what route do most yachts take from north america to italy
Sailor and meteorologist Chris Tibbs advises go due south for condolement and safety; go n for speed
Weather is a big part of any Atlantic crossing: deciding when to go, which route to follow and the sails to carry. The main consideration is to avert the hurricane season from June to Nov, and so most yachts leave in late November to arrive in time for Christmas, although the tradewinds in January are frequently stronger.
However, it is human nature to push boundaries and some crews always get out early to go a longer flavour. The earlier you leave, though, the more important it is to stay due east before committing to a westerly course. Late hurricanes generally develop to the due west, making a passage via the Cape verde islands more bonny. It shortens the time in potential hurricane areas and offers an escape route south every bit hurricanes rarely rail south of 10°N.
Flexible sailplan
During a typical crossing, the tradewinds will be Forcefulness 4 or 5, with some lighter periods and a few days of winds of 25-plus knots. A flexible sailplan is necessary to take account of the irresolute wind strengths – at that place is no i-size-fits-all answer. The most common sailplan is goosewinged, with most skippers carrying a specialist downwind sail for when the wind goes light.
Because squalls are common and tin can have gale-force gusts on the leading edge, it is important to be able to reduce canvass quickly. Boats with simply disproportionate spinnakers tend to struggle in strong downwind conditions and I would always carry a whisker pole to pole out a headsail as well.
Sailing hot angles may work for a lightweight flyer, only it adds a lot of distance. For a heavier cruising gunkhole it is difficult to proceeds the increase in speed to compensate for the actress distance. Once hull speed is reached, shorter will always be faster. (See our feature on the all-time yacht for an Atlantic crossing)
Northward is fastest
With well-established high pressure, a direct (that is, northerly) road is usually fastest, staying far enough away from the high to keep the wind, but minimising altitude. However, the less established the loftier is, the greater the adventure of a mid-Atlantic trough or low developing, giving adverse winds. In this case a more southerly route is ameliorate.
Racing boats often take the northerly route and the faster the boat, the more probable this will pay off. However, it runs the risk of meeting depressions which develop mid-Atlantic.
These should non be underestimated and the potential gain of passing northward of a low must be counterbalanced against the take a chance that information technology could deepen and track across the route. The road is also more prone to a northerly swell.
The southerly route, on the other paw, offers lower gamble, with steadier tradewinds and less take a chance of an uncomfortable northerly swell.
When does the engine go along?
I like to go far with at to the lowest degree one-third of my fuel left for safety. Others will put on the engine when the wind drops and call in at Greatcoat Verde to refuel if necessary. The pick of route may besides depend on fuel chapters and a coiffure'due south willingness to utilize the engine.
A mid-Atlantic trough giving 24-48 hours of light wind is not unusual and can exist motored through to keep on schedule. Even so for some crews, the engine is only for emergencies and a more southerly route will reduce the risk of light winds. Neither road is correct or wrong. They are merely different ways of sailing in what may be very different boats.
I have sailed across the Atlantic over twenty times and no 2 times take been the same. At that place can be a swell deal of variation and conditions forecasts are important. There needs to be some flexibility in the route to take business relationship of forecasts and how they change over time. I like to option up weather charts from NOAA and also GRIB files.
So, the default options are: become south for comfort and safety; become north for speed. Near boats take a more middle route, depending on the forecast.
Chris Tibbs is a meteorologist and sailor with over 250,000 miles at sea, including iii circumnavigations and six speed records. He is a lecturer to ARC crews and provides routeing services.
Meet also: xv things you need to know when planning an Atlantic crossing
This is an extract from a feature in the November 2014 issue of Yachting World
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Source: https://www.yachtingworld.com/features/the-best-route-for-an-atlantic-crossing-it-depends-when-you-go-64859
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