Across the Atlantic in a 26-foot yacht

Read some more technical notes on our crossing here.

We crossed the Atlantic from Mindelo to Barbados in 18 days and 1 hour.  

Limbo going well

It’s hard to know how to sum up the experience.  The fact we’re here in the Caribbean still seems quite surreal (even after nearly a month..I can only apologise for the delay in posting this. Perhaps 'island time' has something to do with it..!)

Crossing the Atlantic

We’re leaving for Barbados, 2010M to the west.   We’d be happy to do it in 20 days, but we’re expecting some light winds later in the week so it won’t be a record passage.
 

It’s nice to know we’ll have some company: Amorosa (tracking site on the links to the right!) and Tari Tari are leaving on Tuesday (and should do about the same speed) and Lochmarin is heading across a day or two later (but will overtake us quickly, being more than twice the size!). We’re hoping to keep in touch via VHF where we can.

We'll put a few updates on our tracker site as we go across: http://my.yb.tl/sailinginlimbo

We’re really excited to be doing this, and looking forward to a rum in three weeks or so!

Washing fruit and veg before stowing them away

Cabo Verde

We’ve had a fantastic time in the Cape Verdes.  We were nearly put off coming to Mindelo after hearing various horror stories of muggings and theft, but It’s all been very hassle-free.  If you’re anchored off, as we are, you can pay a few euros a day to leave a dinghy in the marina, so there are no worries about it disappearing, and we’ve had no qualms about coming back to the boat after dark.  The people seem universally friendly, and used to visitors in the best possible way: you’re not ignored, but neither do you feel out of place.  The only downside has been the extremely windy and sometimes rolly anchorage.  The channel between Sao Vicente and Santo Antao form an acceleration zone which, combined with katabatic winds from the hills above Mindelo, has sent regular gusts of 40 knots or even more across the anchorage.   Combined with some swell coming in, it hasn’t made for quiet nights.  Fortunately the holding for the anchor seems to be very good, but we’ve got pretty wet going ashore in the inflatable!

Limbo anchored off Mindelo

Passage to Cabo Verde

We're in Mindelo! It felt disconcerting leaving Gran Tarajal after so long in the harbour, and it was a windy day, so it was good to have a few hours in the lee of Fuerteventura to get used to things in slightly gentler conditions.  The passage plan to Mindelo was about the simplest possible: leave the harbour, steer 224 degrees for about 890 Miles, then turn left for Mindelo breakwater!