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lawdawg · 27-09-2010, 13:41

I was hoping to get some thoughts on planning a cruising route. After about a year in the Caribbean there will be two years left to check out somewhere else. We have debated the Atlantic with Bahamas, Bermuda, Azores, some of med and then back with the ARC from Canary Islands or----- choice 2 is to head through the Panama Canal and Galapagos to French Polynesian. Would appreciate some thoughts on comparing these two trips and the quality of the destinations along the way. I certainly see an easier trek back from the Med than trying to get back from the Pacific. Thanks for any input!

**Pete7** · 27-09-2010, 13:52

No contest, its the Atlantic and a year doing Europe if you haven't been before. Ireland and the Solent, then down to the med, see the Pyramids, Greece, Rome, French cheese counters back through the Gates of Hercules (Google it) and then back across the Atlantic with the ARC.

Pete

lawdawg · 27-09-2010, 14:03

Pete,
Thanks for the input. It seems that the best time to head over from the Caribbean is late April, and the arc leaves in November. Do you think that is enough time to get all of that in? I have heard you don't want to be in the med during the winter, gets rather chilly and not very good cruising weather. Thank you again!

**Pete7** · 27-09-2010, 14:21

Nope, can't really be done in a year unless you like lots of sailing, but you said you had two years. I would winter in the Med, but not sail. If you are a little more daring then winter in N Africa.

Pete

lawdawg · 27-09-2010, 14:35

Pete,
Thank you very much, I'll have to look around for some good med guides, and yes, we could spend over a year there. Unlike the Caribbean, just have to learn about what to do during the winter.....but that is part of the great thing about travel, always new stuff to learn!

**Pete7** · 27-09-2010, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by lawdawg

Unlike the Caribbean, just have to learn about what to do during the winter.....but that is part of the great thing about travel, always new stuff to learn!

Looking for something different during the winter? how about a train journey to Moscow via Paris and Berlin

**roverhi** · 27-09-2010, 15:25

It really depends on what you want. If you want lots of diving/snorkeling, relatively unspoiled low tech local cultures, NZ or OZ, with almost universally good weather and don't mind long passages (Panama-
galapagos-Marquesas, Polynesia-NZ/Oz, Polynesia-Hawaii, Hawaii-Mainland) then the Pacific is the way to go. A two year cruise will allow decent time to explore Polynesia, NZ/Oz, and sail back to the States. Might want to take this trip now as it seems GPS is over exposing the region.

If you are more into Western Civilization and structured cruising with longer stays in Marinas; poor weather in the winter, cool weather at the warmest in Northern Europe; Two long passages (US-Europe) then Europe/Med is your best choice.

gbanker · 27-09-2010, 15:34

"Sail back to the states" takes 2 seconds to read but many months to accomplish. You really need to be into long passages if you sail the Pacific.

capt_douglas · 28-09-2010, 08:34

If you've "checked out the Caribbean" then you might be somewhere near Panama. If i were there, I'd head through the Canal and do as much of the Pacific as I could. Two years probably won't get you around but you'll have some memorable experiences.

If you're in the Eastern Caribbean then Bermuda, Azores, Gib, and the Med are great as well. You could also head to South Africa via St. Helena. Or maybe Cape Horn and a South American Loop.

Lots of choices. Lots of fun!

osirissail · 28-09-2010, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7

Nope, can't really be done in a year unless you like lots of sailing, but you said you had two years. I would winter in the Med, but not sail. If you are a little more daring then winter in N Africa.

Pete

Ditto on that. The Med cannot be done in a year as there is a short sailing season and then you have to lay up for the winter. The first year would be consumed getting to the Med and the second year would require you to be ready to join the ARC. So you would have a few weeks or a month or so to go east of Gib and back.

- - Doing the Caribbean takes more than one year as it is also seasonal. The first year you hussle down the eastern islands to Grenada/Trinidad and hole up for the Tropical Storm season. The in Nov you can go back north to pick up all the places you missed on the way down then back to Grenada/Trinidad again.
- - However the second time in Grenada/Trinidad you can opt to go west along the South American coastline to the ABC's and Cartagena which would consume the next summer. Then Panama to the Rio Dulce that fall of the year to hole up again. Finally back via Belize and Mexico but now you are in the 3rd or 4th year and really have been truck'in missing most of the flavor of the places.
- - If you skip going back north in the Windwards and head west instead you can do the whole "loop" in 3 years. But don't blink or you will miss most of it.

Solstice · 29-09-2010, 02:36

I'd go for Europe. We crossed the Atlantic eastbound in June 2008 and wintered in Amsterdam. If we didn't have a dog, we might have picked England for our first winter. In the spring we headed into the Baltic for a bit, and in the summer went back out the English Channel, crossed Biscay to Portugal and made it into Cartagena, Spain, for our second winter. This summer we went to the Balearics, Sardinia, Rome, Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, Croatia, and Ionian Greece. Now we're back in Cartagena preparing to cross back westbound this winter. We didn't make it to the eastern Med, but we've seen lots of interesting places. You could cut out the northern part. Portugal is awesome, and Yacht Port Cartagena is a great place to spend the winter.

barnakiel · 29-09-2010, 08:20

The Atlantic loop (Carib-Azores-EU-Canary-Cabo-etc) can be started June from the West Indies side and you are back there in December - you only need half a year for this.

The Pacific is probably better if you like nature, snorkeling and clear, warm water.

The Atlantic loop is probably better if you want anything about culture, architecture and such stuff.

Ex Panama Pacific cheaper, Atlantic more expensive.

b.