Canaries to UK, what route and when?

davethedog

davethedog

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Evening all,

What is the generally accepted route and best time of year to take a sail boat (41ft) from the Canaries to the UK?

Thanks

DTD
 
Standard advice (e.g. Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Routes) is to go via the Azores, early summer, before there is any risk of hurricanes starting to penetrate further eastwards. With NE winds you would be close-hauled most of the way to the Azores. Winds then are generally light so go north until getting into the westerlies .

Others here in previous threads have said it is possible to head direct to SW Europe, then up the Portuguese coast, though it has to be something of a flog. Occasionally SW winds blow through the Canaries towards Europe for a few days, and I guess you might wait your chance, though in my experience this means stormy weather. Otherwise probably best in April and May, when the NE trade winds are at their lightest. There will be adverse current until you reach Spain.

Never tried it myself though, going the other way makes the problems obvious.
 
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If this was a challenge that I was facing I'd head west and then spend a few years in the Caribbean taking in the usual beach bars, then Cuba, then south, through the Panama canal. The pacific deserves at least five years. South East Asia probably needs a few more years. Avoid Australia - nothing but convicts and bush fires there. I've heard that the Indian ocean is nasty, so head north-ish through the Suez, through the Med to Portugal and face the same issue, again, of heading north, but you'd have had enough fun to write a little read blog or start a youtube channel.
 
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IdiotNoob said:
If this was a challenge that I was facing I'd head west and then spend a few years in the Caribbean taking in the usual beach bars, then Cuba, then south, through the Panama canal. The pacific deserves at least five years. South East Asia probably needs a few more years. Avoid Australia - nothing but convicts and bush fires there. I've heard that the Indian ocean is nasty, so head north-ish through the Suez, through the Med to Portugal and face the same issue, again, of heading north, but you'd have had enough fun to write a little read blog or start a youtube channel.
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Not possible as a fried sailed down to the canaries from UK way and now has to get the boat back that way due to a big change in circumstances.

Thinking start of April and going via madeira or direct to cascais, then up the coast to a Coruna and then across biscay. All weather and winds dependant of course!
 
davethedog said:
Not possible as a fried sailed down to the canaries from UK way and now has to get the boat back that way due to a big change in circumstances.

Thinking start of April and going via madeira or direct to cascais, then up the coast to a Coruna and then across biscay. All weather and winds dependant of course!
Click to expand...

It will be an uphill slog regardless and if you left from an easterly island like Lanzarote then the course to Madeira is similar to the Azores and much shorter.
 
davethedog said:
Not possible as a fried sailed down to the canaries from UK way and now has to get the boat back that way due to a big change in circumstances.

Thinking start of April and going via madeira or direct to cascais, then up the coast to a Coruna and then across biscay. All weather and winds dependant of course!
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Sounds like a divorce settlement - tell your friend to keep the house and give her the boat.
 
Hi I came back into the Med from Lanzarote via Madiera then to Gib. Was a simple journey N from Madeira for 24 hours then head for Gib wind should then give you a good sail as it is all normally from the north. If your lucky enough to get some NW then all the better. I too will be going back to the UK this year and am planning to go at the end of April/May along the Portugese coast
 
Typically, it's not the horror show everyone flaps about.

A few years ago, took a 40 ft yacht from Lanza to Beaulieau went via Azores. Took about 20 days. Long and quite unecessary dog leg, but it was owners call so hey ho.

Last year, end April I delivered a Jenneau 49 from Lanza to Falmouth. Close hauled until past west end of Madiera. Didn't stop, sheets eased and dropped into Bayonna for beer and diesel overnight. Then Falmouth, total 12 days.

Plenty of places to stop once you get up by Iberia. Or crack on if it's delivery.

Good luck!

Oh, done Canaries to Straits Mebbe six or seven times. Mostly headed be to Moroccan coast and worked up it. Lotsa stops if you want them.
 
Thanks all, and a bit of background.

This is for a friend of mine who wants to return to Norway with their boat (although they are trying to sell it down in Gran Canaria so it may sell). If not then he wants me to help him take the boat back to the UK and he will then get someone else to help get it to Norway from there.

Cheers once more, DTD
 
Do you have a link to the listing (perhaps via pm, so you don't break any forum advertising rules)?
 
It really is not a big deal. Ive done it a few times...

Just head up to Madeira from he westernmost island. Should be possible C/H or just run the engine at tick over to help.
From Madeira head towards Lisbon or as far north as you can make.... Once on the Portuguese coast the prevailing northerly winds only really kick in around 15.00 when you need to pop into the next port.. Its a 2 or 3 short days of motoring to Coruna. From there either wait for weather and head out across Biscay or take the slow, very slow route along northern Spain and western France..
 
IdiotNoob said:
If this was a challenge that I was facing I'd head west and then spend a few years in the Caribbean taking in the usual beach bars, then Cuba, then south, through the Panama canal. The pacific deserves at least five years. South East Asia probably needs a few more years. Avoid Australia - nothing but convicts and bush fires there. I've heard that the Indian ocean is nasty, so head north-ish through the Suez, through the Med to Portugal and face the same issue, again, of heading north, but you'd have had enough fun to write a little read blog or start a youtube channel.
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Through Suez?
 
capnsensible said:
Typically, it's not the horror show everyone flaps about.

A few years ago, took a 40 ft yacht from Lanza to Beaulieau went via Azores. Took about 20 days. Long and quite unecessary dog leg, but it was owners call so hey ho.

Last year, end April I delivered a Jenneau 49 from Lanza to Falmouth. Close hauled until past west end of Madiera. Didn't stop, sheets eased and dropped into Bayonna for beer and diesel overnight. Then Falmouth, total 12 days.

Plenty of places to stop once you get up by Iberia. Or crack on if it's delivery.

Good luck!

Oh, done Canaries to Straits Mebbe six or seven times. Mostly headed be to Moroccan coast and worked up it. Lotsa stops if you want them.
Click to expand...
Bayona is quite nice.
 
Dave100456 said:
Thank you for this, not seen it before and whilst the Cornell atlas is on the boat this is a good portable resource. Cheers.
Click to expand...
The opencpn climatology plugin is well worth having as well >>
ooJySQF.png

Climatology [OpenCPN Manuals]
 
Have been trying for ages to get OPEN CPN to work on my MACBOOK PRO, can get the charts to show but no real details etc, hence sticking with Navionics for now.
 
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