Navigating the Atlantic

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If you were to plonk yourself on an object that floats and then gently push yourself away from the Canarian shores, the trade winds and dominant current will ensure that you will land up in Antigua, especially if you DON'T raise a sail. This, IMHO is how the super hero Atlantic rowers do it.

Going from West to East is an entirely different matter. Getting to the correct side of the low pressure systems is what it's all about.

Or have I got it completely wrong?
 
Pretty close. Take a look at Dr Alain Bombard's Book "The Bombard Story". Following distressing experiences with shipwrecked fishermen dying shortly after losing their ship, the good doctor researched survival at sea & decided that one could live for weeks on a liferaft - even if without food & water. He proved his theories (AFAIR) by drifting on a raft across the Med, from Africa to Canaries & from Canaries to Carribean in three seperate voyages. Each time he obtained his food & drink from the sea and air (ie rain) around him.

His contention was that most deaths were due to despair. As you say, with the will to live & an understanding of your environment you can drift across the Atlantic on a rubber raft - and don't actually need any supplies either!
 
Just drink the Klippies and fish

Ain't your boat Let him look at the grown up stuff

cheers Joe
 
Some time ago (about 6 or 7 years I think) a young Norwegian girl was trying to become the first lady to singlehandedly row across the pond from east to west - however her boat was capsized in a gale when she was only about a week out of the Canaries.

The boat was supposed to self right, but it didnt - perhaps because Elizabeth was in the cabin at the time, and her weight probably acted as ballast in the upside down condition.

So she had to flood the cabin, and swim out.
She set off her EPIRB, and was picked up about 12 hours later by a Norwegian cargo vessel going to South America - her rowing boat was left to fend for itself upside down and barely afloat.

About 3 or 4 months later the boat washed ashore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, east of the Bahamas chain.....

I know that many of the rowers in the various races across the pond had troubles getting enough southing in order to get to Barbados (where the first few races finished at) - they now finish at Antigua, which must be much easier to get to, and a shorter distance to row as well from the Canaries.
 
Gulf Stream

Quite so. In fact i would think the Gulf Stream capable of a fair bit more than 4knots at cruising speed, possibly nearer about 400knots, and it says here it can accomodate up to eight people in luxurious comfort with a range of 4000 miles, which sounds just perfect. That stingo is making a a very big deal about all this.
 
Re: Gulf Stream

Yeah
its not as if there's loads of island and stuff in the way. Its much more difficulter getting from Tobermory to Stornoway for example as there is a real risk of running an Island down - especially at 400 knots.
Just put in a waypoint off say the Lizard or somewhere and then switch the autopilot on.
Will this venture clash with the other Chents cruise or am I in a fairly secure position in terms of the crew I have left?
 
Crew issues

well, i *was* thinking about asking muzzy, but i didn't have his contact details so you have definitely got him?

Para and ljs sound keen to do both gigs if time allows tho it means lashing along at average 8knots and about two days to spare. However, it does mean that they will have lots of stories that begin "i remember when we were crossing the atlantic, probably doing about 12 or 13 knots and...."
 
Re: Crew issues

OK If they are coming with you then it'll just be me and muzzy on the CC - the thought of those two eejits continuously atlanticbabbling is giving me the dry rots
 
Re: Crew issues

now, i know you don't realy mean that, because missing para would mean missing out on the pie where he forgets al the quantities and makes a pie about the same size as an oven. Also i don't quite see how yours can be a chentlemanly cruise with no ljs. So we will have to liaise and try and send them along.
 
Re: Crew issues

Well.... what an encouraging thread! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Can we now expect lots of people who have read this thread shoving off for the Americas for the first time under the impression that no matter how little they know about sailing or about navigation they will still end up there alright? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

It'll become as busy as Picadilly Circus out there now! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Crew issues

Yes.

And yes to the Atlantic Piccadilly Circus - it is a bit like that in early December between the Canaries and the Windies, especially once the ARC lemmings have been let loose to join in.....

And as Claymore says, yes it is a damn sight easier to cross the pond than it is to find your way around Caledonia - all sorts of hazards up there like fog and granite bricks underwater, and ferocious natives wearing kilts....

Just about anything that can float (and occasionally wot dont) has mades its way across to the New World - we have seen a converted steam boiler (with schooner rig and keel), various bottles of all shapes and sizes, a VW Beetle (again with a rig and keel), Hobie cats and maxi bathtubs all set off, and they all made it.

Apart from the Beetle, who was stopped by the Authorities in the Canaries from leaving - considering that they had made their own way to the Canaries afloat and under their own power, I thought that was a bit unfair....

About 25 years ago, before these electronic gizmos became popular, folk would do DR to get across the Atlantic - one chap sailed in here and asked if he had arrived at Tobago..... another lad I knew would take his sunsights and then relay the altitudes and the times to a friend ashore via ham radio - said friend would calculate them, and tell Arnold where he was....

So if you are thinking about it - A Donf! No matter wot craft you have, odds are you will fetch up here OK - we shall look forward to welcoming you in with a rummy punch!
 
During the 2001 ARC the organizers gave out the positions of the competitors in the rowing race from the Canaries to Barbados. One was around 100 miles ahead of us and close to our course so I decided to go and have a look. I plotted an interception course based on a rate of drift of 1 knot. We found him exactly where I predicted. At that stage we were 9 days out of Gran Canaria and he had been at sea 6 weeks. When he declined our offer of a cold beer and assured us he hadn't eaten his companion (who wasn't in evidence) we bore away and were drinking rum punch 6 days later. He made it in after another month.

So yes, apart from nutters like Matthew Pinsent, a lot of them do only enough rowing to hit the right island.
 
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