Atlantic Crossing

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Alecadi

The OP was heading to North America... Any good reason not to do it around may - june and from Azores a route to Bermuda?

Amateur doing it on his own I figured following the stream down, across and then up with winds and current favourable 90% of the time would be more of a 'in one piece' scenario than crossing higher up.. having experienced 60kt gales and high sea's in that region, in that period... I'd not recommend it to a 'newbie'..
If this is a fictional 'Hero'... sure... he'll fictionally survive.. but for a normal human being newly at sea and solo.. good conditions can seem very daunting when alone out of sight of land with weeks more ahead.. known experienced sailors balk on the way to the Canaries and turn back and stay in the Med instead.. all is possible.. till one is out there..
Addendum; also good for padding and more adventures if its a book... lol

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Amateur doing it on his own I figured following the stream down, across and then up with winds and current favourable 90% of the time would be more of a 'in one piece' scenario than crossing higher up.. having experienced 60kt gales and high sea's in that region, in that period... I'd not recommend it to a 'newbie'.. If this is a fictional 'Hero'... sure... he'll fictionally survive.. but for a normal human being newly at sea and solo.. good conditions can seem very daunting when alone out of sight of land with weeks more ahead.. known experienced sailors balk on the way to the Canaries and turn back and stay in the Med instead.. all is possible.. till one is out there..

It makes sense.
Thank you for the clarification.
What about going east from Marathon, FL to SW France with an Endeavour 35?
When is the best time? What route do you recommend?

[tdoster]

Originally Posted by Orrjames

We have little poor weather experience but have been in squalls sailing and anchored. I have worked in the GOM as a boat captain for the oil industry and am a graduate of the Chapman School of Seamanship, I have been in some really nasty stuff myself. It really all comes down to prepping the boat early and making the best decisions you can at the time. I also plan on changing my deck scuppers over to a valve system so I can switch to filing the tanks with fresh water after the rain washes the salt off a bit. But that is the the least of our worries really. I'm more concerned with the best time of year and a route that would make sense for someone without a death-wish. Thanks for your question Dave.

Tried that. Still too salty to call "fresh water." Need to capture the rain higher than the decks, IMHO.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Alecadi

It makes sense.
Thank you for the clarification.
What about going east from Marathon, FL to SW France with an Endeavour 35?
When is the best time? What route do you recommend?

If it were me.. and not in a rush...
I'd wait for a window of S'lies in Feb/March then head Nth of the Bahama's on a NE heading till I picked up some N'lies then run E with those till I had enough Easting to run down to St Martin.. 5-7 days..
Then I'd drop the hook in Marigot Bay or Grande Case and chill.. work on my tan till late May, early June.. then stock up and run straight for Faial 2100 miles to the NE.. about 18-23 days depending on if you hit some calms in the Azores High..
If a delivery... head of April/May.. same route.. just keep going.. you'll be clear of the stream so should be a fast run.. total around 27-30days..

Oh.. for the guy wanting to catch water in squalls.. get a strong handled plastic bucket.. fit a plastic 1/2" outlet in the bottom and Jubilee clip a hose long enough to reach your tank inlet... hang the bucket from your gooseneck and tension your topping lift so the boom has at least a 10 degree angle.. in a decent squall the bucket should fill in less than 5 mins.. make sure you've blocked around the hose at the inlet to minimise any salt water ingress... I did this crossing the S Pacific when we ran low on water after leaving Nuku Hiva where the water was not potable... did not have hose so ran back and forth instead.. lolol

[Captain America]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Okay... I'll give it a go... but I'm cheaper than these guys..
Hope this was helpful..

Thankyou boatman, this was exactly the sort of response I had been hoping for, I appreciate you making the effort.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The boat I'd pick would be a Westerly Longbow..

Interesting boat. What is the particular appeal, and are you referring to the sloop or the ketch?

Matt

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by boatman61

If it were me.. and not in a rush... I'd wait for a window of S'lies in Feb/March then head Nth of the Bahama's on a NE heading till I picked up some N'lies then run E with those till I had enough Easting to run down to St Martin.. 5-7 days.. Then I'd drop the hook in Marigot Bay or Grande Case and chill.. work on my tan till late May, early June.. then stock up and run straight for Faial 2100 miles to the NE.. about 18-23 days depending on if you hit some calms in the Azores High.. If a delivery... head of April/May.. same route.. just keep going.. you'll be clear of the stream so should be a fast run.. total around 27-30days.. Oh.. for the guy wanting to catch water in squalls.. get a strong handled plastic bucket.. fit a plastic 1/2" outlet in the bottom and Jubilee clip a hose long enough to reach your tank inlet... hang the bucket from your gooseneck and tension your topping lift so the boom has at least a 10 degree angle.. in a decent squall the bucket should fill in less than 5 mins.. make sure you've blocked around the hose at the inlet to minimise any salt water ingress... I did this crossing the S Pacific when we ran low on water after leaving Nuku Hiva where the water was not potable... did not have hose so ran back and forth instead.. lolol

Perhaps I was not clear...:-)

I was talking going from Marathon Fl to Sw of France..... :-)

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GILow

Interesting boat. What is the particular appeal, and are you referring to the sloop or the ketch?

Matt

The long fin sloop.. the ketch is silly.. wasted space..
Great hull profile.. decent access to the engine.. tiller steered and very easy to handle the sheets while steering with tiller between your legs.. 6' headroom where it counts right into the fore cabin.. skeg hung rudder..
Storage is awesome with all under seat stowage accessible from the front.. no lifting cushions and groping blind through a hole,, in fact I used 18x12x12 plastic bins with bin liner and bungee to seal them for spare clothes/bedding etc in them..
Dining area converted to a big double berth.. extra stowage in the quarter berths.. big cockpit lockers... pretty fast for her size.. always regarded mine as the 'VW Camper of the Sea's'
Not the prettiest.. but reliable as hell... lived on one for nearly 4 years..
Always regretted selling her..

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Alecadi

Perhaps I was not clear...:-)

I was talking going from Marathon Fl to Sw of France..... :-)

Okay... up the Florida coast to Ft Pierce.. then head across ENE over the top of the Bahamas for Faial in the Azores... figured from there the course would be obvious but no...
So.. from Terceira I would head for Cape St Vincent and then head for Portimao to replenish on fresh food and water.. from there its 36 odd hours to the Straits.. through there then stop off at Almerimar before heading on to the Ballearics and Minorca.. from there its 000 to 015.. depending on where in France you want to hit

[Alecadi]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Okay... up the Florida coast to Ft Pierce.. then head across ENE over the top of the Bahamas for Faial in the Azores... figured from there the course would be obvious but no... So.. from Terceira I would head for Cape St Vincent and then head for Portimao to replenish on fresh food and water.. from there its 36 odd hours to the Straits.. through there then stop off at Almerimar before heading on to the Ballearics and Minorca.. from there its 000 to 015.. depending on where in France you want to hit

No stop in bermuda?
And no I.m not entering the Mediterranean... Going SW of France... Not SE... On the atlantic coast near Spain...
Thank you

I.ve read that the more southerly route in may june is safer? Any direct experience

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Alecadi

No stop in bermuda?
And no I.m not entering the Mediterranean... Going SW of France... Not SE... On the atlantic coast near Spain...
Thank you

I.ve read that the more southerly route in may june is safer? Any direct experience

Apologies... when I read S France I automatically assumed the Med.. I refer to that as W France..
No.. I would not go via Bermuda.. done St Martin to the Azores solo twice and NC to the Azores passing 80 miles N of Bermuda solo once..
On the SMX route the worst was maybe f7 max in some line squalls.. one crossing was a June 14th departure.. the other was mid April.
The N route I was hit by 2 F8's, N and NE... and laid ahull for 4 days in SW'lies of 60kts 90 miles W of Flores.. this was in May-June..
Hope that's helpful..

Oh.. and I'd sail from Terceira for Finisterre but the stream will push you down and you'll make Baiona some 60 miles S.. nice anchorage/town to rest up a couple of days.. when you head of from there to round Finisterre I'd pass La Coruna and pull into Viveiro... but that's me..
Your now set for a nice run to your destination

[Transporter2112]

I'm glad someone finally gave a reasonable answer to the OP's question. Regardless of his intentions the question is answerable, and he is asking the people he assumes would have the best answer. Maybe the people "poking fun" are really trying to keep the OP from killing himself in a foolish endeavor, but its not your place to make others decisions for them.

I think the easiest for someone with NO experience and no preference would be to buy a smallish trawler, say 35-40 feet. They are reasonably fuel efficient and carry large fuel tanks. I'm not experienced or familiar with power boats as I prefer sail, but for someone to just "jump in and go" anybody who can drive a car could drive a trawler. (ok, maybe not well or safely but it CAN be done) So break the trip up, like others have suggested motoring to the Canaries, then across to the Caribbean. Or, another option, perhaps quicker depending on the ultimate destination would be to cross the North Atlantic to northern Canada then south into the US. Again, risky and you're leaving a lot to chance with the weather, but it would be shorter to get to the mainland than heading south. The safest would be southerly into the Caribbean, the shortest, but much more risky would be the north Atlantic route.

I would get an Ipad with Navionix charts, with a PC and GPS backup for charting, and a handheld GPS as a redundant backup. A few hours messing with them and anyone should be able to chart basic routes. Autopilot is a must, and I might have a backup autopilot too. Several backup fuel filters, watermaker with several jerrycans of freshwater as a backup if the tanks or pumps fail. Plenty of canned food, not dehydrated as that requires water and usually heat to prepare, just in case the stove and water system fail.

good Luck.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by Captain America

Y'know, for people who are supposedly knowlegeable some of you guys really are just a bunch of jerks. I asked the question in good faith, and as some people have managed to give me insightful answers then the question isn't impossible to answer.

Those that have suggested buying a globe or buying a map are pathetic quite frankly.

Thanks again to those who provided considered and helpful answers.

Jerks ? Jerks ? When did that happen ? Why wasn't I told ?

All I see on this thread are the usual bunch.

[CalienteinCR]

My $0.02 worth.... Money no object definitely helps, cause the list is big!

Doing it alone would mean only in a survival situation like a big Fukishima scenario because sailing is dangerous going far distances across an ocean that can and will throw danger your way...in your face!

Experience teaches you your limitations, and inexperience can kill you quick.

Proceeding with the question. Shannon 43 Pilothouse.

The Ultimate Bluewater Sailboat with Inside Steering

This is the boat I would want, because it is an incredible machine that can be handled by one person, and has a pilot house to get out of the rain, and comfortable enough to never want to leave, great engine, pretty easy to sail and handle from the cockpit, makes water, has great storage, and room for all the electronics, backup systems, etc. Working knowledge of how to heave to, and a lotta rum for when the feces hits the oscillator... just one man's opinion... It would be a blast too!!!! (If you survived, that is!)

[Reinhardt]

Well, the question has an adventurous spirit, doesn't it? Who didn't start sailing without wondering stuff like this? This is what people do!

I have just been reading about the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Donald Crowhurst is bagged as having no experience, but he was in fact a weekend sailor (everyone who eventually crosses the Atlantic started off as a weekend sailor), and his sailing skills were assessed by the venerable Peter Eden (who accompanied Crowhurst to the starting point of the race) as 'good'. Chay Blythe on the other hand, had never sailed a boat before (although he had crossed the Atlantic in a row boat in 1966!!!!), and got as far as the cape of Good Hope before he retired.

So, the upshot is, amateurs and novices are going to face much greater challenges in terms of skills and ability, and probably extreme challenges in terms of experience: not knowing what you don't know and thus not knowing what to plan for. But that doesn't mean you couldn't give it a go. Seafarers have been unable to resist those urges for millennia.

So you could wait for 25 years until you're an old salt, ready for everything, or you can take the risk and do it with the bare minimum of experience.

Take a look at this guys video, he crossed solo in 2011 in 21 days as a rank amateur.

My Atlantic Crossing - YouTube

I read either on his blog or somewhere in the comments section that his total experience was two bareback weekends and about 200 hours in some sort of skiff.

I might have read that wrong, mind you, so check it out for yourself.

He does make a big point in the comments that far, far more things than he expected broke on the crossing (and it looks like he had lovely weather).

Anyway, I'm not experienced enough to give advice, just offer encouragement.

Cheers

Reinhardt