Weymouth to Canaries in November - advice?

shaunksb said:
Wow... Great footage.

I can't help noticing the jet ski following the surfers. I know he's not going where the waves are breaking but he is riding them pretty well.

These jet skis don't have a 50% ballast ratio do they?

Just askin...

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They are used to tow the surfers out to where the waves begin.
 
Unless you're planning to do the sight seeing bit I'd give Corunna a miss and concentrate on getting around the corner to Rio de Muros or Bayona/Vigo. Kick off from Falmouth/Penzance, go outside Ushant - 96ish hrs takes you to Finisterre with good forecast. I've motorsailed across in December with distinct lack of wind but did get beat up a bit for a day or so after leaving Leixos - after that pick your port for a rest and rations for push to Canaries.
 
Talulah said:
We did a 6 day Atlantic trip leaving 1st December.
We had waited a couple of days for a weather window.
Using the SSB we were able to listen to Falmouth Coastguard for the weather forecast.
After 3 days the forecast of 'sea state high' gave us time to prepare for some heavy weather. All the spare diesel was put in the tank. (Worth carrying as much diesel as you can.)
The sails were changed for heavy weather sails and everything was securely stowed. Nothing left out. Cupboard doors tied together.
That night the storm hit as if someone had turned on a switch. Relative calm to crazy.
During the night one breaking wave across the deck put the mast underwater with stuff coming out the lid of the fridge. But it felt very safe.
The boat soon righted. Shook itself off and carried on sailing. A tack during the night was unsuccessful when I founf myself holding the end of the jib sheet. The bowline on the sail had come undone.
Autopilot virtually all the time.
The crew did not fare so well. One (an Italian) was panicked in the conditions and needed lots of reassurance.
The one really useful thing I took was a box of disposable hand warmers. I had a pair on the go 24/7. Kept out the cold.
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No surprises there. Should have tied a round-turn bowline. Much better knot. Only downside marginally longer to tie.
 
I crossed Biscay in October (many years ago) and then down to Canaries before St Lucia. Motored across Biscay but as others have said, don’t under estimate the Portuguese coast and in particular Cap Finistere. We had 4 days of gales from there but at least we warmed up quickly.
 
Since you're planning on leaving in November and will be wanting to get to St. Lucia before Hurricane Season, why not consider an alternative, more direct route, further out to sea - and head for the Azores, then loop south towards the trades to St. Lucia?
(Personally I'd be steering clear of St. Lucia and heading for the much more friendly destinations of either Martinique or Guadeloupe!)
 
For what it's worth, here's our blog entry describing our trip between Portugal and Madeira in mid October. We thought that was pushing it a bit late! If we hadn't left when we had, we'd have been delayed at least another 2 weeks. You already know this is very late indeed to head south. You'll probably be okay, but the experience seems quite likely to put you and your crew off going any further (without knowing anything about you and your crew, admittedly!). On the other hand, if this is your only chance and waiting a year isn't an option...

You might be interested in our friends' blog - they did the same trip on a Rival 32.
 
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Toodle-oo! said:
Since you're planning on leaving in November and will be wanting to get to St. Lucia before Hurricane Season, why not consider an alternative, more direct route, further out to sea - and head for the Azores, then loop south towards the trades to St. Lucia?
(Personally I'd be steering clear of St. Lucia and heading for the much more friendly destinations of either Martinique or Guadeloupe!)
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The OP was planning on leaving more than three and a half years years ago!
 
Have good self steering (and lots of spare parts) and AIS to minimise exposure on deck. With a crew of two you are, in effect, serial single handing so start thinking like a single hander now. It will be cold. Have really top rate clothes. And rough even if you don’t get gales. Have good leecloths or leeboards to maximise sleep. Go outside Ushant, stay well offshore and keep making westerly until you get reliable northerly winds. Don’t even think of putting into a west coast Portuguese port in winter. Use a sail down to Falmouth for your shakedown cruise and leave Cornwall with a good forecast for the next three days and after that you take what comes. If you need a pit stop Porto Santo has a good beach anchorage and a protective, easy to enter harbour. Don’t think of going to Madeira. Bad anchorage and marinas subject to storm damage. After stocking up in the Canaries (every shop you need is there) and now starting to wonder what happened to the “adventure” in your “sailing adventure of a lifetime” go on down to Dakar and the Casamance river and you’ll find some there. Also a better place to find the Trades. Why go to St Lucia? Trinidad is a better first port of call for the island chain and if you want to leave your boat somewhere during hurricane season and not be trashed by a storm Trinidad is the only safe Caribbean island. Rival 32? Ideal boat for the trip.
 
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