lustyd
Well-Known Member
Doesn’t the main interfere with one of the headsails? We have to drop ours for downwind, although a much smaller boat
Atlantic crossing 2025
- Thread starter geem
- Start date
geem
Well-Known Member
No. You sail conventionally, wing on wing, but the wind comes from 165° by the lee. So the genoa is to windward. The jib is to leeward. All 3 sails fill.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
To be fair most of ours this year were dead runs so slightly different scenario I guess.
geem
Well-Known Member
We would have crossed the Atlantic on a dead run but this sail plan works better for us. We won't ever sail on a dead run on long passages again. The twin poles have been set up since Mindelo. Being able to gybe across the poles is fantastic. It minimises foredeck work in a bumpy ocean and I can gybe on my own with the wife happily in the land of nod
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geem
Well-Known Member
It's a wrap. We are 4nm from our WP off Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.
13 days from Mindelo. Super happy with that. Tough at times with 3 reefs in the main for 8 days. Maximum wind speed 39.9kts. 12 fishes caught. No diesel used. No days run, apart the the day escaping CV, less than 160nm. Best days run, 176nm.
Time for beer, swim and walk
13 days from Mindelo. Super happy with that. Tough at times with 3 reefs in the main for 8 days. Maximum wind speed 39.9kts. 12 fishes caught. No diesel used. No days run, apart the the day escaping CV, less than 160nm. Best days run, 176nm.
Time for beer, swim and walk
z1ppy
Well-Known Member
Fantastic updates thank you! enjoy that cold beer and swim!
noelex
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on the excellent crossing and thanks for the thread so we can follow along.
Antigua is an island we have not managed to visit so far, but I understood that check-in at Falmouth was a lot more expensive (as it is a notional park area) and most cruisers used a different bay. Is this wrong or out of date?
Enjoy the beer, swim, and walk.
Antigua is an island we have not managed to visit so far, but I understood that check-in at Falmouth was a lot more expensive (as it is a notional park area) and most cruisers used a different bay. Is this wrong or out of date?
Enjoy the beer, swim, and walk.
geem
Well-Known Member
Yes. It's more expensive in Falmouth. We have come around to Jolly Harbour to meet the government vet. It's cheaper to clear in here as well.
z1ppy
Well-Known Member
more expensive as they generally have all the big superyachts with no regard for cost. The Jolly customs house has less friendly operating hours but given you have just raced across the Atlantic, a short delay to clear i am sure isnt going to cause you a problem. National holiday on island today so kick back and enjoy the views of the sleeping Indian.
Roberto
Well-Known Member
Congrats 
What are -usually- the additional formalities with a domestic animal on board?
What are -usually- the additional formalities with a domestic animal on board?
geem
Well-Known Member
We have the WhatsApp number for the chief government vet. We let him know we are coming in advance. We clear in first then meet the vet with the dog at customs. We hand over $50US and bingo, the dogs cleared in. The dog has a European pet passport and is fully vaccinated and chipped.Congrats
What are -usually- the additional formalities with a domestic animal on board?
geem
Well-Known Member
Falmouth clearance takes place in English Harbour. Both anchorages are part of the national park. They charge you $5US per person per day to be there. If you are switched on, you tell them you are just staying one night and then going elsewhere. You then just stay put. Nobody checks. In addition to park fees, the clearance fees are higher than Jolly.
We just cleared in at Jolly. Cost was $85EC for a month. You can stay 3 months but have to pay additional fees for the extra 2 months
Dino
Well-Known Member
I can recommend a Rum Punch or cold beer at the Loose Cannon Bar on Galleon Beach
oldbloke
Well-Known Member
Beaten to it
geem
Well-Known Member
We don't anchor in English Harbour. The holding in the bay is at best patchy. It get very busy as it so pretty, everybody wants to go there. With the high cliffs, it get plenty of wind reversals. Boats often bang together. I really don't need that. We usually anchor in Falmouth off Pigeon beach. Lovely spot with a great beach. Two bars, live music at Catherine's on Saturday's during the day
z1ppy
Well-Known Member
I don't know if the Fat Urchin has opened yet but its new bar in Jolly next to the new marina office run by Rocks group (Catherines, Sheerocks etc etc). it was due to open last month but hadnt yet...
Pigeon beach is lovely!!
Never had an issue with holding at Galleon beach but then we are a small day boat and not overnight, it does get busy but we usually tuck in close to the anchor and where the pier used to be.
I can recommend the sangria at Maia South Point. You need to order it the day before but its well worth it, also apparently its very good sushi there although i haven't tried it yet.
oh to be back there now....
Pigeon beach is lovely!!
Never had an issue with holding at Galleon beach but then we are a small day boat and not overnight, it does get busy but we usually tuck in close to the anchor and where the pier used to be.
I can recommend the sangria at Maia South Point. You need to order it the day before but its well worth it, also apparently its very good sushi there although i haven't tried it yet.
oh to be back there now....
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
Congratulations @geem that's a fantastic passage. Interesting that you had such good, consistent winds, this early. When we crossed, we deliberately waited until the new year because the trades had been quite flukey. And indeed the ARC had ended up doing a fair bit of upwind work a few weeks before.
Antigua must be one of our favourite islands, and we generally base ourselves at Falmouth. It's an excellent place for dinghy sailing, and it's where my son and his friends off the other boats did their first 'passage' without an adult onboard, from one side of the bay to the other. We have friends amongst the super yacht crews too so it's nice to be able to mix with a different crowd and pretend we're not grotty yachties.
I imagine you'll be heading round to Green Island soon for some kiting. And after that, is the plan north or south?
Antigua must be one of our favourite islands, and we generally base ourselves at Falmouth. It's an excellent place for dinghy sailing, and it's where my son and his friends off the other boats did their first 'passage' without an adult onboard, from one side of the bay to the other. We have friends amongst the super yacht crews too so it's nice to be able to mix with a different crowd and pretend we're not grotty yachties.
I imagine you'll be heading round to Green Island soon for some kiting. And after that, is the plan north or south?
geem
Well-Known Member
We have so many friends here in Antigua of all different nationalities, its hard to pull away to the other islands. Like you, super yachts crew, professional skippers, locals and fellow yachties. We have been cruising the Caribbean for long enough now that we don't feel the need to visit everywhere again and again.
We will likely be mainly here for the winter season as it's our favourite place to kite and wing. Once we have sorted a few boat jobs and done a bit of maintenance, we will be round to Falmouth then on up to GI for some watersports. We plan to be south for the summer. It would be great to meet up with you guys again somewhere
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
Yes it's hard to leave Antigua. Really the only thing we didn't like about it was that food shopping is quite expensive. But Guadeloupe is only a day sail away.
geem
Well-Known Member
We need to leave after 3 months as the visa expires. We normally do a shopping trip to to Guadeloupe for all the nice organic stuff
