In spring 2024, heading to New York, crossing the Atlantic under sail! CHALLENGE OCEAN is offering two new Atlantic crossings, sailing aboard Whirlwind, a 21m crewed monohull. She was designed for the BT Global Challenge, crewed round-the-world race against prevailing winds and currents.
A North Atlantic crossing to New York!
For many (many) years now, our crewed sailing yachts are heading to West Indies every winter. It’s a modern-day adventure for those who dream of crossing the Atlantic under sail. But not everyone wants to go to the West Indies on the trade winds. So just imagine the Statue of Liberty pointing its flame at the horizon, the gateway to the metropolis that never sleeps!
3200 nautical miles as a committed crew member
Sailing offshore means living to the rhythm of the watches – going up and down – and sharing 100% of life with a crew. Faced with the ocean, you sometimes have to put up with bad weather, cold, dampness or heat, and sometimes ‘trouble’. So you have to be psychologically ready to take part in a transatlantic race.
Our customers embark as crew members, with 100% active participation in life on board. So it’s a real commitment, a challenge to get out of your comfort zone. The boat’s professional crew for this ocean crossing is made up of 2 professional sailors with Merchant Navy and Youth & Sport qualifications. They supervise the 10 crew on board and ensure the safety of the boat.
And what about the weather?
In spring, the weather conditions are most favourable for this 3200 nautical mile offshore course (on a direct course) across the North Atlantic. According to the weather charts and the expertise of Hervé LAURENT, our shore-based router, we can expect to sail half the course upwind and the other half downwind.
For the return transatlantic race to Lorient, via St. Pierre & Miquelon, the French archipelago at the end of the world, you can reckon on around a third of the sailing being upwind, half reaching and the rest downwind (more than 100° to the wind). Not being an exact science, the weather on board will be supported by our router ashore. The crew will have to make the boat work!
To find out the dates of the Lorient / New York / Lorient Atlantic crossings ⏯
To find out more about the conditions for entering the United States, click here…
Photos credit Diego DMZ – St. Pierre & Miquelon – Pierre BLACHE
