An eastward crossing of the Atlantic in June or July should be easy for a well-found gaff cutter like Iron Bark. Wind and current are generally fair, gales few and…
atlantic crossing
Atlantic gear survey: long-range communications at sea
Few could honestly claim they are not reliant on the internet today. The advent of stronger and faster 3G and 4G networks and wi-fi boosters have allowed us to maintain…
Comanche, Jim Clark’s 100ft super maxi, smashes the transatlantic record
In making the crossing in just 5 days, 14 hours, and 21 minutes Comanche has knocked over 24 hours off the prized record held by Mari-Cha IV for the last…
Sail repairs on the fly – how to make essential fixes while at sea
During last year’s ARC I was to be found at one point on the pulpit restitching the foot tape of our headsail. I was clipped on a short tether with…
Atlantic gear test – Pip Hare tests kit on a 5,400nm crossing
Varta High Optics 3C Flashlight – 9/10 Used: every night of the race for sail trim, sail changes, rig checks and problem solving. This handheld torch allowed me to pick…
Rudder failure – 1,500 miles to sail across the Atlantic without a rudder
Like most dinghy sailors, I used to have fun sailing my boat without a rudder. I learned a lot about the optimum set of the sails, heel and fore and…
21 best upgrades for ocean cruising – make life on board more comfortable
If you’re considering sailing to warmer waters, whether the Mediterranean, Caribbean or further afield, but are worried that life on board will be more akin to camping than the comfort…
What makes a good bluewater yacht? Discovery thinks it has the answer in its Discovery 58
Lying in the lower berth of the Pullman cabin as we beat to windward across the Channel during a cold spring night, I could appreciate the creature comforts offered by…
Pets on board – how to go long-distance cruising with your dog or cat
Chester and Awa’s story is a boating bromance. It’s the touching tale of two inseparable buddies who met through sailing and cruised together on their boats. I met them at…
Taking the northerly route across the Atlantic; our meteorologist explains
In the 2012 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers the winning boats, the Class 40 Vaquita and the maxi Rán-Leopard, followed a similar route, which was suggested by routeing programs and made…
Storming the ARC – the fast way to cross the Atlantic in a cruising rally
Fish caught… 0 Freshly cooked meals …0 Books read …0 Sunbathing hours …0 Sundowners… 1 Vaquita was sailing so fast she sounded as if she were electrically charged. “We were…
‘Did you sail that thing here?’ – solo across the Atlantic in a Folkboat
It’s a funny thing, the further I sailed away from northern Europe, the more attention my boat attracted in marinas and anchorages. In Cornwall, people barely noticed the little Folkboat…
Offshore weather planning: the options for receiving weather data at sea
When I skippered a yacht in the first Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) 30 years ago the weather planning information we had after we left Las Palmas was just about…
Transatlantic Race 2015 gets underway with 38 yachts racing from Rhode Island to Cornwall
The Transatlantic Race 2015 got underway on Sunday 28th June as the first 13 of the 38 competitiors headed out of Narragansett Bay’s East Passage, Rhode Island to cool but…
Spice up your Caribbean season with our insider’s guide to where to go
Saint Lucia Most transatlantic rally sailors end their voyage at the excellent new Rodney Bay Marina before heading somewhere quieter for Christmas. The temptation is to move on from Saint…
The best route for an Atlantic crossing? It depends when you go
Weather is a large part of any Atlantic crossing: deciding when to go, which route to follow and the sails to carry. The main consideration is to avoid the hurricane…
What’s the right yacht for an Atlantic crossing? The one you’ve got now
Numerically, the most common yachts for sailing across the Atlantic are ordinary production cruisers with standard kit, usually with upgrades of safety and power generation equipment. The happy truth is…
16 expert tips on sailing across the Atlantic from the Caribbean to Europe
Heading the other way? Planning to sail to the Caribbean from Europe? Check out our ultimate guide on things to consider before you go… Sailing from Europe to the Caribbean…
Generating power on board: we ask 250 skippers crossing the Atlantic for their views on this evergreen topic
We first started our ARC equipment survey 14 years ago and have been collecting data annually on the types of gear yachts carry and how skippers rate it. It’s the…
The first Gunboat 55 catamaran Rainmaker dismasts and is abandoned in the Atlantic – 5 crewmembers airlifted
Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone broke the story on their Facebook page here, reporting that squalls had been in the 40-knot range for most of the day, but it was when…