Atlantic crossing to Maine from Denmark

[Tatheelrod22]

I’ve got “the cart ahead of the horse” here, but I’ve been here before and might well be again someday. That is I’m doing some research about what I might want to pursue next if the interested party that will be looking at my schooner again this weekend were to buy it. I would get two bucket list things done at once if I could pull this off.

I’ve always wanted to own a Bristol channel cutter. I’ve also wanted to do a transit Atlantic sailing voyage and possibly even single-handed. There is one for sale in Vedbaek Denmark. I’m going to start looking at the feasibility of sailing her back to the states, preferably to Bar Harbor Maine, and wonder how early in 25 I might expect to be able to set sail and what might be a conservative arrival date? I have yet to look into whether one would initially go north or south from that west coast of Denmark location and either way the rhumb line once clear of land is in my opinion pretty far north, plus at some point one deals with the Gulf Stream. I wouldn’t be surprised if I learn that traditional routes would head well south before heading west?
The summer in Bar Harbor would be great but is not the most important part of this.
Is it at all practical to think I could make this including the Bar Harbor summer happen?

[carstenb]

Wisdom of the ages is to sail south from Denmark until the butter melts then turn west. Normally Atlantic crossings are made with the trades winds, leaving from the Canaries anytime between beginning of November and very late spring. Figure 3 weeks Denmark to the Canaries, if sailing as if this were a delivery. 3 weeks across the pond and then up to Florida and catch the Gulf Stream.

So yes what you are suggesting is possible and also possible to sail around Bar Harbor in the summer.

It is a long haul - you don't mention what your long passage experience consists of - lots of things can go wrong on this run

good luck

[boatman61]

I would suggest down the Kiel canal, Cuxhaven to Rotterdam then jump to Harwich and coast hop to Falmouth.
This gives you plenty of time to get used to the boat and iron out any teething problems within walking distance of decent Chandlers at most ports you call at on this 600 odd nm leg.
From Falmouth it's a straight 1500nm sail to the Azores with currents mainly favourable and the same with winds more often than not.
From the Azores hop to Bermuda (1200nm) then it's up to you how soon and where you want to land on the E coast.
I'd suggest a late April, early May start from the Baltic.

[Tatheelrod22]

This was exactly the type information I thought I would get from my forum friends. Great to know the shakedown part of the cruise has many chandlery options available.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I would suggest down the Kiel canal, Cuxhaven to Rotterdam then jump to Harwich and coast hop to Falmouth.
This gives you plenty of time to get used to the boat and iron out any teething problems within walking distance of decent Chandlers at most ports you call at on this 600 odd nm leg.
From Falmouth it's a straight 1500nm sail to the Azores with currents mainly favourable and the same with winds more often than not.
From the Azores hop to Bermuda (1200nm) then it's up to you how soon and where you want to land on the E coast.
I'd suggest a late April, early May start from the Baltic.

That's the classic way to do it.

It's shorter but far more challenging to take a more Northern route, the way the Vikings did in olden days.

Remember also the Mayflower itself sailed straight across, and in an unfavorable season to boot.

I guess I'd chicken out and do it Boatie's way, though.

I'm looking to do Newfoundland to Falmouth next summer -- so, the "right" direction and even that is giving me nightmares at night.

[barnakiel]

I think about June is OK.


Vendee New York I think starts at the end of June.


Me myself and I would just take her down the coasts and cross from Madeira to the Caribbean or Florida. November till early June.


BCC a nice boat, congrats


b.

[Dockhead]

Denmark to Maine is at least double the distance if you go all the way down to the Azores, and you won't get trades there.


It's milder and safer to do it that way, but I would be slightly tempted to take the great circle route as close to the wind as I could manage. It's only 1900 miles from Falmouth to landfall in Newfoundland, and you sail down the coast from there. Pretty much the Mayflower route. If you can't lay it, you just steer as South as you need to and play the wind shifts.


You are likely to get whacked by weather, though.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That's the classic way to do it.

Remember also the Mayflower itself sailed straight across, and in an unfavorable season to boot.

While you're remembering the Mayflower don't forget it took more than three months for their trip. Can a 28' Bristol Channel cutter carry enough stores for something like that?
https://www.yachtworld.com/yacht/199...er-28-9392805/

[GordMay]

In 1620, the Mayflower took 66 days [September 6 ➛ November 9], to cross from Plymouth to, what is now, Provincetown Harbour, near the tip of Cape Cod; which was longer than the more typical trans-Atlantic journey, of around 40 days.

By October, they began encountering a number of Atlantic storms, that made the voyage treacherous. Several times, the wind was so strong, they had to just drift, where the weather took them, it was not safe to use the ship's sails.
The Mayflower's route was not the most direct. It initially aimed for The Hudson River, then the northern Virginia Colony, but ended up landing, in what is now Massachusetts, which required navigating around various obstacles.

In 1957, the historic voyage of the Mayflower was commemorated, when a replica of the original ship, was built in England, and sailed to Massachusetts, in 53 days.

COLONIAL TRADE ROUTES: ➘


MAYFLOWER ROUTE: ➘