If taking over an Atlantic crossing in your personal boat is excessive in your record of crusing goals, I can totally suggest the expertise. Nonetheless, a dream will keep a dream with out making a severe plan to deliver it to life.
There’s tons to consider to arrange for a profitable and protected voyage. You’ll want the time and sources not solely to make the journey however to arrange your self, your crew and your boat. Having already dedicated the sources to purchasing a ship and put the time apart, there remained a bunch of different points to take care of.
Whereas many of those are lesser points, we discovered that almost all of our planning got here down to 5 main issues earlier than embarking on the trans-Atlantic passage in November and December 2023. Having sailed the Atlantic, I’m nonetheless satisfied these are the massive questions you’ll must reply earlier than setting sail:
- Do you wish to make the ocean crossing independently, or would you favor to journey with a rally just like the ARC or related?
- Will the boat and its gear stand as much as the rigours of being completely ‘on’ for 3 or extra weeks continuous, and afterwards cruising within the Caribbean?
- How will your boat ship sufficient energy for myriad electrical gadgets, each at sea and at anchor in varied locations?
- How will you recruit and practice a crew to assist obtain the ocean crossing safely?
- How will you provision the boat on your crew for the required period of time? In our case, a crew of six on a 50ft boat for as much as 30 days ate a considerable quantity of meals!
Alone or in firm?
We selected to cross the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, run by the World Cruising Membership, and opted for the ARC+ route, the plus being for an additional leg down from the Canaries to Cape Verde, which takes you far sufficient south to reliably get into the commerce winds earlier than turning west.
It’s run by the World Cruising Membership (WCC) who supply steering in preparation, make marina bookings alongside the way in which and supply the reassurance that comes with crusing in firm, albeit unfold over a really large space.
Travelling independently, whereas giving a larger diploma of flexibility, significantly in departure instances that will line up with climate home windows, doesn’t present something just like the framework that we felt could be useful on our first main ocean crossing.
Mark and Sally selected Beneteau Oceanis 50 Cassini partly resulting from how well-specced she already was for ocean crusing
What boat for an Atlantic crossing?
We purchased our Jeanneau Oceanis 50 Cassini in 2022. She had accomplished the ARC in 2021 and had been effectively ready for ocean crossings, with wind and hydro turbines and solar energy capability.
To ease {the electrical} load, a Hydrovane had additionally been fitted to steer for lengthy stretches offshore somewhat than hand- steering or utilizing a power-hungry autopilot. Standing rigging was changed in 2021 and a brand new water-maker fitted on the identical time.
Upgrading a ship’s working rigging for an Atlantic crossing
If it seems like our boat was fully ocean-ready, however there are at all times enhancements that might be made and common repairs to do earlier than setting off.
We changed practically all of the sails’ sheets and halyards, a number of blocks and a few sheaves. They’d all labored onerous on the final 10,000-mile Atlantic circuit, to not point out the earlier 10 years of crusing, and it was starting to indicate. The strut vang had been put in the other way up at some stage and in consequence suffered corrosion resulting in a complete failure of 1 the aluminium tubes which we changed.
Operating rigging, together with the kicking strap, was changed
Upgrading standing rigging
Since we have been about to topic the boat and rig to a different 10,000-mile journey, we had knowledgeable rig verify finished. This uncovered some small cracks within the mast by the decrease spreaders and necessitated the mast elimination.
Doublers have been manufactured and put in round all of the spreaders to strengthen them. Doublers are merely further aluminium plates, formed and secured across the mast and spreaders to ‘double’ the thickness of the mast part at these excessive stress factors. Doing all of them may seem to be overkill, however given the price of eradicating the mast and placing it again, it made sense to do all the things in a single go and have a bit extra peace of thoughts.
What communication gadgets are wanted for an Atlantic crossing?
The World Cruising Membership insist that rally yachts should both have satellite tv for pc or shortwave radio to obtain every day climate stories and different data from the organisers, and simply as essential, to remain in contact with household and mates whereas away.
A full standing rig inspection was finished, and Simon added padding across the spreaders and different attainable chafe factors
We put in a brand new satellite tv for pc communication system, Iridium’s Certus 100, which mixes satellite tv for pc functionality with 4G, and related an exterior 4G aerial to reinforce this. We wrote common blogs to chart our progress in order that household and mates might maintain updated, and revealed these all through the journey to the Canaries after which throughout the Atlantic.
Refrigeration
We upgraded one of many two fridges to allow it to do obligation as a freezer with the addition of a keel cooler, new door seals and a bigger evaporator plate. The refrigeration system was serviced to make sure it was totally gassed and prepared for hotter climes.
Awnings to maintain the solar off the deck is among the finest methods to maintain the boat cool
Shade and cooling
Protecting the boat cool, particularly at anchor within the tropics, and with out air-conditioning, is a problem we’ve come throughout fairly a couple of instances on our varied yacht charters.
We designed and made our personal awnings to cowl a lot of the deck, from stem to stern to maintain the deck cool. Along with the addition of wind scoops over the hatches, we’re capable of direct air movement throughout and thru the boat, augmented by a number of DC followers all through. Whereas we will’t cool this air, the motion of it makes the cabin areas extra comfy.
Sails for an Atlantic crossing
All of the sails got here ashore within the winter and have been laid out and inspected minutely in a neighborhood church corridor. The outdated important sail was changed because it was long gone its finest.
This turned out to be an even bigger job than we’d deliberate as the unique sail battens have been totally different lengths to the pockets within the new sail and the luff vehicles not the best ones for our Harken important sail monitor.
Sails are laid out on the village corridor flooring for shut inspection
We additionally managed to supply model new battens and refitted all of the Harken sail and batten vehicles from the outdated sail.
Deck gear
We put further backing plates behind all of the mooring cleats to strengthen them within the occasion we would have liked to connect a drogue in heavy climate on the stern, and extra routinely to type a part of the preventer rig for the increase when crusing downwind on the ahead and midships cleats.
The bow ones are additionally higher capable of face up to the snatch masses from the bridle (which takes the load of the anchor chain) when at anchor in any type of swell.
The 4 joint homeowners, Simon and Sally Hardaker and Catherine and Nigel Langhorn, in the beginning of their voyage south in August
Crew choice and preparation
My co-owner Nigel and I’ve wished to do that journey for years. Our wives dedicated to the passage to the Canaries, fairly a journey in itself, however have been a lot much less eager on the Atlantic Ocean crossing. Our expertise on the conclusion of the entire journey was that the journey to the Canaries really proved rather more demanding on boat and crew than the entire of the Atlantic crossing.
As an ‘possession’ core crew of 4, we’d ready collectively for the voyage south and west, with the RYA’s Sea Survival and First Support programs, and Nigel and I enrolled on a one-week Yacht Upkeep course to study extra about find out how to keep our boat.
The crew took 20L of water on deck, alongside 80L of gas
We additionally signed up collectively for the Yachtmaster Ocean course to study extra about Astro Navigation and find out how to use the sextant.
Preparatory programs
To assist put together for the Atlantic crossing, the ARC+ organisers lay on seminars and open days. These included visits to a sail loft, recommendation on find out how to restore sails at sea, recommended security gear, and on-line shows on communication and First Support at sea. The programs and webinars are usually not obligatory, however the organisers suggest them along with a spread of RYA programs to assist put together.
A really complete handbook for the rally was offered by them, itemizing all of the obligatory gear, largely security and communication, that every one contributors should carry.
A full security inspection was carried out by the WCC staff in Las Palmas within the Canaries earlier than the rally begin.
Prepartion was finished with on-line coaching programs
For the Atlantic crossing we felt we would have liked a complete crew of six. Our expertise collectively, of doing yacht deliveries and offshore racing, confirmed what a distinction a watch system of 1 in three (three hours on, six off) could make to crew, bodily and mentally, over two to a few hours on and off watch.
A combination of household and mates have been stepping ahead initially to crew, however inevitably work and different commitments have been limiting components. Ultimately, we signed up two retired mates, ‘the 2 Marks’ from our Royal Navy days, my sister Sarah (a trainer) and one other skilled sailor and yacht proprietor, Ronan, from my Fastnet crusing days (a advisor surgeon and our de facto medic).
Crew familiarisation
We have been happy we’d begun the method early. Our intention on the outset was to get the crew collectively as a lot as we might beforehand. Other than attending to know one another higher, we would have liked to see what strengths every would deliver, and delegate some accountability in order that not all the things would fall to us, the homeowners.
All of this needed to match into work and household commitments. After organising the compulsory WhatsApp group, we had some conferences, to start with on Zoom, earlier than the primary of three deliberate coaching weekends on the boat collectively.
The crew solely managed considered one of three deliberate coaching weekends
On our first weekend collectively, the coaching started with a security briefing protecting all the things from the gasoline cooker to rest room operation. As we now have a spread of crew on at totally different instances over the following yr, we additionally dedicated quite a few the ‘customary’ actions and procedures to complete verify lists, not only for security, however for issues like leaving and returning to our berth, storage, watch standing orders and so on. These lists allow extra involvement of all of the crew in these actions somewhat than being the only accountability of the homeowners.
On our first coaching weekend at sea, outdoors the crowded waters of Portsmouth harbour, we set off for the Jap Solent to check our man overboard (MOB) drills, getting the crew into the swing of working the boat and its gear, taking turns at roles like helming, sail dealing with, dummy radio Mayday calls and enabling everybody to get an appreciation for the way the MOB situation performs out and the issues that may happen.
One such, and fairly unexpected occasion, was the unintended activation of a lifejacket whereas reaching overboard to recuperate the ‘particular person’ within the water.
Through the MOB coaching, a lifejacket inflated, by chance triggering the AIS beacon. Coping with this was all good coaching
Insightful MOB drill
Other than the jacket inflating because it ought to, a number of issues adopted which served to reinforce the educational alternative. The Automated Identification System (AIS) private locator beacon (PLB), hooked up to the lifejacket, was activated.
This confirmed up as a MOB alarm on our personal, and different chart plotters within the neighborhood. We instantly radioed Solent Coast Guard to alert them, and all different vessels within the neighborhood, in regards to the false alarm, offering the beacon’s distinctive figuring out quantity. The dialog with the Coast Guard was essential to forestall an escalation of an accident right into a full-blown rescue operation and served as observe in right radio process too.
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We had deliberate on future coaching weekends to practise a number of the down-wind sail setups we deliberate to make use of, familiarise everybody with the Hydrovane steering and simply get the Atlantic crew extra used to the boat and its methods. However there’s a saying within the Armed Forces that ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’.
We have been actually relieved that we managed to get one weekend in collectively. The second deliberate weekend was blown out by gales raging by means of the south of England. That would have offered a studying alternative maybe, however most probably would have resulted in both harm to the boat or crew. Our third weekend was sadly interrupted by emergency repairs to the mast that have been talked about earlier.
Nonetheless, we did handle to ‘get collectively’ and proceed preparations just about, utilizing our WhatsApp and Zoom chatrooms.
Consuming effectively is vital to an gratifying crossing. Simon and Mark take their flip within the galley
Provisioning for an Atlantic crossing
Feeding six crew over two legs of the crossing – every week for Canaries to Cape Verde and 16 days for the passage to Grenada, was fairly a logistical train. Our volunteer caterer, Mark, leaned closely on two nice books: The Boat Cookbook by Fiona Simms, and The Boat Galley Cookbook by Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons. Whereas the full passage time was ultimately 24 days, we ready and saved for as much as 30 days.
A meal plan was produced, along with the required portions for six folks, which was in flip, translated right into a buying record. Mark and his spouse examined the menus and produced some easy modifications to a few of them.
Meals was purchased, labelled and stowed
Meals storage logistics
We saved onboard a really giant a part of the tinned and dried items within the UK earlier than we left and topped up in Las Palmas the place we additionally saved recent meals. Remarkably, it was attainable to retailer the overwhelming majority of the meals under the saloon and cabin flooring in giant plastic crates, behind seats and in storage cabinets.
We rigged nets throughout the again of the boat to retailer, on one aspect, recent fruit and on the opposite greens. We carried 20L emergency water on deck (alongside 80L of spare diesel) and 4 additional 5L water bottles within the saloon, which, as we emptied them, we used to maintain meals waste compacted and hermetic throughout the passage.
Breakfasts consisted of Weetabix, porridge oats, honey, nuts and dried fruits, whereas lunch was sardines, corned beef, cheese and ham positioned in wraps and bread that we baked each few days.
Mark bakes recent bread en route
Since we wished some selection when it got here to our important night meal, Mark put collectively a complete menu of 17 totally different important programs, with puddings of tinned fruit and custard for the final week or so of the ocean passage.
Earlier than every leg, we cooked up and chilled down three meals in order that for the primary few days we have been largely re-heating dinner somewhat than ranging from scratch.
We hoped, somewhat than anticipated, to catch fish to reinforce our deliberate eating regimen, and whereas we drew a clean on the primary leg, on our second, Mark caught dorada, wahoo and mahi mahi that fed us for a number of days at a time.
Help from the ARC crew and the welcome in Grenada made the expertise extra enjoyable and fewer irritating
Becoming a member of an Atlantic crossing rally
We determined early on that we’d be becoming a member of a rally; this enabled us to arrange the boat and crew with that in thoughts. The WCC lectures and varied briefings have been nice worth, each within the lead as much as the occasion, and once more in Las Palmas.
The camaraderie amongst the assorted ARC+ crews was nice and the social elements of the rally actually delivered. Some boats did get into difficulties however with the coordination offered by WCC, help was offered to get them throughout the end line.
We added gear (like sat comms) and needed to restore issues just like the mast forward of the crossing. All through, we’ve been pragmatic in regards to the steadiness between hiring folks to restore issues just like the mast and make the change to LFP batteries for instance, and doing a lot of the remainder of the work ourselves.
We changed the windlass ourselves after its gearbox failed, repaired the autopilot and steering gear and made quite a few smaller repairs to the bimini and working rigging. We’ve typically taken the viewthat the extra that we will study and do ourselves, the higher ready we’d be to deal with repairs at sea on the ocean crossing the place assist might be a whole lot, even 1000’s of miles away.
Rope sheaths prevented chafe at key factors
Managing chafe
Getting ready for and decreasing chafe on sheets and halyards was time effectively spent, and managed largely by splicing Dyneema covers over excessive put on areas like the primary sail halyard on the masthead and the place the genoa sheets move by means of the spinnaker pole finish.
Managing sources
The dialogue about energy might equally have been about water, however inheriting a 60L per hour water-maker helped maintain water topped up. Energy administration throughout the crossing labored effectively, however after a couple of gentle wind days, we did consolidate all of the meals requiring chilling into one (top-loading) fridge and shut the opposite one down.
We ran the water maker most days which offered enough water for cooking and ingesting, and for flannel washes each day and even showers each couple of days. A photo voltaic bathe offered sizzling water if required, however cool showers have been typically most well-liked
The crew take pleasure in ‘library time’ within the shade on the crossing
Constructing confidence
Coaching, each of the ‘possession’ crew and the ocean-crossing one, offered us with some new abilities. The watch methods labored effectively and enabled the crew to get enough relaxation, take pleasure in some movies and books throughout the crossing, and maintain watch.
We didn’t push the boat or crew early in both leg, preferring to settle right into a routine with some further abilities growth, like find out how to spot squalls on the radar. We set the sail plans everybody might handle and constructed as much as the complete downwind rig over 24 hours. This developed confidence and possibly restricted harm to solely minor repairs over the entire voyage.
The crew (minus Sarah) arrive in Grenada
Consolation consuming
Consuming effectively on a long-distance passage is essential to morale and price spending time on. Provisioning for six folks for as much as 30 days was an train in planning and logistics. We double bagged all the luggage of pasta and rice, and used varied storage containers that match snuggly between the frames under the saloon flooring to retailer the tins.
We created detailed storage plans and tried to make sure that what we would have liked at any stage within the passage was prepared handy. The ‘caterer’ position was important to the administration of all this and ensured that the staff making ready meals for the day had all the things they wanted
Shared accountability
Involvement of the extra ‘ocean’ crew in quite a lot of issues like medical shops, catering, even fishing, was essential to develop staff spirit and share the load.
The significance of with the ability to delegate duties can’t be over-stressed.
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