We are starting to ruminate on the upcoming cruising season. In the winter, after hurricane season, we want to be in the Bahamas and spend some time in warm water, sunny weather, with lots of white sand into which we can dig our toes. The question is how do we get there from the United Kingdom?
There are three basic choices and some additional riffs, the first and most direct of which is shown above. Note: distances which follow are not great circle, which across the North Atlantic are 10% shorter. We are holding these savings in reserve for route changes necessitated by weather.
This is the route from Land’s End, UK, to St. Johns, Newfoundland, and then down the Eastern Seaboard of the US. It is a short 2100 or so miles (depending on routing for weather and departure point – the SW coast of Ireland is 200 miles closer) across the Atlantic, and 4700 miles total from Lymington,UK, to the Bahamas. It would get us into Newfoundland early in the season – late May – and allow for a leisurely cruise down the East Coast of the US. We’d be able to leave the boat and return to the office with ease.
But there is one problem. Unless the weather patterns change – which they might as this is an El Nino year -this route offers up a collision course with the storm track along the northern edge of the Azores high. Doable of course, and five years ago we would have not hesitated. But Wind Horse has turned us into softies, and eight to ten days of southwesterly switching to northwesterly gales and storms along with crossing seas does not sound like fun. Still, this is a short trip.
A more northerly direct route is to St, Anthony on the northeast tip of Newfoundland. The distance is about the same as heading to St. Johns, but the more northerly track in theory gives more clearance to the storm track further south early in the year.
Both of these expose us to ice carried from Greenland, but that is for a day’s travel as we close with land and depending on the iceberg density, a tolerable risk.
Another option is the traditional trade wind route. From the UK we could cruise Spain and Portugal, Madeira and then the Canaries. That takes us south of the Azores High, in the typically easterly circulation, with lows well to the north. This is about 5800 miles to the Bahamas via the West Indies. It should be an easy trip for Wind Horse and us. But, we are cruising in some densely populated areas, not really our thing. And leaving the boat for a couple of months in the Canaries and flying round trip to the States is not to be lightly undertaken.
The third option is the northern route. Up the Irish Sea, hopefully still with southwesterly flow (we had to beat into it coming south last summer), then the Faero Islands, around the top of Iceland, and back through the Prince Christian Channels of Greenland. Then down the Straights of Belle Isle, Bras d’Or Lakes, Nova Scotia, and south. This route is about 5400 miles with a number of advantages. Hops are short, so it is easy to pick weather windows. If the upper level weather pattern is anything like the last three years, the northern route offers much calmer conditions, being above the typical storm track. We are definitely away from the crowds and would love to visit these fascinating places (and take a second look at Greenland). The one negative is the stress of dealing with ice in fog and or stronger winds, which is bound to occur.
A middle route could be UK to Spain and Portugal, then across to the Azores, and from these islands to the East Coast direct or via Bermuda depending on weather. It takes about 4700 miles to get to the the coast, and then another 11 or so miles to the Bahamas (going direct would have us in the Bahamas during hurricane season which we prefer to avoid). The short hops on this route, about eight days for the Azores to Bermuda, make it possible to avoid really unpleasant conditions.
As we said at the beginning of this blog, we are just starting to think about the route back. Weather patterns will have an influence on our decision, although if we decide we need to be Stateside sooner rather than later we’ll probably just tough it out on the Great Circle from Ireland to St. Johns or Nova Scotia. The rest of the decision will come with our need for more adrenalin in the high latitudes versus the desire for easy cruising with the crowds.
There is an interesting (and detailed) PDF report you can download from the Gurus at the University of Colorado on the Atlantic hurricane season here. We are not yet up to speed on what their predictions mean to the North Atlantic patterns other than that they imply less activity of the type which would negatively impact our comfort.
Posted by Steve Dashew (February 22, 2010)
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
A fourth consideration. Won’t get you to warm weather very soon, but what about the Northwest Passage?!
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Hi Bill:
Believe me we have thought about this! And we’d love to tackle the NW passage before the coming Ice Age makes it impossible. But we have not had the time this year to plan and prepare, having been otherwise occupied (can you guess doing what?).
Maybe in the next couple of years.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:04 am
Hi Steve
Good luck and calm seas, whatever route you choose.
But please don’t forget the island of S.Miguel, Azores which is one of the most beautifull islands on this planet in my opinion.
The city of Horta in the island of Faial is if I am not mistaken where Joshua Slocum first landed in the Atlantic and it is customary to the sailors visiting to paint their boats on the harbour wall and sign in the gest book of Peter Sports cafe.
In the island off Terceira,Praia da Victoria offers a good place to leave your boat with peace of mind.
You can wallways find some american personnel in the Navy base off Lages to look after the boat but I don’t think it will be necessary.This is where Jonh Neal of Mahina Tiare left her 2 or 3 years ago.
Lages is also a Internacional Airport
The Azores is a very special place indeed.
Boa Viagem
Dinis
February 23rd, 2010 at 8:45 am
Hi Dave and Gerhard:
We have long wanted to visit the Azores, and this could be the year. It is a definite consideration, although considerably longer in distance than the northern route.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:26 am
From the Canarias (my wife’s 2nd home) you can fly every day to Madrid (3h), London or Frankfurt (4h). From there to US is not a problem. In Frankfurt I can support you (my home town).
The coast of portugal can be very crowdy … but in the South is more SUN.
Have a good and secure trip.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:50 am
Dear Steve and Linda
I hope you come to Iceland.Should you do so I can be of assistance to you, because I have been sailing in these waters for over a quarter of a century.I also have all the pilot and chart information you might need.Collecting old pilots and sea charts is a hobby of mine.
Hafsteinn Saemundsson MD
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:50 am
Thanks for the kind offer Hafsteinn:
If we head that way we will certainly contact you.
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:41 am
Steve,
I haven’t looked at the great circle route, but have you considered getting south of the lows that sweep across the North Atlantic and then transitting the Bermuda High direct to the Bahamas instead of going south to pick up the trades? I know that the High’s position is seasonal and varies each year but now that you’ve abandoned sails your southern route may not have to go quite so far south.
Cheers,
Roger Arrowood
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:44 am
Hi Roger:
Your suggested route is typically close to the Canaries, although we could easily power through the center of the high rather than under it if it is further north. The sea state and wind angles are apt to be much more comfortable, and warm. But the distance is a lot longer. Under sail this would be the logical route. But the FPB gives us the option of having a pleasant trip when it is cold outside, and making an efficient trip to weather, which in terms opens up the option of the direct or northern route, making the decision process more complex.
February 24th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Steve,
Just want to say have a safe trip.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
While I like your iceland-greenland route, might I suggest the Great Lakes – Chicago – Mississippi trip south? I don’t know the airdraft for Windhorse but I’ll bet that’s a route you’ve never taken before with one of your sail designs. It also may be the last season that route will be available as the Chicago canal may be permanantly closed because of the asian carp. Easy access to air travel. Out of most hurricane problems. Quick access to Carribean in the fall. just a thought
March 1st, 2010 at 11:06 pm
[…] we see when ready to depart the UK, we like to get an early jump thinking about various scenarios. For part one of this discussion click here […]
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:18 am
Hi Steve,
I know it’s a bit late for comments but we just returned to Ireland after three Atlantic crossings and came across your page. The northern route is quite intriguing because it was the route taken from Ireland to Newfoundland by Saint Brendan in a currach long before Columbus. A currach is a traditional small open Irish boat made of animal skins. Tim Severin recreated the voyage and wrote a book about it some years ago.
We crossed the N Atlantic west to east in July/Aug of 2008 (Halifax to Ireland) and had to deal with 6 gales en route. Our only east to west crossing was the traditional trade winds route (Spain, Portugal, Madeiras, Canaries, Barbados) and it was very slow going in 2009. The Azores high had slid way down and we just kept having to drop further south to find wind. We’ll take more wind over no wind any day (we sail a 57 foot ketch double handed).
We returned via the Azores in 2010 and had a very nice crossing back. We loved the Azores and vow to return for a circuit of the Atlantic Islands another time.