lilianroyle
Well-Known Member
I'm thinking about buying a boat in the US. What's the best route/timing (ie easiest) from Chesapeake Bay to Europe
Thanks
Pete
Thanks
Pete
best time to cross atlantic west-east
- Thread starter lilianroyle
- Start date
AndrewB
Well-Known Member
May-June, in the Gulf Stream
Aim up to about 38-40 deg N and keep in the Gulf Stream. Track of the stream varies and there can be back-eddies outside, but US weather forecasters (e.g. Herb) provide daily position. Tends to slacken off north of the Azores, so many people put in there before going on to Med, northern Spain, or English Channel.
May-June has the most settled weather in the northern Atlantic, but don't leave too late in June as the first hurricanes start to come through at the end of the month.
Aim up to about 38-40 deg N and keep in the Gulf Stream. Track of the stream varies and there can be back-eddies outside, but US weather forecasters (e.g. Herb) provide daily position. Tends to slacken off north of the Azores, so many people put in there before going on to Med, northern Spain, or English Channel.
May-June has the most settled weather in the northern Atlantic, but don't leave too late in June as the first hurricanes start to come through at the end of the month.
Buck
Well-Known Member
I agree, May is the best time for an easy sail back, Azores as a staging hop works well, plus gives an option if the weather turns, if you find yourself running after late June then the better option is to sail North, pick up the edge of the Labradore currents which will push you onto the North Atlantic current and sail past Greenland, keep well south of Iceland and head for NW Scotland. Depends where your heading after that, the northern route gives more spirited winds a more chop in general but the gulf stream route can throw up some nasty surprises after June. You can always enter DNAC in June and make a race of it.
Buck
Relax, life is just a game.
Buck
Relax, life is just a game.
Andrew_B
Well-Known Member
I did just that last year.
Dont beleive everything you are told about what weather to expect.
I set off geared up for lots of westerlies which didnt arrive.
Have a read then go and do it - its a great adventure!
transat 2002
25th April 2002 4.30am Clear stary sky , dark and calm - Punta Gorda, Florida west coast.
Engine on - this is it!
After been in Florida for 7 weeks preparing my Hunter 34 the time had now come to take it home - 5500 miles to the south of France.
Jill and Henry (my wife and 6yr old son) had just flown home after a 3 week stay to help provision the boat ready for a possible 7 week trip across the Atlantic and home.
The plan was to sail around Florida through the keys and up to Fort Lauderdale where I would stay for 2 days to buy a few last spares and stores and clear immigration before setting sail for Bermuda, 985 miles off the US mainland.
After a stay of 2-3 days in Bermuda I planned to head out across the Atlantic heading for the Azores (islands 1000 miles off the Portugese coast) where again I would stay for 2-3 days.From here I would sail to mainland Portugal where I planned to meet my wife Jill and son Henry.We would then sail onto Spain, into the Med, and onto France via Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca.
Day 1 started well. After pinning a sign onto the dock - Gone fishin. Back in 5 years- I crept out of the silent marina at 4.30am and motored across Port Charlotte and out into the Gulf of Mexico.
After hoisting full sails the first 20miles down the coast took a little under 3 hours, the sun was shining , the boat going like a train and I was happy to be on my way at last.
At 3.30pm I found myself desperately trying to fight off a large owl that was trying to land on the dinghy I had tied upsidedown on deck.After giving up on the dinghy it decided the wind generator looked a nice place to land even though the blades were now turning at close to the speed of sound! I quickly turned off the wind generator and let him land on it for a while so I could get the picture.After 15 mins he got bored and flew away to harass someone else.
All day the wind blew from the north east which meant I could sail in the direction I wanted to go but suddenly at 5.45pm the wind veered SE and blew striaght from the direction of 7 mile bridge which is where I planned to pass through the Florida keys.Though only a breeze it meant I had to start tacking upwind which doubled the distance I had to sail.
At 1am the next moring the wind was light and warm with a little moonlight.I was sailing east under full sails in shorts and a tee shirt when I noticed what looked like an island around 2 miles to the south.I knew I was at least 30 miles from land so I decided to carry on my course but keep half an eye on the strange dark mass. 10 mins later I was hit by my first squall.Out of the darkness came the noise of a steam train and a wall of white water. The boat suddenly heeled right over past 45 degrees as wind speed went from 6 - 30knots and the world disappeared in a massive downpour.
I jumped onto the coachroof ,still in shorts and tee shirt, to reef the main sail before it blew away.It was impossible to see anything over 3ft away , the noise was deafening and the waves were trying to jump aboard from all directions.
With both sails deeply reefed and not more than 15 mins after it arrived the rain and wind just stopped as the squall carried on North in search of other unsuspecting boaters leaving me coasting along in silence.
During the night I was hit twice more but with full wet weather gear on and deeply reefed sails I was a little more ready for them and luckily got away without damage though my nerves were a frayed.
During the morning of the 2nd day the wind began to increase from around 10am ,still straight from the direction of 7 mile bridge!
By 4pm the wind was 15-20knots and rising and the odd wave was breaking aboard.
By 10pm the wind was 20-25+knots and most of the waves were breaking aboard.
In the early hours I sighted the lights of 7 mile bridge from 15 miles away and decided to drop the sails and motor the rest of the way as some of the channels looked too narrow to try and negotiate in the dark, under sail in 25+ knots of wind.
20 mins after I started the engine I motored through an enormous patch of floating seagrass which was instantly sucked into the engine cooling water inlet causing it to overheat and so it had to be shut down.
In the dark I jumped into the cabin , removed the engine cover and began to take the water pump apart and flush out all the hoses to clear the engine.
While I did this the electric autopilot held the boat pointing into the wind.
Just when I had the water pump and hoses in pieces , the autopilot drive belt snapped leaving the boat drifting towards the many shallow reefs.Its not easy trying to concentrate on reassembling an engine cooling system in the middle of the night, in a drifting boat rolling heavily with the depth sounder shallow alarm desperately telling you your running out of water. With a couple of feet (or maybe inches) to spare under the keel I got the engine started and headed back into the channel and onto Marathon Key where I anchored for a welcome rest.
As the wind continued to blow hard, I stayed anchored off Marathon Key for 24 hours to get some sleep and check the engine again.
The next morning after topping up with diesel and phoning Jill and Henry I sailed under 7 mile bridge and into the Atlantic before turning north towards Fort Lauderdale.
As I was due to collect spares for the autopilot in Fort Lauderdale and I didn't have a spare drive belt on board I was going to have to hand steer for the next 36 hous to Port Everglades but as the wind had eased to 8-10 knots the boat would happily hold course for 20 mins at a time which meant some great sailing.
At 1am the next morning I arrived at the entrance to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale which is also the enterance of the Intracoastal waterway where I hoped to find a berth in one of the many marinas.There were several enormous ships waiting to enter the port all lit up like Christmas trees half a mile off the shore.
The shore itself was a mass of thousands blazing lights making it impossible for me to pick out the red and green lights marking the port channel enterance.
I slowly motored up the shore line around 100m off the beach for 20 mins until I finally came across a huge green flashing bouy marking the port entrance.After passing the buoy I stopped and stared hard into the port entrance but I still couldn't make out the channel to follow as half the port was nothing but bright lights and the other half appeared to be blacked out.
It took only a few seconds to realise the blacked out section was moving and was actually a gigantic container ship leaving port, its navigation lights high above me out of sight.
I spun the wheel around, gave it full throttle and shot back the way I had come for a couple of miles before dropping anchor 50m off a quite beach to get some sleep and wait for daylight.
At 7am I followed a liner into Port Everglades and finally entered the intracoastal waterway. After ducking under the 17th street causeway bridge (with less then 2 ft to spare over the mast) I booked into the Bahia Marina for a couple of nights.
The first clue I got that it may be expensive was when I was presented with a welcome pack consisting of a canvas bag containing various glossy magazines.Er how much is it for a night? - $94 plus electricity per night sir and you can only stay for 2 days as we are full!
After tying the boat up I rushed off to find West Marine to collect the autopilot spares I needed and return a new GPS and VHF radio that had both broken down already.
Then I went to the supermarket to stock up with any last minute things I could think of that would be essential for the crossing - like beer.
Then it was time for my last good night's sleep for some time.
The next day after one or two delays and another trip to the supermarket I was finally ready to set sail for Bermuda at 6pm.
The wind was light, the sea was flat and I was raring to go.
"Engine on - off we go" I wrote in the log, but when I come to switch on the navigation lights I noticed the back white light shining brightly but the front wasn't working.
3 hous later after much crawling around under bunks I traced the problem to a broken wire half way along the hull.
By 10pm the light was working again but by this time I was tired out so I decided to get some sleep and set off at dawn before the marina staff arrived and charged me for a second night.
On May 2nd the log starts "try again" and at 6am I quietly slipped out of the marina and headed down the intracoastal, through Port Everglades and out to sea.
Again the sun was shining and with a southerly wind of 10 - 15knots and the gulf stream in full flow (Fast flowing current) I flew up the coast using the spinnaker I had had made for the trip.At one point I took a photo of the GPS reading a boat speed of 10.7 knots!
After rounding the top of the Grand Bahama Bank I pointed the boat straight at Bermuda and began to tick off the miles.
During the 1st 24 hours I covered 165 miles and as I had given myself a target of 100 miles a day I was more than happy.
The wind varied between 5 and 15 knots from the south for the next 2 days which meant I could head straight for Bermuda at good speed.The sun was shining every day and I was finding the routine of waking every hour through the night to check for shipping and wind change easier than I thought it would be.
By 11.30 pm on 5th May I was exactly half way to Bermuda (478 miles to go). Just for a moment I thought I could make Bermuda inside a week but of course its never that simple.Just after midnight the wind turned and blew straight from Bermuda!
By 3am the wind was reaching 30 knots + with steep 15ft waves.At times, even though the boat was travelling at well over 7knots my actual speed towards Bermuda was less than 1 mile per hour!
Tired of hammering into the oncoming waves I hove to for a few hours sleep.
By the next morning the wind generator was beginning to stall itself which meant a constant wind speed of 35konts+.
By evening the wind was down to 12-15 knots but still from the direction I wanted to go.I went on tacking upwind for 3 days sometimes only gaining 40 miles towards Bermuda until on May 8th at 2pm the wind disappeared and waves slowly calmed down so I started the engine and began to motor straight for Bermuda.
The calm lasted for over 3 days.Whenever I felt a breath of wind I would stop the engine and hoist the sails but it would never last long before the engine was on again.At times there wasn't even a ripple on the water through which you could see the dolphins swimming 50ft down.I only saw 1 other ship around 2 miles away heading towards Florida.
After 2 days motoring I was a little worried about how much fuel I had left as I only set out with 25 gallons so when I was down to my last 2 inches in the tank I shut the engine off and waited for the wind.
At this point I was inside the Bermuda triangle and at times I wondered if I had vanished or not as there was absolutely nothing on the horizon and not a sound to be heard.
Nearly 36 hous later after washing all my clothes, oiling all the teak and numerous other jobs at 9pm on the 11th May the logbook entry reads ' WIND' .It was a steady breeze from the south and I was on my way again.
Just 1 hour later I could see a faint glow over the horizon - Bermuda just over 30 miles away.
At 3am on the 12th I contacted Bermuda Harbour Radio to give them details of the boat, crew (me) and equipment on board and to give them an estimated time of arrival.
Several other boats approaching the island also began to radio ahead through the night giving the same information.
By 9am I was just off the southern tip of Bermuda but still had 15 miles to go to St Georges harbour.
The wind turned in my face again at this point which meant endless zig zagging up the coast until 3pm when I finally entered St Georges Harbour and tied up to the customs dock - 10 days after leaving Fort Lauderdale.
It felt fantastic! The 1st part of the crossing was over.I didn't have scurvy, I hadn't gone mad (no more than normal anyway) ,I hadn't been run down by a container ship and I felt happy about continuing with the trip - exactly as I hoped I would be at this stage.
After clearing customs I anchored in the bay and rowed ashore to phone Jill and Henry and buy some well earned beers.
As we had stocked the boat in the US before I left I didn't need much more than fuel and water but a weather system blew over the island the day after I arrived with winds reported at 40+knots and seas over 20ft high outside the reef so I decided to stay for a while.
The 3 days I stayed in Bermuda gave me chance to catch up on my sleep and repair one or two leaks and service the engine.I also got myself a haircut - No 2 all over.When I got back to the boat after the haircut I dived in to wash all the small hairs off and gave the hull a good scrub while I was there.
On 16th May at 1pm I set sail again heading for Horta, Azores 1870 miles away.The wind was 15 knots from the East for the first 3 hours which meant more uphill sailing.At around 4pm the wind veered south still at 15 knots but as I was heading north east I could head straight for Horta at top speed sometimes surfing down the front of the huge Atlantic swells.
During the evening and night I overtook 5 other sailing boats all heading the same way.I kept trying to tell myself that this isn't a race as I flew past!
The next day (17th) at 18.45 I sailed within 50m of 2 huge blue whales heading in the opposite direction.The boat was going so fast that by the time I got my camera they were gone though their water spouts were still visible from a mile away.
By the 18th the wind was starting to gust to 20knots which wasn't much of a problem.The problem was the size of the swells which were now over 15ft.
On the morning of the 19th the wind moved up another gear gusting over 35 knots and causing the wind generator to shut down.At this time I dropped the main sail altogether and just left a small triangle of the front sail out to slow the boat to 6kots.I was averaging 140miles a day which was fantastic but perhaps a little rough.About this time the cooker inside the boat rocked itself off its gimballs so I had to tie it down with rope.This meant I couldn't heat anything up or make a hot drink until calmer weather.
Also the electronic autopilot was starting to overheat with the strain and another drive belt snapped so I had to steer by hand for one hour in two to give it chance to cool down.
I contuinued like this until 4am on the 21st when the wind increased yet again now gusting well over 40knots.The boat was surfing down the larger swell at over 10knots so I reduced sail even further and changed course to head more downwind which proved a safer course.
Still it wasn't the wind that was the problem it was the size of the waves which were now over half the size of the mast and around 75m from crest to crest.
It was about this time when suddenly in the middle of the night a large flying fish came hurtling out of the darkness and ran into the bench alongside me.I picked up what was left of it and threw the bits over the side.
Not more than a minute later a squid landed in the cockpit spraying ink everywhere.After throwing this back over the side I began to wonder what else jump aboard!
During the early morning of the 22nd it started to rain heavily which signalled yet another change coming.By this time the wind was playing the mast like a violin - badly - as it screamed through the rigging.
At around 10am I was caught out by a wave which crept up from behind and waited longer than usual before curling and breaking right over the back of the boat.For a few seconds the back of the boat was underwater.The cockpit was now full of water but as the boat rolled to port most of the water was poured over the side and the rest was let out thru the cockpit drains.From then on I sailed looking backwards rather than forwards!
Wave height by this time was reaching the height of the 2nd spreaders on the mast - approx 30-35ft and things were starting to get a little scary.On the top of each wave I could see miles and miles of foaming crests but when in the troughs I could only see as far as the back of the wave just passing or the front of the wave behind catching up.
In the troughs between the waves there was sometimes no wind but on the top of each wave there was far too much.
Just when I was wondering how much worse the weather could possibly get someone just turned off the wind.From 40+ knots to absolutely nothing!
In a way this was worse as the enormous waves continued to roll by but now I had no boat speed and so was unable to steer.I immediately started the engine and went slow ahead to give myself some steerage so I could keep the boat pointing away from the breakers.
I realised I had sailed right into the eye of a weather system so I prepared for what I knew was going to happen.
At 1.30pm it happened. The wind hit back at 35knots from completely the opposite direction as the eye of the weather system moved on.As the wind was now blowing against the waves the top few feet was blown backwards off each wave which reduced visibility to nothing.
I changed course again to keep the wind on one side of the boat and the waves on the other which was the safest option I could find.I wrote in the log it was like been in a huge washing machine though the log gets quite hard to read at this point as its hard to write with the boat rolling so much.
It took a good 2 hours before the waves began to sort themselves out and start to move in the direction of the wind.
By 6pm the wind had eased enough for my to put the main sail back up with 3 reefs.That was the good news.The bad news was that the wind was now blowing straight from the direction I wanted to go.
The wind and waves continued to ease for the next 2 days though I was having to sail upwind in huge zig zags hammering through each wave towards the Azores.
At 10.45 on the 24th the wind moved around to the south which allowed me to sail directly towards Horta.The wind was very light by 3am on the 25th so I rolled up the front sail, left the main sail up and went into the cabin for a nap as I hadn't slept for over 2 days.I woke up at 6.30 having drifted 10 miles in the right direction!
The wind continued to rise to 25knots and decrease to 10knots for the next 2 days until on the morning of the 27th when the wind died altogether leaving a completely flat sea.
I motored until midday before I shut the engine off and drifted.
I used the rest of the day to do my washing and carry out some minor repairs including fixing the cooker so I could have my first hot meal in days.
The next day was flat calm again so I motored all day and drifted all night while I had a good sleep.
The wind returned on the 29th during the afternoon.By this time I was 421 miles from Horta.
As the wind was from the north I was able to sail directly towards the Azores.
There is a high pressure weather system which sits over the Azores whch usually means no wind for the last 200 at least and possible 400miles at this time of year. I was carrying extra fuel for ths part of the trip and quite looking forward to motoring the last couple of days into port so I could get some rest and tidy the boat a little.
Unfortunately I didn't find this nice calm area.Instead the wind continued to blow between 15 - 30 konts for the next 4 days usually increasing at night and decreasing at midday.By this time I could reduce and increase sail in my sleep (and sometimes did I'm sure!).
As I was sailing broadside to the waves the bigger ones would break over the coachroof and heel the boat so far over that the end of the boom would dip into the water.
At 3am one morning just having tied in the 3rd reef I was climbing back into the cockpit when one of the larger waves hit the side of the boat and catapulted me headfirst into the side of the hatchway.I stood up a little dazed to feel what I thought was a stream of warm water falling off the end of the boom onto my face.When I switched on my torch I was a little shocked to find my waterproofs and the floor of the cockpit covered in blood which was pouring from a gash above my eye.
As it was dark and the boat was rolling heavily , all I could do was hold a wet towel over the gash and wait until morning to assess the damage.
When it was light I could see that it really needed a couple of stitches but there was no way I was going to put them in so I tied the towel around my head and hoped it would heal OK. It did!
Before I left Fort Lauderdale someone told me that on this part of the trip I would be able to glide along using spinnaker on a flat calm sea, reading books by moonlight on deck.
I had to laugh at the thought as I was in full wet weather gear with safety harness on strapped into the cockpit for the last 4 days.
At 2.25am on the 2nd of June I spotted the lights of Horta on the horizon dead ahead.The island is just the tip of a huge underwater mountain surrounded by enormous cliffs.
By daylight the island was clearly visible and at 6am I entered Horta harbour.
I was shocked to find 4 rows of boats rafted 5 deep on the reception dock.I tied up alongside an old French boat and headed off to clear immigration and phone Jill and Henry.
After clearing in I was given a place in the port rafted up again but this time to 2 catermarans.One was empty but the other was a singlehanded guy from Scotland who had just been around the world.In fact most of the other boats in port were either on their way around the world or had just been around.
It was nice to see people I had met in Bermuda and meet other people making the trip for the first time.
Most of the Americans thought I was crazy sailing across the Atlantic on my own in a 34ft boat.Most of them wouldn't set out in anything under 40ft and minimum 4 crew and a cook.
I refuled for the next leg and found I had only used 10 gals of diesel since Bermuda.Not bad for nearly 2000miles.
I stayed in Horta for 4 days to catch up on my sleep and carry out some maintenance on the boat.The price per night - $9 including water and electricity.
At 6pm on the 6th June I set off on the last leg of the transat - 950miles to Southern Portugal.
The wind was light for the first 2 days from the west which meant I was sailing directly down wind.After 2 days the wind vanished and I motored on a sea like glass for 2 days.
Just when I was thinking about how much fuel I had left the wind returned from the north which meant again I could sail in the direction I wanted to go.From the 11th June the wind started to increase again and soon reached its normal 20- 25knots.
These wind are called the Portuguese Trade winds but should be renamed Portuguese Gales!
By the 12th the wind was down to a more manageable 15 - 20knots and stayed like this for the next 3 days.
As I was now approaching many busy shipping lanes I altered my routine to wake up every 30mins through the night just in case.
Then at 11.04am on the 15th June in thick fog I sighted Cape St Vincent - the southern most tip of Portugal.
I had sailed an ocean singlehanded!
What a celebration! As I had no beer left I mixed the juice from some tinned fruit with a good helping of rum to celebrate.
The moment I rounded the Cape the Atlantic swell I had become so used to just disappeared, the sun came out and the wind dropped to a light breeze so for the first time in weeks I hoisted full sails and was back in shorts and tee shirt.
At 2pm the wind vanished altogether so I started the engine and motored the last few miles to Villamoura, a small town with nice marina on Portugal's southern coast.
I stepped off the boat at 8.30pm and went straight to the phone to telephone Jill and Henry.This was the call I had been looking forward to making for months!
I stayed for a night in Villamoura before sailing further along the coast to a smaller marina where I could park the boat for a few weeks. I then hired a car and drove to France (1200miles) in one go arriving home at 6am on Saturday morning, just in time to watch Henry in his end of year school singing concert at 9am .
It was worth all the extra pushing from the US to make it back for this!
After a relaxing week at home we all drove back to Portugal to prepare the boat to sail the last 1000 miles home.
As Henry had the next 2 months off school we planned to slowly cruise these last 1000miles visiting Spain, North Africa, Gibraltar, Formenter, Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and France.
Little did we know that the family cruise would involve being stalked by possible pirates off the North African coast, harrassed by Navy and Customs in Gibraltar, 35knot gales off southern Spain, Diving over the side at night to try and save a drifting 50ft Cat in a gale in Majorca, Paying for salt water in Ibiza and near collisions a few miles from home in France all mixed in with dolphins, whales, turtles,sharks, flying fish. breathtaking sun sets and rises and some of the most beautiful anchorages in the world.
Would we all do it again - Just you watch us!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dont beleive everything you are told about what weather to expect.
I set off geared up for lots of westerlies which didnt arrive.
Have a read then go and do it - its a great adventure!
transat 2002
25th April 2002 4.30am Clear stary sky , dark and calm - Punta Gorda, Florida west coast.
Engine on - this is it!
After been in Florida for 7 weeks preparing my Hunter 34 the time had now come to take it home - 5500 miles to the south of France.
Jill and Henry (my wife and 6yr old son) had just flown home after a 3 week stay to help provision the boat ready for a possible 7 week trip across the Atlantic and home.
The plan was to sail around Florida through the keys and up to Fort Lauderdale where I would stay for 2 days to buy a few last spares and stores and clear immigration before setting sail for Bermuda, 985 miles off the US mainland.
After a stay of 2-3 days in Bermuda I planned to head out across the Atlantic heading for the Azores (islands 1000 miles off the Portugese coast) where again I would stay for 2-3 days.From here I would sail to mainland Portugal where I planned to meet my wife Jill and son Henry.We would then sail onto Spain, into the Med, and onto France via Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca.
Day 1 started well. After pinning a sign onto the dock - Gone fishin. Back in 5 years- I crept out of the silent marina at 4.30am and motored across Port Charlotte and out into the Gulf of Mexico.
After hoisting full sails the first 20miles down the coast took a little under 3 hours, the sun was shining , the boat going like a train and I was happy to be on my way at last.
At 3.30pm I found myself desperately trying to fight off a large owl that was trying to land on the dinghy I had tied upsidedown on deck.After giving up on the dinghy it decided the wind generator looked a nice place to land even though the blades were now turning at close to the speed of sound! I quickly turned off the wind generator and let him land on it for a while so I could get the picture.After 15 mins he got bored and flew away to harass someone else.
All day the wind blew from the north east which meant I could sail in the direction I wanted to go but suddenly at 5.45pm the wind veered SE and blew striaght from the direction of 7 mile bridge which is where I planned to pass through the Florida keys.Though only a breeze it meant I had to start tacking upwind which doubled the distance I had to sail.
At 1am the next moring the wind was light and warm with a little moonlight.I was sailing east under full sails in shorts and a tee shirt when I noticed what looked like an island around 2 miles to the south.I knew I was at least 30 miles from land so I decided to carry on my course but keep half an eye on the strange dark mass. 10 mins later I was hit by my first squall.Out of the darkness came the noise of a steam train and a wall of white water. The boat suddenly heeled right over past 45 degrees as wind speed went from 6 - 30knots and the world disappeared in a massive downpour.
I jumped onto the coachroof ,still in shorts and tee shirt, to reef the main sail before it blew away.It was impossible to see anything over 3ft away , the noise was deafening and the waves were trying to jump aboard from all directions.
With both sails deeply reefed and not more than 15 mins after it arrived the rain and wind just stopped as the squall carried on North in search of other unsuspecting boaters leaving me coasting along in silence.
During the night I was hit twice more but with full wet weather gear on and deeply reefed sails I was a little more ready for them and luckily got away without damage though my nerves were a frayed.
During the morning of the 2nd day the wind began to increase from around 10am ,still straight from the direction of 7 mile bridge!
By 4pm the wind was 15-20knots and rising and the odd wave was breaking aboard.
By 10pm the wind was 20-25+knots and most of the waves were breaking aboard.
In the early hours I sighted the lights of 7 mile bridge from 15 miles away and decided to drop the sails and motor the rest of the way as some of the channels looked too narrow to try and negotiate in the dark, under sail in 25+ knots of wind.
20 mins after I started the engine I motored through an enormous patch of floating seagrass which was instantly sucked into the engine cooling water inlet causing it to overheat and so it had to be shut down.
In the dark I jumped into the cabin , removed the engine cover and began to take the water pump apart and flush out all the hoses to clear the engine.
While I did this the electric autopilot held the boat pointing into the wind.
Just when I had the water pump and hoses in pieces , the autopilot drive belt snapped leaving the boat drifting towards the many shallow reefs.Its not easy trying to concentrate on reassembling an engine cooling system in the middle of the night, in a drifting boat rolling heavily with the depth sounder shallow alarm desperately telling you your running out of water. With a couple of feet (or maybe inches) to spare under the keel I got the engine started and headed back into the channel and onto Marathon Key where I anchored for a welcome rest.
As the wind continued to blow hard, I stayed anchored off Marathon Key for 24 hours to get some sleep and check the engine again.
The next morning after topping up with diesel and phoning Jill and Henry I sailed under 7 mile bridge and into the Atlantic before turning north towards Fort Lauderdale.
As I was due to collect spares for the autopilot in Fort Lauderdale and I didn't have a spare drive belt on board I was going to have to hand steer for the next 36 hous to Port Everglades but as the wind had eased to 8-10 knots the boat would happily hold course for 20 mins at a time which meant some great sailing.
At 1am the next morning I arrived at the entrance to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale which is also the enterance of the Intracoastal waterway where I hoped to find a berth in one of the many marinas.There were several enormous ships waiting to enter the port all lit up like Christmas trees half a mile off the shore.
The shore itself was a mass of thousands blazing lights making it impossible for me to pick out the red and green lights marking the port channel enterance.
I slowly motored up the shore line around 100m off the beach for 20 mins until I finally came across a huge green flashing bouy marking the port entrance.After passing the buoy I stopped and stared hard into the port entrance but I still couldn't make out the channel to follow as half the port was nothing but bright lights and the other half appeared to be blacked out.
It took only a few seconds to realise the blacked out section was moving and was actually a gigantic container ship leaving port, its navigation lights high above me out of sight.
I spun the wheel around, gave it full throttle and shot back the way I had come for a couple of miles before dropping anchor 50m off a quite beach to get some sleep and wait for daylight.
At 7am I followed a liner into Port Everglades and finally entered the intracoastal waterway. After ducking under the 17th street causeway bridge (with less then 2 ft to spare over the mast) I booked into the Bahia Marina for a couple of nights.
The first clue I got that it may be expensive was when I was presented with a welcome pack consisting of a canvas bag containing various glossy magazines.Er how much is it for a night? - $94 plus electricity per night sir and you can only stay for 2 days as we are full!
After tying the boat up I rushed off to find West Marine to collect the autopilot spares I needed and return a new GPS and VHF radio that had both broken down already.
Then I went to the supermarket to stock up with any last minute things I could think of that would be essential for the crossing - like beer.
Then it was time for my last good night's sleep for some time.
The next day after one or two delays and another trip to the supermarket I was finally ready to set sail for Bermuda at 6pm.
The wind was light, the sea was flat and I was raring to go.
"Engine on - off we go" I wrote in the log, but when I come to switch on the navigation lights I noticed the back white light shining brightly but the front wasn't working.
3 hous later after much crawling around under bunks I traced the problem to a broken wire half way along the hull.
By 10pm the light was working again but by this time I was tired out so I decided to get some sleep and set off at dawn before the marina staff arrived and charged me for a second night.
On May 2nd the log starts "try again" and at 6am I quietly slipped out of the marina and headed down the intracoastal, through Port Everglades and out to sea.
Again the sun was shining and with a southerly wind of 10 - 15knots and the gulf stream in full flow (Fast flowing current) I flew up the coast using the spinnaker I had had made for the trip.At one point I took a photo of the GPS reading a boat speed of 10.7 knots!
After rounding the top of the Grand Bahama Bank I pointed the boat straight at Bermuda and began to tick off the miles.
During the 1st 24 hours I covered 165 miles and as I had given myself a target of 100 miles a day I was more than happy.
The wind varied between 5 and 15 knots from the south for the next 2 days which meant I could head straight for Bermuda at good speed.The sun was shining every day and I was finding the routine of waking every hour through the night to check for shipping and wind change easier than I thought it would be.
By 11.30 pm on 5th May I was exactly half way to Bermuda (478 miles to go). Just for a moment I thought I could make Bermuda inside a week but of course its never that simple.Just after midnight the wind turned and blew straight from Bermuda!
By 3am the wind was reaching 30 knots + with steep 15ft waves.At times, even though the boat was travelling at well over 7knots my actual speed towards Bermuda was less than 1 mile per hour!
Tired of hammering into the oncoming waves I hove to for a few hours sleep.
By the next morning the wind generator was beginning to stall itself which meant a constant wind speed of 35konts+.
By evening the wind was down to 12-15 knots but still from the direction I wanted to go.I went on tacking upwind for 3 days sometimes only gaining 40 miles towards Bermuda until on May 8th at 2pm the wind disappeared and waves slowly calmed down so I started the engine and began to motor straight for Bermuda.
The calm lasted for over 3 days.Whenever I felt a breath of wind I would stop the engine and hoist the sails but it would never last long before the engine was on again.At times there wasn't even a ripple on the water through which you could see the dolphins swimming 50ft down.I only saw 1 other ship around 2 miles away heading towards Florida.
After 2 days motoring I was a little worried about how much fuel I had left as I only set out with 25 gallons so when I was down to my last 2 inches in the tank I shut the engine off and waited for the wind.
At this point I was inside the Bermuda triangle and at times I wondered if I had vanished or not as there was absolutely nothing on the horizon and not a sound to be heard.
Nearly 36 hous later after washing all my clothes, oiling all the teak and numerous other jobs at 9pm on the 11th May the logbook entry reads ' WIND' .It was a steady breeze from the south and I was on my way again.
Just 1 hour later I could see a faint glow over the horizon - Bermuda just over 30 miles away.
At 3am on the 12th I contacted Bermuda Harbour Radio to give them details of the boat, crew (me) and equipment on board and to give them an estimated time of arrival.
Several other boats approaching the island also began to radio ahead through the night giving the same information.
By 9am I was just off the southern tip of Bermuda but still had 15 miles to go to St Georges harbour.
The wind turned in my face again at this point which meant endless zig zagging up the coast until 3pm when I finally entered St Georges Harbour and tied up to the customs dock - 10 days after leaving Fort Lauderdale.
It felt fantastic! The 1st part of the crossing was over.I didn't have scurvy, I hadn't gone mad (no more than normal anyway) ,I hadn't been run down by a container ship and I felt happy about continuing with the trip - exactly as I hoped I would be at this stage.
After clearing customs I anchored in the bay and rowed ashore to phone Jill and Henry and buy some well earned beers.
As we had stocked the boat in the US before I left I didn't need much more than fuel and water but a weather system blew over the island the day after I arrived with winds reported at 40+knots and seas over 20ft high outside the reef so I decided to stay for a while.
The 3 days I stayed in Bermuda gave me chance to catch up on my sleep and repair one or two leaks and service the engine.I also got myself a haircut - No 2 all over.When I got back to the boat after the haircut I dived in to wash all the small hairs off and gave the hull a good scrub while I was there.
On 16th May at 1pm I set sail again heading for Horta, Azores 1870 miles away.The wind was 15 knots from the East for the first 3 hours which meant more uphill sailing.At around 4pm the wind veered south still at 15 knots but as I was heading north east I could head straight for Horta at top speed sometimes surfing down the front of the huge Atlantic swells.
During the evening and night I overtook 5 other sailing boats all heading the same way.I kept trying to tell myself that this isn't a race as I flew past!
The next day (17th) at 18.45 I sailed within 50m of 2 huge blue whales heading in the opposite direction.The boat was going so fast that by the time I got my camera they were gone though their water spouts were still visible from a mile away.
By the 18th the wind was starting to gust to 20knots which wasn't much of a problem.The problem was the size of the swells which were now over 15ft.
On the morning of the 19th the wind moved up another gear gusting over 35 knots and causing the wind generator to shut down.At this time I dropped the main sail altogether and just left a small triangle of the front sail out to slow the boat to 6kots.I was averaging 140miles a day which was fantastic but perhaps a little rough.About this time the cooker inside the boat rocked itself off its gimballs so I had to tie it down with rope.This meant I couldn't heat anything up or make a hot drink until calmer weather.
Also the electronic autopilot was starting to overheat with the strain and another drive belt snapped so I had to steer by hand for one hour in two to give it chance to cool down.
I contuinued like this until 4am on the 21st when the wind increased yet again now gusting well over 40knots.The boat was surfing down the larger swell at over 10knots so I reduced sail even further and changed course to head more downwind which proved a safer course.
Still it wasn't the wind that was the problem it was the size of the waves which were now over half the size of the mast and around 75m from crest to crest.
It was about this time when suddenly in the middle of the night a large flying fish came hurtling out of the darkness and ran into the bench alongside me.I picked up what was left of it and threw the bits over the side.
Not more than a minute later a squid landed in the cockpit spraying ink everywhere.After throwing this back over the side I began to wonder what else jump aboard!
During the early morning of the 22nd it started to rain heavily which signalled yet another change coming.By this time the wind was playing the mast like a violin - badly - as it screamed through the rigging.
At around 10am I was caught out by a wave which crept up from behind and waited longer than usual before curling and breaking right over the back of the boat.For a few seconds the back of the boat was underwater.The cockpit was now full of water but as the boat rolled to port most of the water was poured over the side and the rest was let out thru the cockpit drains.From then on I sailed looking backwards rather than forwards!
Wave height by this time was reaching the height of the 2nd spreaders on the mast - approx 30-35ft and things were starting to get a little scary.On the top of each wave I could see miles and miles of foaming crests but when in the troughs I could only see as far as the back of the wave just passing or the front of the wave behind catching up.
In the troughs between the waves there was sometimes no wind but on the top of each wave there was far too much.
Just when I was wondering how much worse the weather could possibly get someone just turned off the wind.From 40+ knots to absolutely nothing!
In a way this was worse as the enormous waves continued to roll by but now I had no boat speed and so was unable to steer.I immediately started the engine and went slow ahead to give myself some steerage so I could keep the boat pointing away from the breakers.
I realised I had sailed right into the eye of a weather system so I prepared for what I knew was going to happen.
At 1.30pm it happened. The wind hit back at 35knots from completely the opposite direction as the eye of the weather system moved on.As the wind was now blowing against the waves the top few feet was blown backwards off each wave which reduced visibility to nothing.
I changed course again to keep the wind on one side of the boat and the waves on the other which was the safest option I could find.I wrote in the log it was like been in a huge washing machine though the log gets quite hard to read at this point as its hard to write with the boat rolling so much.
It took a good 2 hours before the waves began to sort themselves out and start to move in the direction of the wind.
By 6pm the wind had eased enough for my to put the main sail back up with 3 reefs.That was the good news.The bad news was that the wind was now blowing straight from the direction I wanted to go.
The wind and waves continued to ease for the next 2 days though I was having to sail upwind in huge zig zags hammering through each wave towards the Azores.
At 10.45 on the 24th the wind moved around to the south which allowed me to sail directly towards Horta.The wind was very light by 3am on the 25th so I rolled up the front sail, left the main sail up and went into the cabin for a nap as I hadn't slept for over 2 days.I woke up at 6.30 having drifted 10 miles in the right direction!
The wind continued to rise to 25knots and decrease to 10knots for the next 2 days until on the morning of the 27th when the wind died altogether leaving a completely flat sea.
I motored until midday before I shut the engine off and drifted.
I used the rest of the day to do my washing and carry out some minor repairs including fixing the cooker so I could have my first hot meal in days.
The next day was flat calm again so I motored all day and drifted all night while I had a good sleep.
The wind returned on the 29th during the afternoon.By this time I was 421 miles from Horta.
As the wind was from the north I was able to sail directly towards the Azores.
There is a high pressure weather system which sits over the Azores whch usually means no wind for the last 200 at least and possible 400miles at this time of year. I was carrying extra fuel for ths part of the trip and quite looking forward to motoring the last couple of days into port so I could get some rest and tidy the boat a little.
Unfortunately I didn't find this nice calm area.Instead the wind continued to blow between 15 - 30 konts for the next 4 days usually increasing at night and decreasing at midday.By this time I could reduce and increase sail in my sleep (and sometimes did I'm sure!).
As I was sailing broadside to the waves the bigger ones would break over the coachroof and heel the boat so far over that the end of the boom would dip into the water.
At 3am one morning just having tied in the 3rd reef I was climbing back into the cockpit when one of the larger waves hit the side of the boat and catapulted me headfirst into the side of the hatchway.I stood up a little dazed to feel what I thought was a stream of warm water falling off the end of the boom onto my face.When I switched on my torch I was a little shocked to find my waterproofs and the floor of the cockpit covered in blood which was pouring from a gash above my eye.
As it was dark and the boat was rolling heavily , all I could do was hold a wet towel over the gash and wait until morning to assess the damage.
When it was light I could see that it really needed a couple of stitches but there was no way I was going to put them in so I tied the towel around my head and hoped it would heal OK. It did!
Before I left Fort Lauderdale someone told me that on this part of the trip I would be able to glide along using spinnaker on a flat calm sea, reading books by moonlight on deck.
I had to laugh at the thought as I was in full wet weather gear with safety harness on strapped into the cockpit for the last 4 days.
At 2.25am on the 2nd of June I spotted the lights of Horta on the horizon dead ahead.The island is just the tip of a huge underwater mountain surrounded by enormous cliffs.
By daylight the island was clearly visible and at 6am I entered Horta harbour.
I was shocked to find 4 rows of boats rafted 5 deep on the reception dock.I tied up alongside an old French boat and headed off to clear immigration and phone Jill and Henry.
After clearing in I was given a place in the port rafted up again but this time to 2 catermarans.One was empty but the other was a singlehanded guy from Scotland who had just been around the world.In fact most of the other boats in port were either on their way around the world or had just been around.
It was nice to see people I had met in Bermuda and meet other people making the trip for the first time.
Most of the Americans thought I was crazy sailing across the Atlantic on my own in a 34ft boat.Most of them wouldn't set out in anything under 40ft and minimum 4 crew and a cook.
I refuled for the next leg and found I had only used 10 gals of diesel since Bermuda.Not bad for nearly 2000miles.
I stayed in Horta for 4 days to catch up on my sleep and carry out some maintenance on the boat.The price per night - $9 including water and electricity.
At 6pm on the 6th June I set off on the last leg of the transat - 950miles to Southern Portugal.
The wind was light for the first 2 days from the west which meant I was sailing directly down wind.After 2 days the wind vanished and I motored on a sea like glass for 2 days.
Just when I was thinking about how much fuel I had left the wind returned from the north which meant again I could sail in the direction I wanted to go.From the 11th June the wind started to increase again and soon reached its normal 20- 25knots.
These wind are called the Portuguese Trade winds but should be renamed Portuguese Gales!
By the 12th the wind was down to a more manageable 15 - 20knots and stayed like this for the next 3 days.
As I was now approaching many busy shipping lanes I altered my routine to wake up every 30mins through the night just in case.
Then at 11.04am on the 15th June in thick fog I sighted Cape St Vincent - the southern most tip of Portugal.
I had sailed an ocean singlehanded!
What a celebration! As I had no beer left I mixed the juice from some tinned fruit with a good helping of rum to celebrate.
The moment I rounded the Cape the Atlantic swell I had become so used to just disappeared, the sun came out and the wind dropped to a light breeze so for the first time in weeks I hoisted full sails and was back in shorts and tee shirt.
At 2pm the wind vanished altogether so I started the engine and motored the last few miles to Villamoura, a small town with nice marina on Portugal's southern coast.
I stepped off the boat at 8.30pm and went straight to the phone to telephone Jill and Henry.This was the call I had been looking forward to making for months!
I stayed for a night in Villamoura before sailing further along the coast to a smaller marina where I could park the boat for a few weeks. I then hired a car and drove to France (1200miles) in one go arriving home at 6am on Saturday morning, just in time to watch Henry in his end of year school singing concert at 9am .
It was worth all the extra pushing from the US to make it back for this!
After a relaxing week at home we all drove back to Portugal to prepare the boat to sail the last 1000 miles home.
As Henry had the next 2 months off school we planned to slowly cruise these last 1000miles visiting Spain, North Africa, Gibraltar, Formenter, Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca and France.
Little did we know that the family cruise would involve being stalked by possible pirates off the North African coast, harrassed by Navy and Customs in Gibraltar, 35knot gales off southern Spain, Diving over the side at night to try and save a drifting 50ft Cat in a gale in Majorca, Paying for salt water in Ibiza and near collisions a few miles from home in France all mixed in with dolphins, whales, turtles,sharks, flying fish. breathtaking sun sets and rises and some of the most beautiful anchorages in the world.
Would we all do it again - Just you watch us!
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snowleopard
Well-Known Member
around june is good
there tends to be a front around the latitude of bermuda-azores line, it wanders to and fro but gives westerlies to the south and easterlies to the north of it. pass close to bermuda and stay south of the front in warm water, rounding up towards the azores when they bear NE. chances are you'll have a pleasant time of it.
received wisdom for the bermuda-azores passage is to head NE to the latitude of the azores then E. this is b*******s as herb will tell you.
if you take the rhumb line you're likely to be visited by a series of depressions. if you're lucky they'll pass north of you and give a day or so of westerlies from each. if unlucky you'll get cold wet and miserable.
i know which option i'd choose but i'm a wimp.
there tends to be a front around the latitude of bermuda-azores line, it wanders to and fro but gives westerlies to the south and easterlies to the north of it. pass close to bermuda and stay south of the front in warm water, rounding up towards the azores when they bear NE. chances are you'll have a pleasant time of it.
received wisdom for the bermuda-azores passage is to head NE to the latitude of the azores then E. this is b*******s as herb will tell you.
if you take the rhumb line you're likely to be visited by a series of depressions. if you're lucky they'll pass north of you and give a day or so of westerlies from each. if unlucky you'll get cold wet and miserable.
i know which option i'd choose but i'm a wimp.
davidhand
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on your achievement, riveting reading. Have you sent this to Hunter I bet they would love it?
summerwind
Well-Known Member
Excellent! Well done and thanks for taking the time to tell us about it.
Buck
Well-Known Member
Fantastic, I've crossed the atlantic 4 times and it was always virtually flat compared to your experience, well done.
Buck
Relax, life is just a game.
Buck
Relax, life is just a game.
tcm
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great stuff!
Andrew_B
Well-Known Member
Re: Glad you liked the read
I tried to condense the account for an American news paper that took some interest in the trip (I think they all thought I was crazy setting off in something under 40ft, no SSB and NO ICE!)
The original version with bits from the log book, positions and a bit more techincal stuff is three times as long!
Yes I contacted Hunter and they want to put the story on their web site.
I guess I'm a Legend (bad joke!)
Thanks to all
Andrew
I tried to condense the account for an American news paper that took some interest in the trip (I think they all thought I was crazy setting off in something under 40ft, no SSB and NO ICE!)
The original version with bits from the log book, positions and a bit more techincal stuff is three times as long!
Yes I contacted Hunter and they want to put the story on their web site.
I guess I'm a Legend (bad joke!)
Thanks to all
Andrew
HaraldS
Well-Known Member
Congratulations! Great achievement and very nice write-up!
Almost met in Horta, was there a few weeks later last summer. Still as cheap, still rafted 3 deep.
Bermuda seems special, many years back we went from the Virgins to Bermuda and it took us 12 days, with five days the wind straight from Bermuda. Seems no matter from where you come, the wind always comes from there.
Thanks for the good reading.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.taniwani.de>http://www.taniwani.de</A>
Almost met in Horta, was there a few weeks later last summer. Still as cheap, still rafted 3 deep.
Bermuda seems special, many years back we went from the Virgins to Bermuda and it took us 12 days, with five days the wind straight from Bermuda. Seems no matter from where you come, the wind always comes from there.
Thanks for the good reading.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.taniwani.de>http://www.taniwani.de</A>
Chris1961
New Member
So many things a single hander in particular might pay special consideration to, along with everything else.
Wonderful to read, sobering and stirring at the same time.
Thanks for sharing and may all your sailing be as memorable - not necessarily for the same reasons.
Wonderful to read, sobering and stirring at the same time.
Thanks for sharing and may all your sailing be as memorable - not necessarily for the same reasons.
Zing
Well-Known Member
A sign the Zombie apocalypse is getting close.
Sharky34
Well-Known Member
I've done it April/May.
Get across Gulf Stream, head for Azores & onward from there.
geem
Well-Known Member
Wow, thats an old post! Herb hasnt done weather routing for many years.
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Hasn't the Atlantic undergone substantial tectonic expansion since this thread started.