PASSAGE

Overview

When looking at the chart (map) of the North Atlantic the route follows a clockwise circuit starting in UK waters, crossing the Bay of Biscay and going down the northern coast of Spain to southern Portugal. The route then heads further south to the islands of Madeira and then Gran Canaria (one of the Canary Islands) off the northwest coast of Africa. The Canary Islands are a traditional departure point for the 3,000 mile Atlantic crossing itself. The sailing instructions at this point are quite simple - head south till the butter melts and then turn west. In practice this involves taking a gentle curve south and west to a southerly point level with the southern Caribbean islands and then heading west until you reach them. Well it worked for Columbus! Our destination is St Lucia in the Windward Island Group.

The return journey involves going almost due north for approximately 1,000 nautical miles to the island of Bermuda. From here an easterly course is set to bring us to the Azores Archipelago after some 1,800 miles. The final leg takes us back north and then east to the Western Approaches, up the English Channel and into home waters after another 1,500 miles or so.

For nearly all of the voyage we will have the currents going our way and the wind behind us. The current runs down the coast of Portugal and out west across the lower North Atlantic. The Gulf Stream runs roughly diagonally back to the UK from the Caribbean. In summer the winds blow down the coast of Portugal. Later in the year the north east trade winds set in blowing cross the Atlantic.

The most challenging sailing is likely to be returning to UK waters from the west as this is where most of the weather and gales we get in Britain come from. This is driven by what is sometimes called the 'Atlantic squeeze'. Imagine two cog wheels one above the other. The lower one is a swirl of wind revolving in a clockwise direction around the Azores 'high', a main weather feature that sits over the mid Atlantic in summer. The top one can be one of many 'lows' caused by the jet stream disturbing the air in this area and creating anticlockwise swirls of wind. Where the two swirls of wind meet they get squeezed, speed up and squirt out towards the UK becoming the prevailing south westerlies we often get in the British Isles.

Link to the Passage Plan and Crew List for 'Kittiwake' in Microsoft Word Format.

Cruising in company for fun and safety

Four of the 11 passages are being done in the company of other yachts. The World Cruising Club organises three rallies along the route. Kittiwakes is taking part in the Yachting Monthly Rally Portugal 2006 for Passages 2 and 3, the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) 2006 for Passage 6 and the ARC Europe 2007 for Passages 8 and 9. For the rest of the time we shall be on our own.

There are many advantages to joining these rallies, the most important being safety and fun. To qualify for the rallies boats and crew have to be well equipped and trained. The discipline of this is great for ensuring we are well prepared for any eventuality. The social elements make for lots of enjoyment and camaraderie along the way. This camaraderie is kept up by radio as within a matter of hours the fleet has usually dispersed over the horizon. On longer passages we are unlikely to see another yacht for the entire crossing.

For the other passages we shall be very much on our own and that is why good preparation for self reliance is so important.

1 - Brighton to Dartmouth and Plymouth - Click for log.

The first passage starts in Brighton, close to Newhaven where the final fitting out and checks are completed. The route is straightforward with a run down the coast, passing south of the Isle of Wight and Portland Bill and then across Lyme Bay to Dartmouth. The passage is approximately 180 nautical miles.

Dartmouth is a jewel of the south west coast with its beautiful entrance between two forts opening up to reveal the lovely town and all its amenities. The river Dart meanders deep into the Devon countryside between wooded slopes with delightful villages like Dittersham reaching down to the water.

Around the corner (Start Point) is Plymouth the naval port and dockyard that has served the British Navy for centuries and where Drake left to fight the Amada.

Passage 2 - Plymouth to Bayona, northern Spain with Rally Portugal 2006 - Click for log.

Plymouth is a good starting point for the passage across Biscay - the first real challenge of the trip - notorious for its storms in winter and summer gales. The current and prevailing winds push east into the Bay so sailors like to leave from Plymouth because it is already well to the west.

There are shipping lanes off the French and Spanish north west coasts at each end of the Bay that need to be avoided if possible, particularly in bad weather and poor visibility.

Bayona is the landfall for the passage of approximately 550 nautical miles. It is in the Spanish region of Galicia covering the north west corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Bayona is a delightful fishing and holiday town set in a bay on the rugged coast line. The seafood is excellent and grilled sardines are a 'must' when in season during the summer months.

Moored in the marina is a replica of the caravella La Pinta, one of the three boats that sailed with Colombus on his voyage of discovery. Bayona was the first point of call on his first return in March 1493.

Passage 3 - Bayona to Lagos, southern Portugal with Rally Portugal 2006 - Click for log.

This passage (350 miles) is actually a series of day sails down the coast of Portugal in stages. These vary from 15 to 75 nautical miles taking in Povoa de Varzim, Leixoes, Figueira da Foz, Peniche, Cascais and Lagos. The sailing is interspersed with sight seeing trips to Coimbra, Porto, and Lisbon organised by the Rally. The north of Portugal is less well developed than the south relying more on fishing and agriculture than tourism.

The coast line is uninterrupted by navigational hazards except for numerous lobster pot markers. These are often difficult to make out and can be lost from view in deep swells and at night.

The 'Iberian low' generates northerly winds during the summer making it easy going south but often hard for yachts going north. Winds can pick-up in minutes to gale force around the headlands and in the evening. Care is needed when setting large head sails like spinnakers and on the final approach to harbours.

Lagos has a large and very well equipped marina set back from the coast up a channel that takes the local river. The town is a thriving fishing, commercial and tourist centre with a large English community. To each side are beaches and coves offering warm water, sand and shelter from the strong winds that blow most of the time in the Algarve.

Passage 4 - Lagos to Funchal, Madeira - Click for log.

This is the first step out into the Atlantic proper with a crossing of some 550 nautical miles of open water to the Madeira Archipelago. A look at a chart of the south westerly route from Lagos to the islands shows that the seabed rises and falls dramatically with several undersea mountains reaching to within just a few metres of the surface. These are areas to be avoided as big waves can build up around these submarine peaks.

The first destination is Porto Santo a small, arid, mountainous and beautiful island just to the north of Madeira itself. It is a short hop down to Funchal the principal town of Madeira with its twin peaks, steep cliffs and often heavy rains. The islands belong to Portugal and are a favourite tourist destination and famous for the Madeira dessert wines.

Passage 5 - Funchal to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria - Click for log.

It is a short hop of a couple of nights at sea down to the Canaries an archipelago of islands of dramatic variety. They range form the tiny islands of La Palma and La Gomera out to the west to the larger islands such as the mountainous Tenerife to the arid Fuerteventura and the starkly beautiful Lanzarotte. Our destination is Las Palmas on the north east coast of the island of Gran Canaria situated in the middle of the group.

The Canaries, which belong to Spain, have been known to Europeans since the time of the Greeks. They have been linked by fable to the lost continent of Atlantis.

The winter sun and diversity of the islands has made them a popular holiday destination. This regrettably has led to over development on the main islands, but so far has left the smaller ones unspoilt.

Las Palmas was a holiday destination patronised by the British long before any other development on the island. Now it is a large cosmopolitan resort and main commercial and fishing centre. It is also the gathering point in mid November for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, better known as the 'ARC', see Passage 6.

Passage 6 - Las Palmas to St Lucia with the ARC - Click for log. - Click for log.

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is an annual event organised by the World Cruising Club. It has grown from a small gathering of adventurers to a major event on the sailing calendar. It currently attracts over 200 boats from 30 to 60-plus feet many wanting to make their first Atlantic crossing with the comfort of knowing there is plenty of support around before, during and after the rally.

The ARC is seen as the 'milk run' of the Atlantic because of its relatively easy trade wind sailing in warm seas. This said 3000 miles of open ocean is not to be taken lightly. Very serious preparations and safety precautions are essential. The ARC organisers are well practiced in delivering seminars and providing safety checks and advice on all aspects of the crossing from weather to provisioning. A radio net is maintained along the way and all yachts provide daily position reports that are shown on theThe World Cruising Club website This allows friends and family back home to track progress.

The rally leaves Las Palmas on 26 November 2006 for the crossing to Rodney Bay on St Lucia in the Caribbean. This takes approximately three weeks depending on yacht type and weather. Provisioning is made for four weeks to be on the safe side.

By December the hurricanes have departed and the north east trade winds have set in to provide a fairly constant and favourable wind to drive us across. Squalls created in West Africa follow in this flow requiring vigilance and careful sail management particularly at night. The squalls can blow strongly up to gale force, sometimes bringing driving rain but rarely last for very long.

The biggest challenge is wear and tear on the sails and running rigging (the halyards and sheets - ropes - that raise and control the sails. Day after day of role and pitch in the swells and tension from the wind can saw even the best ropes in two with amazing rapidity if not watched for.

Kittiwake is well equipped and a her water maker will come into its own as we head further out to provide us with plenty of water for showering and drinking.

Fishing is a popular past time with the hope of landing a tuna or dorado for the grill. My own silly expectation is to cook a flying fish for breakfast that has landed on the deck over night. These small but remarkable fish that can glide for considerable distances above the waves make a tasty if boney morsel I'm told.

The island of St Lucia, pronounced Saint Lousha, is a rugged mountainous island popular with tourists and sailors alike. It was once an island of water-powered sugar mills, some of which can still be visited. The island was ceded to Britain by France in 1814 and became an independent nation within the Commonwealth in 1979. It is the largest English speaking island in the Windward Island group of the Southern Caribbean.

Passage 7 - Cruising the Windward Islands and others

Kittiwake's journey pauses in Rodney Bay marina during January and early February before she resumes service as a mobile floating holiday destination for family and friends. Her itinerary takes in the neighbouring islands of Martinique to the north and St Vincent and Bequia to the South. During this phase the idea is to provide a gentle sailing experience/holiday on water for our non or infrequent sailor family and friends.

St Lucia and environs is Kittiwake's base for most of the period mid February through April with the occasional longer passage to the British Virgin Islands or the Leeward Island Group. Kittiwake leaves for Antigua in early May 2007 for the start of the return journey.

Passage 8 - Antigua to Bermuda

The Atlantic Crossing for Cruisers (ARC) Europe 2007 departs from Antigua on May 10th for the return passages to the UK. This route first goes due north 1000 miles to Bermuda a mere speck in the ocean way off the North Carolina coast.

Yachts coming from the US leave from Florida at the same time to join the rally in St George's, Bermuda for the passage to the Azores. Some 20 or so yachts take part in this rally each year. You can see our daily position on world cruising.

Passage 9 - Bermuda to Azores Archipelago with ARC Europe 2007

Now the sailing get serious again as we head out east into the North Atlantic to the Azores archipelago arriving in early June. The winds can be capricious at this time of year varying from calms to gales. After 1800 miles the rally pauses in the Azores for a week to explore the many beautiful islands calling in at Horta, Angora, Tercieira and Ponta Delgada, San Miguel. The timing is perfect coinciding with when the spring bloom is at its height in these delightful islands belonging to Portugal.

You can see our daily position on world cruising.

Passage 10 - Azores to Falmouth

Kittiwake bids the ARC Europe 2007 farewell in the Azores as most yachts head east to Lagos, Portugal in mid June 2007. We head first due north and then north easterly back towards UK waters. This 1250 mile passage can provide the most challenging sailing of the whole voyage (see Passages Overview) with strong winds and waves and much cooler, wetter weather.

Falmouth provides a welcome return to UK waters and a chance to draw breath before the final passage back to Newhaven

Passage 11 - Falmouth to Newhaven

The final leg is completed in familiar waters back up the Channel crossing Lyme Bay and passing south of the Isle of Wight to Newhaven and a rejoining of very different existence!