Ep 106 Atlantic Crossing Pt1 - Only 2,700nm to Go

And then it happens! Departure day arrives and we have a time slot to leave! Our nerves are frayed to the ragged edge, but this is what we came for. We’re committed, and like lemmings we follow the other boats toward the cliff edge.

Actually, it’s quite exhilarating. This is what we’ve done for years now, preparing for long passages and then heading out, following an imaginary line toward a waypoint far offshore. We use the skills we’ve honed … motoring out, deploying sails, tacking and jibing back and forth short of the start line, jostling for position, and then nosing in and forcing a space for ourselves among the other boats as we cross the start line.

As predicted, the wind convergence zone west of Grand Canaria fills in as we head south, and it isn’t long before we witness another boat broach and shred their spinnaker. But Talisman is in her element. She loves strong winds, and races down the coast toward the Cape Verde Islands.

Getting from the Canaries to the Caribbean isn’t usually a straight shot, although many boats attempt to do so. From a weather standpoint, sailing ships and sailboats have historically run south a good distance prior to making the turn west. “Head south till the butter melts” is what the old-time British naval captains advised. This is because of a phenomenon called the “Azores High”, which is a generally stationary high-pressure system that sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. As is typical for any high-pressure weather system, the center has little to no wind, and getting stuck in such doldrums can leave a sailing vessel stranded, forcing them to motor and/or wait for a few breaths of wind. Whether we made the right decision by going south remains to be seen. Only time will tell as regards winds and weather patterns.

On the fishing front, while sighting a large whale we land a huge Mahi Mahi, which feeds our crew of four for five days. Incredible! Plus, we see pods of dolphins practically every evening.

sailing videos, sailing, cruising, monohull, oyster, oyster yachts, sailing blog, sailing vblog, sailing vlog, atlantic crossing, crossing the atlantic, ocean sailing, max fercondini, max fercondini actor, luis oliviera, ARC, atlantic rally for cruisers, ocean crossing