During our magnificent trip, you just have it all. Not only do we sail the challenging North Sea and the busy Dover Strait, we also experience a fast tidal Channel islands passage. We’ll be impressed by the nature the Brittany Coast, Chenal du Four and Raz de Sein or Quessant, and maneuver through the challenging Bay of Biscay. By now, we experience a different climate along our way to Cabo Finisterre, Galicia, the Portugese North, the Berlenga’s and arrive in a different world: beautiful Lisbon.
The North Sea is important for marine life, transport, energy and tourism. During our trip we will be rewarded with the unique scenic beauty on sea and along the coast. On the other hand we will experience its crowded shipping lanes to and from North Sea ports, which are among the busiest in the world. Some say, if you can sail the North Sea you can sail everywhere.
When we leave Scheveningen into the southern part of the North Sea, expect changeable meteo, strong currents, traffic lanes, and windfarms. We try to follow the Belgian coast and pass close to Calais and Cap Griz Nez. Depending on the weather we either sail along the French coast, or when the wind has a strong northerly flow, we sail under the lee of the British shore.
You understand what ‘tidal’ means when we continue around the peninsula of Cherbourg, the Alderney Race and along the Brittany coast. Light air and current against us direct us more closely to shore, however we will choose stable waves offshore at strong winds. Rounding Ouessant or passing through beautiful, tricky Chenal du Four – known for its rocks – again depends on the tide.
We continue our journey if the weather is good, and have a blast with our big genakers when we cross the Bay of Biscay. In case the weather is less cooperative, we might wait in Camaret, Brest or Lorient.
Welcomed by the beautiful Spanish coast, we have two options. With running winds we continue our ride along the traffic lanes and stay offshore. Or southwesterly winds and big waves force us to seek shelter in La Coruna.
Can we count on the fantastic trade wind ‘Portugese North’ to treat us on a quick progress to the Berlenga’s with regular, warm and fast gennaker sailing?!
Slowly, we also experience a different enjoyable climate. Before we get too relaxed and end up in Canary Islands, we change course to Cascais. We expect to arrive in Cascais after approximately 8 days of fantastic sailing. When in Lisbon, take the opportunity to explore the city, Portuguese cuisine and enjoy the Portuguese way of life.
In order to feel and perform safely and securely on board, you might want to sign up to Advanced Ocean Race training days prior to the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean 2021departure.
Being offshore requires safety certified trained sailors. To develop your skills, you might want to consider one or more certifications. We recommend at least: First Aid certification on board (3 year validity), Offshore Personal Survival Training (5 year validity) and VHF certification (lifetime validity).
