Atlantic Crossing Dream

[msmoraas]

Hi all!

First time poster, long time reader here. First, thanks for a great forum, the amount of information and knowledge here is staggering, can read for hours

Anyway, I'll just get right to it.
Me and a couple of friends have a dream of sailing to the Caribbean, from the Norwegian west coast, and back again. This requires a hole bunch of things coming together, but the biggest obstacle right now is getting the time off work (1y max), and committing to it.

Our plan was to participate in ARC 2014.
So the first question is, when is it recommended to be across the Bay of Biscay?
After reading up on it, I'd rather want to be across the bay before October, maybe even September, to avoid risk getting stuck due to bad weather, or getting caught in it.

Here's a rough timeline I've set up.

-Depart from Norway early August, across the bay Aug/Sept.
-Be in Las Palmas in October/Nov.
-ARC Nov-Dec
-Cruising the Caribbean, maybe US, Jan-May
-ARC Europe, May-June
-Back home end of July

Is this a sensible timeline? Time off work August-August. I would love to hear from people who have sailed a similar route.

[goboatingnow]

I would be a across biscay by the end of Aug by preference , failing that definitely by mid Sept.


Dave

[Khagan1227]

Welcome aboard Msmorass!

What Goboating said.

[Surfer Girl]

Hi msmoraas, Welcome to CF & Happy New Year.

Your timetable is doable with the following provisos....

1st, your boat & crew is close to 100% prepared for a 1 year ocean adventure (i.e. gear, spares, ground tackle, charts, sails, etc, etc)

2nd, that unseasonable weather doesn't eat into your weather windows too much &

3rd, you don't suffer major gear failure or other more serious mishaps.

Good preparation is key! "Prevention is better than cure...."

Sounds like an awesome adventure. Good luck with the planning and keep us posted.....

[boatman61]

Hi Msmorass... Welcome to CF.
As to the schedule its do-able but if you'd like to do a bit of the US as well I'd skip the ARC Europe and follow the islands to Cuba then up to Florida then run up the E.coast and jump of for Bermuda at a point of your choosing.. could even run up as far as Beaufort NC... time it right and you could link up with the ARC in Bermuda...
But... however you end up doing it... have a grand time..

[MarkJ]

Your timetable looks fine.

The Biscay bit is important and don't dally in Portugal either.
There's some quote from Lin and Larry Pardy about being south of Keil Canal by 15 September and south of Finnisterre by 15 October... They weren't for either date and copped it both places.

It does make a long wait in Madeira and the Canaries but everyone last time I was in Las Palmas everyone who couldn't get themselves organized and was late out of the UK got dreadfully busted up.

August would be much better

[msmoraas]

Thanks for all the replies, good to hear I'm not way off
Many more questions will follow if we commit to the cruise, and our bosses are nice and let us go I'll keep reading the forums gathering info, the anchor-threads are especially amusing Till next time!

-morten

[sestina]

Allow time to cruise the Rias of NW Spain. One of the best places on the Atlantic circuit.