West Indies to Black Sea - Help!

[SeaCow]

That looks great. But getting visas to even those countries is not easy. Guadaloupe is French, and requires a French visa unlike most other West Indies islands. DR would let me in though.

But Italy would be a problem. I don't want to discuss my nationality - but think Pakistan, Saudi, etc.. Europe does not give us visas easily, *especially* if we apply for them in countries we do not currently legally live in. I've already had some residency problems where I stuck. I've solved them to the host countries satisfaction using medical documents, but it won't help me when applying for a EU visa.

If I didn't get off in the other places, I could get away with just Italian visa and board there..... I'll call the Italian Embassy, but I've not been successful with the Schengen countries before. Their rules are pretty strict - they only accept applications from coutnry of citizenship, or in a country you have permenant residence papers in.

[osirissail]

The stop in the Dominican Republic sounds promising - the D.R. accepts a lot more nationalities without hassles than most of the other islands in the Caribbean. See: Dominican Republic Embassy United Kingdom
- - Being on a cruise ship normally gets you a 24 hour entry into any Caribbean Country. You may be able to book a transfer from the one cruise ship to a flight to Antigua or a ferry boat as a "in transit" passenger versus a "tourist."
- - If you legally live in Antigua I would find it rather unusual if the French would not allow you to transit Guadeloupe which is right next door. As a "in transit" all the strict requirements, etc., are usually waived.

[skipmac]

If your flying issue is medical I assume it is pressure/altitude related? If that is the case then I further assume you could fly if the cabin pressure was kept at a lower altitude or the flight stayed physically at a lower altitude.

If that is the case it might be worthwhile to consider a charter flight or even Medevac. Not cheap but considering the cost, the time and the wear and tear on the boat for a round trip sail from Caribbean to E Europe it starts looking better.

[barnakiel]

Late May / early June, possibly via the Azores to La Coruna, Lisboa or Cadiz. About 30-45 days in a fast boat that can take light winds in her stride.

If unlucky and the Azores high is huge then some motoring in sight.

b.

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by skipmac

If your flying issue is medical I assume it is pressure/altitude related? If that is the case then I further assume you could fly if the cabin pressure was kept at a lower altitude or the flight stayed physically at a lower altitude.

If that is the case it might be worthwhile to consider a charter flight or even Medevac. Not cheap but considering the cost, the time and the wear and tear on the boat for a round trip sail from Caribbean to E Europe it starts looking better.

- - Airliner cabins are pressurized to hold a maximum 7,000 ft MSL altitude which should not be a problem to anybody unless they have advanced lung disease that degrades their oxygen absorbing ability. Then they are usually on supplemental oxygen from portable bottles. But there is a long list of infectious and other diseases/conditions that are prohibited onboard a commercial airline. An "air evac" across the Atlantic from Turkey would cost more than buying a super yacht in the Med. I don't think that is a viable option.
- - Even the cruise ship option is a problem with certain medical conditions as the health officials of countries the cruise ship would visit are getting paranoid about virus's and other infectious diseases these days. We had a cruise ship turned away from Grenada this season due to H1N1 outbreak being suspected on board.
- - I think the only viable answer to the original post is getting his boat from Antigua to Turkey somehow. Shipping it via Peter and Mays or via a container ship seems to be the most logical way to get it there before next summer. Even Dockwise Transport might be viable on a "standby" fare rate. This is were you have the boat ready at the DWT departure port and if a "reserved space" vessel fails to show you get to take their place at a greatly reduced price.

[Troutbridge]

Originally Posted by SeaCow

Also the winds dont go perfectly to the west, but go to north(a bit)west. From Antigua to the med, its a northeast sail, so it would already be off the wind a bit.

Hang on a minute. During the winter months, that's from NOW through to about May you have the NE Trades. That means that attempting to go from Antigua to Gib direct you would be attempting to go directly into the wind and the swell. Impossible in your boat (I also have a cat) and awful in any mono that could do it.
Also, if you are expecting to be picked up in the Black sea area you have to factor the time it takes to get from Gib to the Black Sea, then turn around and get back. Most people would not consider sailing in the Med in the winter months, or at least not long-distance sailing. In no way shape or form could this trip be considered your fastest or even easiest way back to Antigua and I would even say that it probably isn't possible unless the boat leaves Antigua mid-April at the earliest.
I'm tempted to say that as you seem to have 'difficulties' with your passport your best bet is to hang around a dockside where 'they' specialise in moving people around with no questions asked.....but of course I wouldn't say that because that could be construed as some sort of long distance judgement about a person I know nothing about