An Atlantic crossing is – rightly – considered a bit of an epic. An east-bound crossing, often even more so. But by following the seafarers of old, on what is…
atlantic crossing
Caribbean warmth: Cruising the Grenadines in a restored Swan 37
We glide down the eastern side of El Hierro and leap into the vastness of the ocean as we begin our Atlantic crossing. The island shrinks behind us as the…
World ARC postponed as cruising rally organisers face dilemma
World Cruising Club, organisers of the annual Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and the round the world World Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, have cancelled the start of the 2022 World ARC rally…
The Viking route: Across the Atlantic via Nova Scotia
Think of crossing the Atlantic from west to east, and most people will picture a pleasant high-pressure route via Bermuda or the Azores. But there is another way of doing…
Atlantic crossing: Extra ARC rally added for bumper entries
After a year of lockdowns and travel limitations, such is the pent-up demand for sailing adventure that World Cruising Club will be running three ARC transatlantic rallies this winter, bringing…
Join Toby Hodges for expert advice in ‘Bluewater cockpit conversations’ this May
ARC rally organisers World Cruising Club are running a unique series of events from 25-28 May, which should be essential watching for any aspiring bluewater cruisers looking to buy a…
Five very different Atlantic crossing experiences
On the first night of their Atlantic crossing, a ‘dark shadow’ passed 100m away from Christian and Manuela Lücking’s boat. It was unlit and not moving. Unnerved, Christian Lücking called…
South Atlantic ocean: A crossing in mid-winter on Pelagic Australis
There was a crunching sound underfoot as we loaded Pelagic Australis with provisions for the South Atlantic Ocean crossing ahead. Snow flurries had covered the deck with a layer of…
The inside story of Greta Thunberg’s upwind Atlantic crossing on La Vagabonde
The sky flashed a blinding white light and a spark came down just a few hundred metres to port. We were going fast, and getting faster: that kind of fast…
Unfinished business: Sailing back across the Atlantic in a 22ft sloop
This is part two of Max Campbell’s account of sailing solo across the Atlantic – make sure to read part one first… There has not been a time when I…
Life-changing voyage: Sailing solo across the Atlantic in a 22ft sloop
On a cloudy midsummer afternoon, my best friend, Harry Scott, and I waved goodbye to our worried mothers and sailed out of Falmouth’s Carrick Roads – two naïve 20-year-olds, wide-eyed…
A test of commitment: a young couple cross the North Atlantic from Michigan to Cornwall
Luke asked me marry him. My feet didn’t touch the ground, I was airborne in saying yes. Within a month we were discussing sailing trips, big sailing trips, the kind…
The Dark Transat: how to sail across an ocean after total power failure
A complete power failure mid-ocean is thankfully rare, and it is usually the charging system that fails rather than batteries, writes Chris Tibbs. That said, when we bought our boat…
Escape the 9-5: how to sail across the Atlantic (when you can’t quit your job)
Do you really need to stop work or take months off to make a transatlantic crossing? What if you can’t quit, or you don’t have the funds for your own…
15 things you should know when planning an Atlantic crossing
10 things to remember if you're planning to sail across the Atlantic
Undaunted – the 42-inch yacht still hoping to become the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic
Just 24 hours into his first attempt to sail solo across the Atlantic in Undaunted, his 42-inch yacht, Matt Kent had to turn back. He set off from La Gomera…
Transatlantic in a catamaran – from Reykjavik to Newfoundland via Prince Christian Sound Greenland
Safely aboard in Reykjavik, about to depart for Greenland some 600 cold, grey miles away, I looked at the GRIB files with the skipper and thought: ‘Wow. You call that…
How the North Atlantic Oscillation affects European and Atlantic weather
Although we often hear about the expected changes to the weather from the El Niño/La Niña Southern Oscillation (ENSO) it does not have a large effect on the weather in…
Chris Tibbs on a dream Atlantic crossing and a heavenly Caribbean winter
There is only one adjective that adequately describes our transatlantic crossing with the ARC last year and the season of Caribbean cruising that followed it: fantastic! The rally was my…
30 expert tips for crossing the Atlantic – from checking the sails to choosing crew
1. Keep the downwind sailplan simple What’s the best sail configuration for a downwind crossing? Actually, the chances are you already have sails that are perfectly suitable: a robust genoa…