West to East North Atlantic Crossing

[Keelhauler]

Ahoy fellow Cruisers!!
We’re in the planning stages of sailing from the Great Lakes out of the St. Laurence over to Iceland and then Ireland. Currently under refit from many years on the Pacific. Now we are setting her up for higher latitudes. I’m thinking late spring early summer might be the time for this adventure. We have time to plan properly. Please share your thoughts. Thank you.

[Kalinka1]

I wouldn't leave Newfoundland until the end of June 1st of July. when the weather has settled down a bit You also have the maximum amount of daylight so bergs and bits are easier to spot. Longest bit would be Newfoundland to Iceland. Iceland to the Faro's 3 days. Faro's to Shetlands 2-3 days. Shetlands to Orkney's 1 day then 2 days to Northern Ireland. But doing this you will miss an awful lot of Eastern Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador. You can easily take two months to get down to Ireland from the Shetlands.

[Keelhauler]

Thank you Kalinka,
Actually eastern Canada is one of our cruising destinations on the way over. What would be the best time cruise eastern Canada? Maybe a month or two before? Can you recommend any reliable cruising guides?

Thank you

[slug]

I’ve been across Newfoundland Spain in both spring and fall



Boisterous trip ... prepare your boat and crew well

[Kalinka1]

Keelhauler. Get the cruising guides to Newfoundland,Labrador and The gulf of St. Lawrence. All from Puffin Press. They are all written by sailors who have been there with anchorages and harbour diagrams and pictures. The Canadian sailing direction are also very good. You can get to Sydney NS in two weeks if you really push it( We did that in reverse in 9 1/2 days with a wonky engine!) From Three rivers you will be dealing with big tidal currents and will have to stop for the change. It will probably be cold. From Taddousac there are two routes ,North Shore (more wilderness) or South shore(more villages and harbours. North shore lots of anchorages and you can coast all the way down to the top of Labrador. Newfoundland shouldn't be missed if you have time. email me at navigator.bjorn@sympatico.ca. if you have more questions. Noel

[George DuBose]

Unless you really want to see Iceland, I would go straight from St. Pierre to Baltimore, Ireland. Leaving from New York, stopping at St. John's, Newfoundland seemed to be a day or two out of the way.

June is the month I chose knowing that I would have to watch for icebergs, ships and blue whales having sex. We chose to leave under a full moon hoping to make seeing the bergs easier, but in the end it was so overcast that the moon was not helpful. June and July have lower incidents of depressions, but there seems to be a big low south of Ireland called the "Icelandic Low"...

The later in the summer you wait, the greater chance of getting a storm coming up from the south. We had westerlies all the way across until we reached Ireland when the wind changed to SE on our nose.

The Labrador current keeps things on the chilly side until you get out of it heading east.

This time of year, at those latitudes, it really doesn't get dark

[Stephenmac]

Here is a great guide to get you down the St Lawrence and beyond;
https://ca.binnacle.com/Charts-and-B...duct_info.html

[copaco]

I live north of Anticosti island and many cruisers discover this Wild coast of Quebec (english speaking east of Kegaska.) Just google Wild coast of Quebec or also Denisson Berwick.Mingan archipelago is a Parks Canada reserve and Harrington Harbour is a special place.(no cars).Another web site would be MRC Mecatina and its colorful maire Randy Jones.Or Randy on Facebook.

[copaco]

https://www.cruisingworld.com/wild-coast-quebec/

[roland stockham]

Don't know this route but from years of living on the west coast of UK we often found the best summer weather in May and early june. By August we where often having bing depression every couple of days. North altantic weather is not the most predictable and I think it would be worth tracking the jet stream and watching weather from April. Be ready to go as soon as a settled spell arrives rather than on a particular date.

[Keelhauler]

Thanks everyone for the great information. The cruising guides look like they will fit the bill. Nice article from cruising world. I was looking on Google Earth and they’re right about it being remote. A lot more remote than Vancouver Island when we cruised the Pacific NW. Lots to look forward to,
Thank you

[slug]

Originally Posted by Keelhauler

Thanks everyone for the great information. The cruising guides look like they will fit the bill. Nice article from cruising world. I was looking on Google Earth and they’re right about it being remote. A lot more remote than Vancouver Island when we cruised the Pacific NW. Lots to look forward to,
Thank you

If you go around the corner and visit the Labrador review Alexander Weld s Cruising guide to the Labrador .
Also research the books written by Sir Wilfred Grenfell and the hospital ship Strathcona for insight on the region

Oh..and prepare for mosquitos

[Paul Howard]

I sailed Toronto to Iceland in 2001 and on to the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn.
Left Toronto on Lake Ontario in late June. Very wet and cold and foggy all the way to Labrador. We celebrated July 4 with some U.S. boats in Battle Harbour, Labrador and left the following day for Iceland. The Straits of Belle Isle were clogged with ice until shortly before we got there and still lots of ice between Newfoundland and Labrador, lots of bergs grounded out and bergy bits in the straits. Thick pack ice to about 150 miles south of Greenland. The area between Labrador and Greenland is called Iceberg alley for good reason. At those latitudes and time of year we had nearly 24hour daylight, especially when nearing Iceland. Icebergs tend to have a shroud of fog around them and are difficult to see without radar. But remember that 90% of any ice is below the surface. Bergy bits trail off downwind and down current from major bergs and some are the size of a house when you consider the below water parts, too. Had one northeast gale for nearly 24 hours and set a parachute sea anchor. Iceland is very worth a visit. We entered at Hafnarfjodur, nice sailing club there, on to Reykjavic, Arnestapi, Hornbjarg, Husavik and on to Faeroe Islands.
There was little ice in the water once in Icelandic waters.
Spent half of July and part of August there, then a couple weeks in Faeroes, on to Orkneys and through the Caledonian Canal to Irish sea. I recommend all of it.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Stephenmac.

[nortonscove]

So far this year the ice isn't looking too heavy. Lightest ice conditions in some years really. Most likely none around come that time. Icebergs are a different story and seem to linger a bit when not pulled along with the heavy pack.