A free-spirited crossing
The Pacific Puddle Jump (PPJ) is no ordinary rally. There are no committee boats, no gun signalling the start, and no race marks to round. Instead, it offers something arguably more profound: a collective adventure, sailed individually.
Each year, crews depart from ports along the Americas — Panama, Mexico’s Bahía de Banderas, and California being the most popular — and point their bows across the Pacific. Their destination is French Polynesia, usually the Marquesas Islands, a landfall that marks the end of a 3,800nm ocean passage and the beginning of months exploring some of the most beautiful cruising grounds on earth.
For most participants, the timing is as important as the destination. By leaving after the South Pacific cyclone season, which ends in April, sailors ensure a safer crossing and time to explore before reaching cyclone-safe ports further west. The route is fondly known as the “Coconut Milk Run”, famed for steady trade winds and few heavy-weather encounters.
Roots in community
The rally was coined in 1997 by Latitude 38, a San Francisco sailing magazine, and quickly grew into a tradition. Over its 28 years, more than 4,000 yachts have “jumped” the puddle.
While every crew sails independently, there’s a sense of unity. Boats are listed in a fleet database, their positions logged daily. Voluntary radio nets spring up, creating lifelines of conversation, weather updates, and assistance. Skippers share tips on navigating the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a notorious band of squalls and calms, or celebrate milestones like crossing the equator.
Like many rallies of this nature, you leave with your own boat, but you arrive with a fleet of friends.
From Puerto Vallarta to Papeete
A typical passage takes three to four weeks depending on conditions. Trade winds usually fill in after clearing the eastern Pacific coast, giving most boats steady conditions on the long westward leg, but many skippers must deal with light winds and squalls near the equator before finding reliable breeze on the approach to the Marquesas.
The rally allows total freedom. Some choose the Gambier Islands or even Pitcairn as first landfalls, while others sail directly to the Marquesas. From there, many crews island-hop westward to the Tuamotus and the Society Islands, soaking up the cruising season before considering whether to stay, sell, or continue towards Tonga, Fiji, or New Zealand.
The celebrations in Polynesia
Making landfall is a life-changing moment. Crews who’ve lived with nothing but blue horizons for weeks suddenly find themselves surrounded by volcanic peaks and palm-fringed lagoons.
Each July, the PPJ fleet gathers for the Tahiti–Moorea Sailing Rendezvous, an annual three-day event, more a celebration of Polynesian arrival. It blends Polynesian culture with camaraderie: traditional dancing, outrigger canoe races, ancestral sports, and shared feasts. For many sailors, it’s the perfect capstone to their crossing.
2026 and beyond: a new chapter
From 2026, Sail Tahiti will take over organising the rally. The change marks a shift from informal coordination to more structured support, with new rally formats tailored to different styles of cruising:
- TUMU: the essentials for independent sailors who want inclusion without too much structure.
- MANAVA: adds weather briefings, rally events, and preferred-partner services in Polynesia.
- AUPURU: the premium package, including routing, technical support, and full administrative assistance.
Alongside, Excess Catamarans has become the official partner, offering owners automatic entry and “premium registration” with extras like webinars, technical inspections, and even photo shoots on arrival.
Sailing with purpose
The Pacific Puddle Jump is more than a crossing; it’s also a platform for responsible cruising. Recent initiatives include collaborating with atoll communities to transport used batteries back to Tahiti for proper recycling. This practical step ensures remote islands aren’t left with hazardous waste — and lets cruisers give back to the waters they enjoy.
For participants, such projects add another layer of meaning to the journey, reinforcing the PPJ’s ethos of friendliness, mutual assistance, and freedom.
The PPJ is a reminder of the South Pacific’s centrality in the cruising world. Each season brings yachts from Europe and the Americas into our wider ocean backyard. Many continue west, with New Zealand and Australia offering safe harbours, refit yards, and fresh adventures.
It’s also proof that ocean voyaging is not the sole preserve of professional racers or wealthy yacht owners. Families, couples, and solo adventurers alike join the rally. Their boats range from production cruisers to bluewater classics — all united by the dream of crossing the Pacific.
The Pacific Puddle Jump is, at heart, about people. It’s about those who leave behind marinas in Panama, Mexico, or California and set off into the unknown. It’s about the friendships forged on short-wave radio, the quiet magic of dawn at sea, and the joy of making landfall in a Polynesian bay.
Learn more about Excess Catamarans in New Zealand
36degrees Brokers
https://www.36degrees.nz/
Facebook: @36degreesnz
Instagram: @36degreesbrokers
