti to Tonga.

HIGHS and LOWS
There is a strong subtropical ridge along about 30 to 35S
HIGH H1 to north of NZ tonight is expected to travel steadily east to
southeast east of NZ.
Low L1 is somewhat blocked by a ring of high pressure all around and should
drift slowly to between Wallington and Chathams by mid-week, and then off to
the southeast.
HIGH H2 is expected to spread into western Tasman Sea by mid-week and then
travel northeast across NZ on Thursday and Friday, followed by another
trough from Saturday.
Nothing intense enough to consider avoiding this week. However, L1 over NZ
until Wednesday is bringing southerlies and cold rain., with often strong
winds around Cook Strait.

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If you would like more details about your voyage, then check metbob.com to
see what I offer.
Or Facebook at /www.facebook.com/metbobnz/
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at bottom).
Weathergram archive (with translator) is at weathergram.blogspot.co.nz.
Contact is bob@metbob.com or txt 64 277762212
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