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Plans for the future

The previous page (click here to read it) describes our plans for crossing the Bay Of Biscay in the coming Summer. After that we shall be well on our way for the rest of our Atlantic Circuit over the next 12 months.

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Spain and Portugal

Our first crossing will get us across the Bay of Biscay as far as North Spain. This area - Galicia - is apparently very beautiful and indented with many river estuaries - the Rías - which we can explore at leisure. I have heard that this is the part of Spain that the Spanish prefer to holiday in, while the British package-holiday makers are desecrating their Southern coast. From here we shall go on to Portugal, probably as far as Lisbon.

The Eastern Atlantic Islands

Madeira

The next port of call from mainland Europe will probably be the Island of Madeira. The port of Funchal, overlooked by the famous, huge, floodlit statue of Christ, has an easy entrance and good shelter. Many Madeirans have emigrated to our home-port of Jersey in recent years and it will be interesting for us both to have a look at the homeland they left behind.

The Canaries

The Canary Islands lie between about 250 and 300 miles from Madeira and we need to getting onto this journey before about October to avoid the first of the winter winds. These are favourite tourist destinations for many Europeans and it will be a nice challenge to try and find something of the original islands.

Cape Verdes

The Cape Verde group of islands is truly African but I do not know if we will have time to visit and explore them as time goes on. If time allows, they are not far from our preferred route out of the Canaries for the Caribbean, and we will make an effort to be able to stop here.

The Caribbean

Again, time presses a little here. We will have perhaps 4 months in the Caribbean, but this is the time when we hope to really relax and have our holiday. In order not to make it a yacht-race, we are not going to try to 'do justice' to the whole, beautiful area and visit all the islands on this trip.

We shall probably make landfall in Barbados, the Eastern-most island in the whole group. From here it is little more than a series of day-sails to visit St Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda. These moves we can space through the Winter and early Spring of 2000.

Who knows? Perhaps we will have spent the 'big night' of 31st December 1999 and the 1st January 2000 alone with each other in the middle of the Atlantic on the way towards Barbados. Not a bad plan if you ask me...

Bermuda

Technically, Bermuda could be an 'optional extra' like the Cape Verdes on the outward journey: close to our preferred route but not necessarily a stopping point unless we have time. The difference is that we have friends who live there (Hi Tony, hi Kevin) and also without the stop, the main homeward leg could be rather long.

The Azores

The Azores group of islands provide a very convenient stopping-off point on the way home. We should be here by early Summer 2000 and will be in another of sailing's meccas: the port of Horta in the island of Faial is well-known for its wall, decorated with the pavement-art of hundreds of yacht crews on passage.

The final leg home we shall have to time carefully to fit in with the moods and vagaries of the English Channel's weather in Summer 2000.

So there we have it

This describes perhaps the shortest realistic Atlantic Circuit. It still involves about 6000 miles of sailing, but spread over the year this averages to only about 5 - 6 days and nights at sea every month. We don't want to make a yacht-race out of this, but equally we don't want to be too dull or un-adventurous about it.

Cruising is also a very social activity. As we get out there and get going we may fall in with other yachts and decide to alter our plans to stay in touch with new friends and interesting ideas.