Sailing across the Atlantic on a sailing boat, under 40ft.

[Gary Fox]

Thats why most folks take a Kindle these days (in addition to the iPad, as Kindle has better battery life)
The other key item to pack is headphones for the phone to play music / podcasts whilst on watch

If you are on watch, meaning on deck, you don't listen to music or tinker with gadgets, full stop.

 

[Gary Fox]

Not sure how anyone would even know you've been anywhere anyway unless you start waving a quarantine flag about. Just come back and tie up? I've never sailed off the edge of the EU so don't know how strict it all is.

I have never been asked all over Europe and Scandinavia, except for Morocco.
I wish I was a criminal, so many missed opportunities...

 

[dansaskip]

Did it in my 28 footer - Cape Verde islands to Martinique - 21 days

 

[Adios]

I have never been asked all over Europe and Scandinavia, except for Morocco.
I wish I was a criminal, so many missed opportunities...

Same here around the EU but I don't know if anyone gives more of a crap coming and going beyond that in normal times. I see there is a C1331 form to declare a pleasure craft leaving the UK on a non-eu journey. I'm sure some people will bother but if you don't make a fuss of leaving who would know you've been further than the next river when you come back.

 

[Rosie1963]

In previous ownership Rosie commuted across the Atlantic/Med & vice versa for over a decade with over 20 crossings. She‘s a small 35fter by todays standards.

 

[Wansworth]

In previous ownership Rosie commuted across the Atlantic/Med & vice versa for over a decade with over 20 crossings. She‘s a small 35fter by todays standards.

Did the previous owner have a connection to Laurent Giles?

 

[Badvisor]

I'm sure some people will bother but if you don't make a fuss of leaving who would know you've been further than the next river when you come back.

Great idea - just slip quietly in. Nobody will know or care. What's the worst that could happen ?

 

[lustyd]

I’m very much not convinced that bigger equals fast enough to avoid worst of weather in the boats we’re talking about. You need to be seriously big and fast to stand any chance of avoiding weather systems mid ocean. Your best avoidance strategy is to choose the season carefully when you make the intended passage.

I speak as one having sailed boats from 25’ to over 100’. The larger boats didn’t go that much quicker. In fact we still passage planned on 5 or 6 knots and were rarely wrong.

The point is that a bigger boat will make a better time, not that it can somehow whiz around a hurricane. My 36' is 2-3kt faster than my 20' was. on a 2000 mile passage at 4kt you're looking at 500 hours while 6kt will be 333 hours. That's a difference of a week, and it's a week at the end of your journey so you're less likely to see it coming.

Weather happens. You deal with it.

Yes, but less weather happens on shorter journeys. If you cut 5 days from your crossing then you have 5 days less weather to deal with.

 

[capnsensible]

You sail west east across the Atlantic, you gonna get two storms... during the recommended season. I was told this by a very experienced sailor. I found his words to be true.

A friend of mine has a large steel yacht. It once took him 56 days to get from the canaries to the Windies. It annoys him when it's pointed out some people have rowed it quicker.

It's a frequent thing that the theoretical doesn't stand up to the practical.

First time on our Moody 33, 16 days from cape Verdes to Barbados. Second time, 27 days cape Verdes to Antigua. Weather happens, you deal with it. Oh and you can cancel Christmas if you feel like it too.

 

[lustyd]

You're not wrong, but that 56 days could have been 80 in a small boat. Unless in your strange world larger boats actually don't go faster. There's certainly a lot of evidence in the real world that they do.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Not sure how anyone would even know you've been anywhere anyway unless you start waving a quarantine flag about. Just come back and tie up? I've never sailed off the edge of the EU so don't know how strict it all is.

You carry on and you’ll find out in the real world immigration take a very close interest in comings and going’s. Maybe you’ll think yacht movements aren’t 100% noted everywhere and in every port, but they’re noted enough for me to make sure I ALWAYS do the paperwork. Leaving without paperwork sorted also leads to all sorts of problems in some areas of the world. You need your exit certification from one place before you’re officially let in the next. It’s part of the joys of blue water sailing. It’s definitely NOT like sailing around Europe.

You’re in for a rude awakening and some very long and tedious sessions with officials who have a lot of power to make your life difficult and unpleasant if you don’t follow immigration procedures.

(You’ll get little sympathy from the Brutish consul or embassy either)

 

[michael_w]

Dis the officials at your risk ....

 

[shaunksb]

If you are on watch, meaning on deck, you don't listen to music or tinker with gadgets, full stop.

By what physical means could you be forced to not listen to music. A 24/7 rota of 3 armed guards?

.

 

[sailingmartin]

Has anyone on this forum done this?

Yes, West to East in 2013 on a Vancouver 36. Great trip with three on board. Got a place to go the other way (hopefully) on a Rival 36 in the ARC+ this year. Anyone interested? Already in Portugal.

 

[dunedin]

If you are on watch, meaning on deck, you don't listen to music or tinker with gadgets, full stop.

Fortunately you are not skipper on any boat I am going on.
Music keeps the watch awake and alert, and via headphones nobody off watch is disturbed. Watch keeping is by eye, and not much to see mid-Atlantic.
A happy ship is a safe ship.

 

[PhillM]

Done do the jester challenge. Not me, not yet. But boats under 30 foot, single handed, go every couple of years. They all seem to make it, one way or another.

 

[mjcoon]

If you are on watch, meaning on deck, you don't listen to music or tinker with gadgets, full stop.

Do you tinker with a sextant?

 

[dunedin]

Done do the jester challenge. Not me, not yet. But boats under 30 foot, single handed, go every couple of years. They all seem to make it, one way or another.

Not sure that is a good example for the OP. Pretty sure a lot of the Jester fleet didn’t make it in the recent events.

 

[Gary Fox]

Fortunately you are not skipper on any boat I am going on.
Music keeps the watch awake and alert, and via headphones nobody off watch is disturbed. Watch keeping is by eye, and not much to see mid-Atlantic.
A happy ship is a safe ship.

Watching keeping is by eye, really? Rule 5 used to mention 'sight and hearing' , maybe it's been changed for the iPod generation

 

[Gary Fox]

By what physical means could you be forced to not listen to music. A 24/7 rota of 3 armed guards?

.

? No earphones for them either.