Planning Return to Oz

Yesterday I did a rough outline of my return to Australia using a great piece of software based on Google Maps (http://www.freemaptools.com/measure-distance.htm).  I got cumulative distances in nautical miles to the points that I specified in the attached photo.  It appears that Great Circle routes are used for the computations, and I am more likely to take slightly longer rhumb line routes.

The distances in nautical miles between points and (cumulative) , rounded to the nearest 100, that I got are:

1. La Paz to Horn, 5700 (5700)
2. Horn to Cape Town, 3900 (9600)
3. Cape Town to Fremantle, 4400 (14000)

Jeanne Socrates aboard Nereida was west of Cabo San Lucas on 13 November last year and would have made the Horn on about 7 January had she not been knocked down less than 200 nm from the Horn on 5 January.  I make that 55 days from Cabo San Lucas to the Horn.

This is an important guide to me.  I will quote section 9.66.01 of my copy of Ocean Passages for the World on the topic of rounding the Horn west to east:

"Rounding the Horn from W to E is a comparatively easy matter, for the prevailing winds are favourable and the current near Cabo de Hornos sets strongly east.  The passage is usually made between 56 [degrees] S and 57 [degrees] 30' S, to the N of the W-bound route.  December and January are the most favourable months; June and July, when E'ly winds are not unusual, are the least favourable.  Heavy W'ly gales, with snow and hail, may be expected in August and September; in winter, a track about 80 miles S of Cabo de Hornos is recommended"

The salient information for me is "comparatively easy" (comforting, but doesn't really mean "easy") and December and January as the most favorable months.  This is why I will aim for a rounding in late December, giving me a few weeks of slack either way.  Nereida made a fast passage, helped by her propensity to use the engine when the wind died down.  She would have made it from Cabo in 55 days. Given what is at stake I won't plan on achieving anywhere near her speed.  I'll probably leave around mid-October, giving me a comfortable 75 days or so to make my date with the Horn.