Crossing the Atlantic East to West

[Regardless]

Hi everybody,
I'm planning a single-handed Atlantic crossing with an intended route Azores to Bermuda. However, I'm being told that no one would go from the Azores as this would involve crossing the Horse Latitudes where there is no wind (Personally, I thought that was the Doldrums).
I always understood that Azores to Bermuda was an established route. Can anybody give me any further insight into this, or tell me where I can find more information. I'm really not interested in going to Cape Verde or the Caribbean. Also, I'm not worried about how long it takes (as long as I don't run out of beer) or what time of year I have to set off.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Regardless.

 

[rivonia]

Hi everybody,
I'm planning a single-handed Atlantic crossing with an intended route Azores to Bermuda. However, I'm being told that no one would go from the Azores as this would involve crossing the Horse Latitudes where there is no wind (Personally, I thought that was the Doldrums).
I always understood that Azores to Bermuda was an established route. Can anybody give me any further insight into this, or tell me where I can find more information. I'm really not interested in going to Cape Verde or the Caribbean. Also, I'm not worried about how long it takes (as long as I don't run out of beer) or what time of year I have to set off.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Regardless.

Hmm this is allready done it is your second time same question?????

 

[Regardless]

aTLANTINC CROSSING

Hmm this is allready done it is your second time same question?????

Hi Rivonia,
Yes sorry.
I submitted the first thread on Saturday and nothing happened. I couldn't even find the posting. So, thinking something was amiss, I sublitted again on Monday.
My apologies for any inconvenience.
Regards,
Regardless.

 

[Tranona]

That is because there is a delay while your post is approved by the moderators as a new user. After a while you get instant access and of course speedier responses.

 

[AndrewB]

You can certainly sail to the USA via the Azores and thence westward to Newport or New York. However there are some complications. It is generally too cold and stormy between England and Azores early in the year, so the earliest to consider it is May. The western side of the north Atlantic is affected by hurricanes later in the year, between August and November particularly. So you have just a narrow window, May - July for the crossing.

The further north you sail on this route, the more likely you are to encounter predominantly westerly winds and also you have the Gulf Stream against you. The further south you go, the greater the risk of getting into the Azores High with little wind at all. So the exact route will be something of a balancing act based on current weather forecasts.

Because of the impending hurricane season, you should not stop too long in the Azores. It is considered inadvisable to stop at Bermuda for the same reason. The risk of early season hurricanes is much greater in Bermuda and you should aim to sail well to the north. But keep south of N37deg to avoid the Gulf Stream after leaving the Azores, and also because of the risk of icebergs on the western part of this crossing in early summer. South to SW winds predominate on this route in early summer.

 

[tcm]

"i'm not worried" - please be ready to be worried. "Not worried" isn't a good sign. Your "worry" should translate into lots of preparation so bad things don't happen.

If you "always understood" Azores to Bermuda to be an established route you are very WRONG. Bermuda to Azores IS and established route - the opposite direction.

I recognise that you "aren't really interested" in going to cape verdes or carib, but the winds run clockwise canaries south then west to the carib and up to bermuda.

 

[capnsensible]

You can certainly sail to the USA via the Azores and thence westward to Newport or New York. However there are some complications. It is generally too cold and stormy between England and Azores early in the year, so the earliest to consider it is May. The western side of the north Atlantic is affected by hurricanes later in the year, between August and November particularly. So you have just a narrow window, May - July for the crossing.

The further north you sail on this route, the more likely you are to encounter predominantly westerly winds and also you have the Gulf Stream against you. The further south you go, the greater the risk of getting into the Azores High with little wind at all. So the exact route will be something of a balancing act based on current weather forecasts.

Because of the impending hurricane season, you should not stop too long in the Azores. It is considered inadvisable to stop at Bermuda for the same reason. The risk of early season hurricanes is much greater in Bermuda and you should aim to sail well to the north. But keep south of N37deg to avoid the Gulf Stream after leaving the Azores, and also because of the risk of icebergs on the western part of this crossing in early summer. South to SW winds predominate on this route in early summer.

Some contrary advice there than that given in Cornells World Cruising Routes AN137. But I suppose not everyone has got a copy....

 

[douglas_family]

This is an ill advised route, as you will likely encounter very difficult conditions. The established trade wind route is much more advisable. If your not interested in Cape Verde leave from Canaries, you can always stop off at Antiga and then sail North to Bermuda. If you want to do a trip from Bermuda to Azores do it West to East where you can ride the westerlies. Why not buy Jimmy Cornells book

 

[AndrewB]

Some contrary advice there than that given in Cornells World Cruising Routes AN137. But I suppose not everyone has got a copy....

True. What advice does Cornell give? Could you check also his route AN12 which I thought was the transat via Azores route he recommends.

 

[capnsensible]

True. What advice does Cornell give? Could you check also his route AN12 which I thought was the transat via Azores route he recommends.

No problem. AN12 is the route from Europe to North America via the Azores and this route passes north of Bermuda.

On the duplicate of this thread, several people are giving dire warnings about the route AN137, Azores to Bermuda, maybe without the benefit of Cornells advice! To precis, best time to leave,June to uly, accepting the very low early hurricane risk. That time is not necessarily the one with the most favourable winds but best chance of good weather. On the direct route the prevailing is SW plus contrary current. Tactic is to sail south to the latitude of Bermuda or even a bit further south, even if staying on starboard takes you to 30 north.

For someone with time and diesel(!) this is certainly a practical route and one that I would use. I have crossed 5 times each way and am well aware of the weather around the Azores in late April through to late May. The last crossing I did was in late June/early July, very pleasant!

Anyway, good luck to the OP, doable. My next one is an east west from the Canaries, roll on November.

Hope this helps!

 

[TimBennet]

For someone with time and diesel(!) this is certainly a practical route

In one! A summer crossing via the Azores is the classic 'motorboat' route. (See Beebe's Voyaging Under Power). Now, in a powerboat, you pray that the Azores high is well developed, extensive and stable giving thousands of miles of flat-ish seas and no wind. In a sailing boat you pray it isn't!

 

[AndrewB]

On the duplicate of this thread, several people are giving dire warnings about the route AN137, Azores to Bermuda, maybe without the benefit of Cornells advice! To precis, best time to leave,June to uly, accepting the very low early hurricane risk. That time is not necessarily the one with the most favourable winds but best chance of good weather. On the direct route the prevailing is SW plus contrary current. Tactic is to sail south to the latitude of Bermuda or even a bit further south, even if staying on starboard takes you to 30 north.

I've not done this is as often as you but I remember one return trip, in 1997, when we had two early season hurricanes in late June/early July (Ana and Bill) which petered out around Bermuda, giving stormy weather with strong winds from all directions as far as the Azores. That's why I'd keep north!

Incidentally, I've found strong swirling countercurrents on the south side of the Gulf Stream. If these can be located, they will give a helpful push for a day or two.

 

[capnsensible]

Spot on regarding currents....they han also do the opposite. On one trip I made a magnificent 23 miles over ground in noon to noon! Had already used loadsa diesel, that was down around 14 north going west! Counter to the North Equatorial.

Have you seen this site: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/earlyseason.asp This page archives early hurricanes but its a big site with masses of information.

 

[jdc]

Northern Route?

It is possible to do a northern route as well. It's only 1800 miles direct from Falmouth to St Johns. This will be mostly upwind, but still only ~15 days hopefully. A more northerly route again, possibly stopping off in Iceland, should have a greater proportion of winds from a more easterly direction. There's lots of experience of this route from Ostar competitors.

One advantage is that there probably won't be many days of flat calm...

 

[Conachair]

Some averaged monthly wind data is available here...
http://cioss.coas.oregonstate.edu/cogow/index.html

and here...
http://www.pitufa.at/map/

 

[TimBennet]

A more northerly route again, possibly stopping off in Iceland, should have a greater proportion of winds from a more easterly direction. There's lots of experience of this route from OSTAR competitors.

That 'far Northerly' route has been the holy grail for OSTAR competitors for years. From the pilot charts it would certainly appear to make sense that staying above the centres of the low pressures, you should have a high degree of tail winds. But I don't think the actual tracks have ever been consistent enough for a slow boat to head north and be sure of enough boast from being north of some to make up for the stronger headwinds at other times and the increase in ice and fog nearer The Banks.

Faster boats with onboard weather routing have done better positioning themselves on the optimum route to benefit from each low as it comes.

 

[tri39]

Have you seen this site: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/earlyseason.asp This page archives early hurricanes but its a big site with masses of information.

Blurry hell Capn sensible!. I would not have wanted to be sailing in 1908!!
And a fair no of storms in April/May more recently too.
I thought the motto was "June too soon"!
Mind you "Never in November" is not true either, despite the ARC leaving then.

I too would like to reach the east coast of US but not enough to spend two or three weeks sailing to windward!
The long way round "milk run" must be more comfortable, TCM does it in his sleep.
Some US yachties then sail north from the Carib, outside the Bahamas to get up to Chesapeake.

 

[tcm]

not in my sleep - i once sailed the carib with loads of complacency and i confess that the last week or so of the circumnav i was heyho here we nearly are - slung up the big parasailor and promptly wound a sheet round a lump of fwd s/s which is currently being unbent. I always feel you have to "earn" an ocean passage, somehow...

 

[jeanne]

In May 1992 we did Bermuda to the Azores on a rhumb line course. The advice in the books is, to avoid the light winds on the direct course, sail north from Bermuda, until you pick up the westerlies. We thought that 'westerlies' sounded like gales, and went direct.
After a while we sailed into the azores high, and had light winds until about four days out of Horta, when we picked up the westerlies-40 knots of them!
It was quite a pleasant trip, of 25 days, as far as I remember. The sea went flat, so one could sail to the slightest breeze, and every whale and dolphin that passed was immediately seen. We ran the engine at slow revs when there was no steerage way, and at night if the wind was fickle, as you can´t see to trim the sails properly.
The wind in the high was mostly east or southeast. I can remember saying at the time that it would have been a great passage if we were going the other way!

 

[sunshinesailing]

Guns for USA live aboard cruisers

We have cruised in over twenty countries during more than twelve years of liveaboard cruising in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Now we are in the USA. With so many laymen carrying guns and so many crazies shooting up we feel more insecure than ever before. Should we buy a weapon, even an assault weapon, get proper training in the use of the weapon so that we can protect ourselves and our property?
Input from USA cruisers would be particularly appreciated.