South of England to Patagonia - How long?

[DeckScrubber]

Is dreaming allowed on this forum?

OK, thanks. ;-)

Charting a direct route from the South of England to Southern Chile measures about 7000 NM. Sailing a boat averaging 100 NM a day gives us a duration of 70 days. I don't have any experience of diagonal crossings of the Atlantic, sailing from one hemisphere to the other. Any idea (roughly) how many extra days/weeks the extra tacking and doldrums could require? I would include just one or two stops on the entire route (e.g. Cape Verde and somewhere along Brazil's coast).

Any insights from people who have done such a "passage" would be greatly appreciated.

[GRIT]

Easy sail to Cape verde (we've done it), and fairly common to go to Brazil from Cape Verde (we haven't done that one).

Dream on!

Paul.

[Pete7]

You might send a pm to Breaking Waves on here, as he did it none stop.

Argentina get their knickers in a twist if you go from their to the Falkland Islands. Not sure what happens if you FI to Argentina.

Sailing Florence on YT stopped at an island off Brazil recently, might be worth watching, they had a calm passage going the other way, SA to Suriname with some good sailing weather. They made good use of the current off Brazil that goes north.

Pete

[DeckScrubber]

Thx for the comments so far but I'm trying to get a rough handle on how many weeks this could take? There's a rough limit beyond which my wife is threatening with the end of our relationship (she doesn't sail). I'm in feasibility study mode.

[GRIT]

Are you in a rush to get to the other side? Your wife would certainly enjoy a trip that included the Azores, Cape Verdes, then Brazil.

It's only 1500 miles from Mindelo Cape Verdes to Natal, add another week for the horse latitudes, and you should be fairly close. Say 20 days or so.

I haven't done that route yet, so take my comments with a grain of salt. I have crossed the Atlantic on a boat that averaged about 100 miles per day, and that's exactly what I'd plan for, if on that route. We toyed with the idea of going to Brazil instead of the Caribbean, during that trip, so I'm mildly familiar with the distances and time for planning.

I'm guessing you're not taking your wife to patagonia...

Cheers.
Paul.


Cheers.
Paul.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Y......
Argentina get their knickers in a twist if you go from their to the Falkland Islands. Not sure what happens if you FI to Argentina.
......
Pete

Nothing they can do to stop you going to the FI from RG. Go from the FI to RG? I think the fine is $US10k.
Never bothered going back there to check on that.

[Sulaire]

Paul Heiney did this trip and wrote a deeply moving book about it called

One Wild Song.

There is a sad back story to the adventure, but it is very well written by a true Ocean sailor from both a human and nautical perspective.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a more thoughtful approach to sailing than the current trend of you tube wannabes.

[Wayne hoath]

If your wife doesn’t sail why would you countenance the idea of putting her through one of the most arduous voyages imaginable? If you want to live aboard then buy a boat already somewhere beautiful and warm and move onto it. She will thank you for it.

[AiniA]

There is more to this passage than 7000/100. Check Cornell's World Cruising Routes, or Pilot Charts, to get a sense of recommended courses and times of the year. The best time in the North Atlantic may not match up with best time in the South Atlantic. You need to cross the southern North Atlantic outside hurricane season but you also have to leave Europe before winter storms kick in. The fastest route also may not be the shortest(rhumb line). What would you do with your boat when you get to Patagonia?

[wingssail]

Just out of curiosity I'm wondering what exactly you are dreaming of? Usually a dream involves something pleasant. This trip you have in mind, unless you have a hopeless attachment to being at sea for long periods of time, probably alone, doesn't sound pleasant to me. It will be arduous and boring. Endless days on a constantly moving boat. Sometimes very cold and wet, often very hot and sweaty. Nothing is easy to do, food will be crummy and hard to cook. Things will break, constantly. Worse if you don't have a capable boat (one with some good sailing characteristics). There will be unplanned landings due to breakdowns to be dealt with. Probably legal issues.

Maybe you are dreaming of the glory and self satisfaction you will achieve with the accomplishment of it? Yes, it will be a challenge which will be talked about. People will shake their heads and say, "Amazing, why did he ever attempt it?" You will be asking this yourself.

So I would recommend you get your head around what it is that attracts you to this trip and see if that is realistic.

Oh, so what do you do when you get there? Patagonia not a particularly great destination, and you still have to get back, (or get somewhere).

[DeckScrubber]

Thank you to all who posted their thoughts on this thread.

@Sulaire: will get the book. Great tip.

@wingssail: dreams may also be about challenges. The idea of crossing the Atlantic diagonally and ending up in one of the most remote places on earth is very attractive to me. I lived 9 years in the Scottish Highlands, 20m from the sea. I loved the ruggedness of the place. I loved the 6-month long winter with all the storms, and the isolation. I'm pretty sure I would appreciate Patagonia for the same reasons. And just like climbing a mountain you've never climbed before, I know how to appreciate every little step that gets me closer to a goal.

[JPA Cate]

To a certain extent, your average days runs depend on your water line length. The old 100 n. mi./day dates back to Westsail 32s, and their rather short water line. So, partly, it would depend on what boat you were to choose for the journey.

Although his boat is in Ecuador at present, El Pinguino loves Patagonia. Has spent considerable time there.

Fwiw, there are some nice places to stop, along the way, and to pick up some Spanish, if you do not currently speak it. The accents are different for the various countries in South America. Scenery and zeitgeist are important, but our experience is that it is the people of the countries we've visited that make for the lasting memories. The special, isolated places of the world require quite a lot of advance preparation, prior to visiting. Just remember midwinter's day in the northern hemisphere is midsummer's day, in the southern. And one would not choose midwinter's day for a Patagonia arrival.

So, it would be a big project, and require lots of work. I'd hazard a guess that your good lady wife, if it is a committed relationship for both of you, then, if she's involved in the preparation, so that the project becomes hers, as well as yours, would then want to experience the fruits from the tree she helped plant, nurture, and want to be in on the harvest, too.

Ann

[DeckScrubber]

Originally Posted by Sulaire

Paul Heiney did this trip and wrote a deeply moving book about it called

One Wild Song.

There is a sad back story to the adventure, but it is very well written by a true Ocean sailor from both a human and nautical perspective.

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a more thoughtful approach to sailing than the current trend of you tube wannabes.

Thanks Sulaire.. got the book a few days ago and read it. Definitely a must-read for anyone contemplating this type of journey. Had hoped the author did it 100% solo.. his project was a mix of crewed and solo. He didn't sail solo through the canals of Patagonia (I fully understand why, still I wonder if there's a small percentage who do it solo?).

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by DeckScrubber

Thanks Sulaire.. got the book a few days ago and read it. Definitely a must-read for anyone contemplating this type of journey. Had hoped the author did it 100% solo.. his project was a mix of crewed and solo. He didn't sail solo through the canals of Patagonia (I fully understand why, still I wonder if there's a small percentage who do it solo?).

Yes people do it solo.
Quite do- able if you are set up properly. You would need to be more cautious with the weather.
A sistership of mine - 40foot - was successfully singlehanded Williams/Montt/Williams a few years back.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Sulaire

Paul Heiney did this trip and wrote a deeply moving book about it called

One Wild Song.

There is a sad back story to the adventure, but it is very well written by a true Ocean sailor from both a human and nautical perspective.

What was the "sad back story" Just a short synopsis would be good.

Pete