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- Crossing the Atlantic from West to East is much harder than East to West<\/strong>\n
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- The weather window is much shorter<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Your chances in being caught in bad weather conditions or no wind are high<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- You need to be very experienced and well prepared <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 3 sailing routes are usually taken to cross the Atlantic Eastward<\/strong>\n
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- Arch Route<\/strong>: Optimal for speed and reliability, heading around the north of the Azores High directly to the Azores.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Two Stops Route<\/strong>: First stop at Bermuda, then proceeding to the Azores for resupply and favorable weather.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Direct Route<\/strong>: For experienced cruisers only with sufficient fuel, heading straight to the Azores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Popular launch points for a transatlantic Eastward<\/strong>\n
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- Bermuda<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- BVI<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- St Martin – Sint Maarten<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Why crossing the Atlantic from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean isn’t the same as the Mediterranean to the Caribbean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
By early summer, the Caribbean’s prime season is winding down, pushed out by a barrage of large regattas. Then, when summer returns to the northern latitudes, the workers return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While most people concentrate on traversing the Atlantic from Europe to the Caribbean, the journey back to Europe or the east coast of the United States is as or perhaps more significant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The return trip may be more difficult, but it is also more diverse, and you should begin arranging for it as soon as you decide to go on a season abroad. The return path is well-traveled but presents a different situation than the way out. As a crew travels northeast, the days will grow longer, but temperatures will drop, and the climate can be highly variable and occasionally challenging. What should you consider while preparing your crew and yacht, and what is the ideal route and strategy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Azores High or the Bermuda High dictates the wind direction and the weather in the Atlantic.<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.wiyachts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/bermuda.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWinds from the east are blowing against the south side of the high, which has the power to push tropical systems further west. From the eastern Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea or even over to the Gulf of Mexico, these easterly winds can carry them. That implies the Bermuda high’s effects are so profound that a hurricane may proceed in any direction\u2014westward toward Louisiana, eastward toward the East Coast, or anywhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking the same route as the Mediterranean to the Caribbean (or a very direct line) would mean sailing upwind against tradewinds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The weather window to cross the West to East is much shorter and more volatile than East to West.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The predominant winds in the northern hemisphere, more especially in the United States, blow from west to east in accordance with the rotation of the Earth. As a result, storms follow the jet stream in that same direction, making the weather very volatile. Thus, we get a very short window to travel in this direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Your chances of navigating very calm waters are high around the Azores High<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The air is circulated clockwise by the high-pressure block of the Azores High, which behaves anticyclonically. Due to this movement, African eastern waves are pushed away from coastal West Africa and into the Bahamas, Central America, and the Caribbean, along the southern edge of the Azores High. Therefore, the chances of navigating very calm waters are high around the Azores High.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n
- Two Stops Route<\/strong>: First stop at Bermuda, then proceeding to the Azores for resupply and favorable weather.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Arch Route<\/strong>: Optimal for speed and reliability, heading around the north of the Azores High directly to the Azores.<\/li>\n\n\n\n