| For a number of reasons I decided to terminate my cruise of the Mediterranean Sea in the Balearics and return to Lagos, PT where I would spend the winter of 2006/2007. In the spring of 2007 I intend to sail Sarah back to the Chesapeake Bay from Lagos. My notional route for this transatlantic cruise is shown in the chart belowl. |
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| The basic strategy is to initially use the Portuguese Trades to sail
south from Lagos to the islands of Madeira. Then to sail further
south, as far as 30º N. Latitude and head west until in the vicinity of
Bermuda and then turn north for that island. The final leg of the
cruise is a rhumb line course for the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The
basis for this strategy is to get on the southern side of the Bermuda -
Azores high pressure ridge to get as much favorable wind as possible and to
avoid any adverse currents. Of course the actual route will depend on
the actual weather pattern during the voyage, and we may depart from this
route at several points, or abandon it entirely.
Below is the same route superimposed on the May Pilot Chart for the North Atlantic. |
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| Although Pilot Charts are only very general representations of the mean
weather patterns for a given month, this chart shows the basis for my
strategy to get far enough south to pick up the easterly winds on the bottom
of the Bermuda - Azores high pressure ridge and stay well north of any easterly wave
(tropical storm generator) that may be heading across the Atlantic. At best it will still be a light air voyage. I plan to take as much fuel as possible and I expect the engine will be used frequently. |
| Lagos to Madeira, May, 2007 |
 The
initial leg is from Lagos to Madeira. Because Sarah will have been
berthed for over 6 months prior to our departure I think it is prudent to
have an initial destination the is less than a 1 week sail.
Madeira is 500 nm from Lagos. With reasonable winds we should be able
to complete this leg in 4 days or less. |
| Madeira to Bermuda, May - June, 2007 |
 At
2600 nm this is the longest leg of the voyage and is only slightly less than
sailing from the Canaries to the Caribbean. If we can sail closer to
the rhumb line between Madeira and Bermuda, than the course shown, we could shave a hundred miles or
more off the distance. Regardless, this will be a long trip. |
| Bermuda to the Chesapeake Bay, June - July, 2007 |
 This
is a voyage I have previously completed three times. Twice crewing for Tim
Kirkpatrick on the BOR in the late 1980s and once on Sarah in 2001.
The rhumb line route to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay is approximately 615
nm. |
