2015 Pacific Puddle Jump Revs Up

Based on the emails we’ve been receiving, adventure-hungry sailors all along the West Coast of the Americas are busily preparing to do the Pacific Puddle Jump — that is, the 3,000-mile crossing to French Polynesia.

We’re happy to report that free registration for the PPJ rally opened last Tuesday and 37 boats have already signed up. If last year’s roster is any indication, the 2015 fleet will probably swell to well over 200 boats, making the PPJ the second largest cruising rally in the world (behind the Atlantic ARC).

To be fair though, the PPJ is a ‘rally’ only in the loosest sense of the word, as there is no committee boat, there are no daily roll calls, and boats from many nations leave from different points along the coast anytime between February and June. 

As longtime readers know, we think this ambitious westward crossing is a pretty big deal, so we dedicate lots of ink to it each year, plus we host Puddle Jump Send-off Parties each winter and co-host the annual three-day Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous every June with our Tahitian partners. Here are the key dates for 2015:

• Feb 25 — Vallarta YC PPJ Seminar & Party, 3-6 p.m., Nuevo Vallarta (at Paradise Village Marina). Drinks, snacks, PPJ presentation, and all crews will be interviewed for inclusion in Latitude 38.

• March 4 — Balboa YC PPJ Seminar & Party, noon-4 p.m. (just outside Panama City). Program similar to above, plus Tahitian rep will attend.

• March 7 — Shelter Bay Marina, noon-4 p.m. (Caribbean side of Canal.) Program similar to above, plus Tahitian rep will attend.

• June 19-21 — Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous, Papeete waterfront and Club Bali Hai Hotel, Moorea.

Latitude staff will also be giving informational seminars on the PPJ and cruising French Polynesia at the Seattle Boat Show, January 24 & 25, at 3:15, and at the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland in April (dates TBA). Look for additional updates here, at the website, and in the pages of Latitude 38 magazine.