A
angelsson
Guest
Would appreciate any further input about your trip, sounds great.
Would appreciate any further input about your trip, sounds great.
A
angelsson
Guest
Having advice from those experienced is quite invaluable, particularly on kit and setiing up the boat, and the best stores to take with you. Would welcome further input from all who contributed and any others who wish to.
tomdmx
Well-Known Member
I havent considered Cape Verde and cross to Brazil...sounds a good idea also..not sure about Brazil but as you say its reasonably unexplored so would be an opportunity to see some unique areas and then track up to the Caribbean...hmm...even going to Cape Verde and then crossing over to the Caribbean looks pretty good to and right in the middle of trade winds ...
Would you have more info on such trip?
Angelsson may I enquire as to your plans?
Would you have more info on such trip?
Angelsson may I enquire as to your plans?
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Have pit stopped in Cape Verdes twice on the way over. Old fashioned, really enjoyed.
Dont see anything wrong leaving late November, its the Carib you want to play in, so why worry if its a few extra days at sea to get there?
Worth thinking too that the ARC is only 200 odd boats out of the thousands that cross or are on charter up and down the Windies. Never had a problem in marinas or anchorages.
When you havent seen a vessel fot 20 or more days, on several crossings, your view on lights may well readjust!
Good luck and have a good trip.
Dont see anything wrong leaving late November, its the Carib you want to play in, so why worry if its a few extra days at sea to get there?
Worth thinking too that the ARC is only 200 odd boats out of the thousands that cross or are on charter up and down the Windies. Never had a problem in marinas or anchorages.
When you havent seen a vessel fot 20 or more days, on several crossings, your view on lights may well readjust!
Good luck and have a good trip.
Neil_Y
Well-Known Member
Never done it but met a few boats who have and the Verde Brazil would be my choice if I had more time, we always ended up leaving UK Nov/Dec, but I did really enjoy christmas and New year in Canaries, and then a nice quite quick crossing. If you're coming back try and leave some time for the Azores, a month wasn't enough.
emnick
Well-Known Member
ARC
If you leave early January what are the chances of the ARC boats still being in St Lucia when you get there say late January? We are contemplating a circuit 2013 and was looking to go to Barbados first as we thought St Lucia would still be full?
What is considered to be the best pilot for carribean as should really start planning soon!
Thanks
If you leave early January what are the chances of the ARC boats still being in St Lucia when you get there say late January? We are contemplating a circuit 2013 and was looking to go to Barbados first as we thought St Lucia would still be full?
What is considered to be the best pilot for carribean as should really start planning soon!
Thanks
Rhapsode
Active Member
Brazil
A bit off thread but since the discussion is heading that way...
Having been in Brazil for a year now (well the boat has but not always with me on board) I have often wondered at the lack of Brits visiting this area. Plenty of French, German, Swiss and others but very few Brits. The area has it's challenges (and it's not alone in that) but has some stunning cruising grounds.
A foreign boat is allowed up to two years in Brazil. Crew are allowed three months which can be extended by another three months.
If you go to Salvador then it is well worth an inland trip to visit Lencois and the Chapada Diamantina (pics: http://www.google.com/search?q=chap...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a )
I'll be heading north from Salvador later in the year intending to leave my boat in French Guiana over Christmas. If anyone's interested I'll post info once I'm safely tucked up.
A bit off thread but since the discussion is heading that way...
Having been in Brazil for a year now (well the boat has but not always with me on board) I have often wondered at the lack of Brits visiting this area. Plenty of French, German, Swiss and others but very few Brits. The area has it's challenges (and it's not alone in that) but has some stunning cruising grounds.
A foreign boat is allowed up to two years in Brazil. Crew are allowed three months which can be extended by another three months.
If you go to Salvador then it is well worth an inland trip to visit Lencois and the Chapada Diamantina (pics: http://www.google.com/search?q=chap...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a )
I'll be heading north from Salvador later in the year intending to leave my boat in French Guiana over Christmas. If anyone's interested I'll post info once I'm safely tucked up.
Conachair
Guest
A few thoughts in no particular order....
Maybe "experienced" in the context of offshore tends for some towards "knowing how to do it, how it works!", for me "experienced" means I've done enough offshore to not be too bothered by not knowing how to do it or how it works
Just don't break too much if you can possibly avoid it. And fairly sure I'm not alone in that description. Plenty water, don't get too worried about taking enough food, you'll take loads, you'll be eating Canaries tinned tuna a year afterwards
As for the boat, AIS reciever is great. Windvane steering is great, no power & fix it with bits of string. I went poled out genny & prevented main for countless downwind miles. Highly unlikely you'll have enough power without a genny or running the engine.
As for routes, well everyone gets so bogged down in planning and I don't think it's really necessary. It's all lovely. Brazil is not as far as "here be dragons" and if you're doing a one off round the Atlantic then why not. Makes some of the Carib look a bit like a theme park. It's all lovely. Don't go somewhere because you said "lets go here" months before in a cold wet place but just go where the fancy takes you
That's my take on planning 
Enjoy
TQA
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 20 Feb 2005
- Messages
- 6,815
- Location
- Carribbean currently Grenada
Those by Chris Doyle are now the best http://www.doyleguides.com/aa site navigator.htm for the Eastern Caribbean.
oldvarnish
Well-Known Member
Anyone thinking of a long cruise should carefully read Conachair's post above and consider the philosophy he outlines.
He's spot on.
I've meet quite a few long distance voyagers in recent years and the ones who seemed to be the happiest were the ones who made no plans at all and took life as it came and went where the wind blew them.
Interestingly, in most cases the level of achievement bore little relationship to the kind of boat they were sailing or the mountains of kit they had on board.
He's spot on.
I've meet quite a few long distance voyagers in recent years and the ones who seemed to be the happiest were the ones who made no plans at all and took life as it came and went where the wind blew them.
Interestingly, in most cases the level of achievement bore little relationship to the kind of boat they were sailing or the mountains of kit they had on board.
Conachair
Guest
Thanks, Paul
I've thought about this quite a lot over a few years while watching an empty ocean drift by.
I think that questions like "when should I cross" or "How many bananas should I take" are just examples surfacing due to stress from a very deep routed fear of the unknown, of not knowing or being in some sort of control of the future. In that context most questions are unanswerable.
Maybe the best answer is "stop trying to control things you can't, relax and just get on with it!" Something will happen, it always does. Usually nice things
Practice jumping into the unknown then after a few times of no great dramas happening you might find you get used to it and start to enjoy it. I was just about to head to Carib from cape verde when another boat said "we're off to Brazil tomorrow, fancy coming?" Set off the next morning, what a great move that was! Roll with it. The worst passages I've ever had were in my head before casting off
. Though having a boat which can still function even with lopts of bits not working helps as well.
Enjoy!
Paddy m6bkq
This mornings brief philospy brought to you without the aid of strong organic cider
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
I agree with Paul, sound words of wisdom from Conachair Pads above.
And I agree with TQA that Chris Doyle's guides are undisputably the best - he updates them every year -
But what is perhaps not too obvious on the above webpage is that there is lots of free info about most of the islands in the Eastern Caribbean under the Islands section - http://www.doyleguides.com/islands.html
Get a chart out, and a glass of something nice, and start some passage planning...... while realising of course that you will never stick to it, and before too long, you will be on Plan 27F (or no plan at all more likely!)
And I agree with TQA that Chris Doyle's guides are undisputably the best - he updates them every year -
But what is perhaps not too obvious on the above webpage is that there is lots of free info about most of the islands in the Eastern Caribbean under the Islands section - http://www.doyleguides.com/islands.html
Get a chart out, and a glass of something nice, and start some passage planning......
while realising of course that you will never stick to it, and before too long, you will be on Plan 27F (or no plan at all more likely!)tomdmx
Well-Known Member
So we've got a rough plan, but I do subscribe to the philosophy of 'go with the wind'...the only real dates and destinations are:
- this July when we cast off from UK
- 2-3 months (or however long) in the French canals
- Stop in either Canaries or Cape Verdes or both
- Get over the Atlantic landing somewhere...we wouldnt mind going to Brazil specifically Amazons...though not too keen on the doldrums...
- this July when we cast off from UK
- 2-3 months (or however long) in the French canals
- Stop in either Canaries or Cape Verdes or both
- Get over the Atlantic landing somewhere...we wouldnt mind going to Brazil specifically Amazons...though not too keen on the doldrums...
KellysEye
Well-Known Member
>I've meet quite a few long distance voyagers in recent years and the ones who seemed to be the happiest were the ones who made no plans at all and took life as it came and went where the wind blew them.
We and many others cruisers we met had the motto 'cruising plans should be written in the sand at low tide'. We generally made plans to leave somewhere a day ahead simply so we had time to stock the boat for the period sailing. Generally whether we stayed for a period or moved on quickly were based on whether we liked the place. We rarely moved on quickly.
We and many others cruisers we met had the motto 'cruising plans should be written in the sand at low tide'. We generally made plans to leave somewhere a day ahead simply so we had time to stock the boat for the period sailing. Generally whether we stayed for a period or moved on quickly were based on whether we liked the place. We rarely moved on quickly.
Independence
Well-Known Member
It's called the Jester Challenge
oldvarnish
Well-Known Member
That all sounds a pretty good approach.
I should admit, though, that I'm not always as good at practicing what I preach (as outlined above) as I should be. Somehow there's always a plane to catch, or someone to meet, somewhere to avoid, something to get home for.....etc.....
Conachair
Guest
Large scale there are decisions to be made - into the med? Across the pond? Etc. And small scale day to day there's usually some baisc passage planning to do.
But in the big gap in the middle I found there was one question which turned out time and time again to be the best approach medium scale planning...
“Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen next?“
Don't knock it til you've tried it..
But in the big gap in the middle I found there was one question which turned out time and time again to be the best approach medium scale planning...
“Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen next?“
Don't knock it til you've tried it..
Neil_Y
Well-Known Member
A few tips I've picked up and others I've learnt.
Decent fitted cushions for the cockpit were really nice, a large awning that covered boom and side decks kept things nice an cool. With a cockpit full of people a bimini is too small and those at the edges get fried.
Nets for hanging fruit, somewhere to put the rubbish, we had a large deck locker on the foredeck, downwind any smell was blown forewards.
I put large D rings on the transom with hooks on the dinghy, you do lots of unloading shopping from the dinghy so a secure quick clip on was handy.
Finally the towed generator which would double as a wind gen was my best ever piece of yachty kit, it ran all electrics all of the time, never needed the engine and we used an electric auto helm for most of the long passages,
And I agree with all of the other comments on don't plan the best places were discovered on route by word of mouth or from a spirit of adventure, Los Roques and some secluded anchorages in Venzuela come to mind.
And enjoy, when you get back you really miss it.
Decent fitted cushions for the cockpit were really nice, a large awning that covered boom and side decks kept things nice an cool. With a cockpit full of people a bimini is too small and those at the edges get fried.
Nets for hanging fruit, somewhere to put the rubbish, we had a large deck locker on the foredeck, downwind any smell was blown forewards.
I put large D rings on the transom with hooks on the dinghy, you do lots of unloading shopping from the dinghy so a secure quick clip on was handy.
Finally the towed generator which would double as a wind gen was my best ever piece of yachty kit, it ran all electrics all of the time, never needed the engine and we used an electric auto helm for most of the long passages,
And I agree with all of the other comments on don't plan the best places were discovered on route by word of mouth or from a spirit of adventure, Los Roques and some secluded anchorages in Venzuela come to mind.
And enjoy, when you get back you really miss it.
