This morning we received our first update from Coach Tihansky as he embarks on his first transatlantic crossing.  With thousands of sea miles under his keel, Jahn’s no stranger to the open ocean but this is his first crossing.  Their route is a well traveled one that traces the same arc that Christopher Columbus sailed on his second voyage to the new world.  While the entire crossing will take about a month, the team is planning a short leg over to the Canary Islands before making the big (2500 nm) leap to the Caribbean.  Here is what Jahn posted this morning before slipping the dock lines and heading into the offing.

 

“Arrived in Portimao, Portugal on Friday in pouring rain and 45 deg..  same yesterday so boat prep has been less than pleasant.  Today finally was sunny but still cold..  

Prep work reminded me of us getting ready for bermuda race.   Broke down both manual bilge pumps to clean.  Both a mess!  Water maker finally purring maybe we’ll have a couple of showers enroute! Inspected all my personal safety gear as well as all the boat’s stuff.   Thank your lucky stars for all the nice gear we have at usna.

We leave tomorrow for canariy islands 650 miles sw. Should be good shakedown and let us know what needs attention before we head off for st. Marten, another 2500 miles down the road. 

Should be warmer by then! 

Will provide update once we arrive in Tenerife.   Looks cold in ANP!

All the best,

Coach T “

The resource for any sailor looking to plan a route or just dream of crossing oceans is Jimmy Cornell’s World Cruising Routes which is full of information about sailing around the world.  The write up on the cruise from Portugal to Canary Islands states that “from June to September the Portuguese trades usually provide excellent sailing conditions along this route.  November has a higher incidence of winds from other directions but winds from the northern quarter are still in the majority.”  A quick look at the GFS forecast for the route between Portimao and Tenerife looks to be terrific from a wind standpoint.  We will be tracking Jahn’s progress, watching the weather and waiting for his next update.  Stay tuned!