Best time to sail from Canaries to France?

[Sybarite]

A friend is about to buy a boat in Tenerife. He has the bits of paper but not much practical offshore experience.

What would you recommend? Current thinking is via Madeira at the end of the summer.

 

[BrendanS]

Get a ground crew to give advice on live routing and conditions. Having done this, swell buoys live data, and surfing websites give accurate real time data on sea conditions and forecasts of sea conditions, that traditional weather forecasts don't provide....

Having a ground crew who have realistic experience in weather forecasting vs actual conditions helps enormously. They can give go/no go, and real sea state condition reports.

 

[RupertW]

It will be a slog regardless (and I say that with experience only of going the other way). Starting from Lanzarote will give the best slant but no different to a long tack East starting from which ever island.

 

[capnsensible]

A friend is about to buy a boat in Tenerife. He has the bits of paper but not much practical offshore experience.

What would you recommend? Current thinking is via Madeira at the end of the summer.

First question is Atlantic or Med France?

Brendan, thats a good idea but a bit overcomplicated for a shorter trip!

Rupert, its not always like that, mebbe half the time.

Ive done this uphill bit on six different yachts at times varying from late Feb to November.

For Atlantic France and UK, Ive headed out a bit west of Madeira and then on up to Finnisterre and Biscay.

For Gib Straits generally taken close hauled as far as possible up the Moroccan coast and seen what happens. Advantage of this route are plenty of pit stops. French spoken everywhere. Watch out for wind off Essouria and 11 billion pot markers inshore. This way can often involve a bit of motoring so handy for refuelling.

If yacht is in South Tenerife be careful of Acceleration zone between there and Gran Canaria. I would avoid going north up that bit.

If heading through Straits, its entirely possible to enter against a levanter (easterly) wind and not the horror show people imagine. That bit Ive done scores of times!

Gissa shout if you have any questions!

 

[Halcyon Yachts]

We have done lots of yacht deliveries from the Canaries to France (to both the Med and the Atlantic French coasts).

For the Med, you really just need to pick a good weather window to get up to Gib. Good weather here often means light winds rather than headwinds.

For the Atlantic, it is usually best to go via the Azores (Ponta Delgada).

Pete

 

[Sybarite]

Many thanks everybody. He lives near Biarritz and so it is the Atlantic coast.

I suggested going via the Azores but that was only through 2nd hand suggestions.

I know that there are many on here who have actually done it.