North Atlantic Circle Via Iceland

by John May 18, 2005

Question: Next May we are taking our new (old) boat on a shakedown to Bermuda and back (our home port is Deltaville, VA, on the southern Chesapeake Bay). After that, we’ve been imagining a summer voyage in the Atlantic, maybe Azores-Ireland-Iceland-Canada-Chesapeake. My question is, is there a good route strategy for this trip?

What Is The Middle Pack?

by John May 18, 2005

Question: I am planning a passage from Cartwright, Labrador to Disko Bay in Greenland leaving about July 1st. You wrote that I should watch out for the ‘Middle Pack’, please explain.

Is A Macgregor 26M Suitable For A Trans-Atlantic?

by John January 1, 2007

Question: I am a 46 year old professional in fairly good health and in good shape. I am wanting to reverse the steps of my great-great-grandfather, sailing from Belfast, Maine to Bantry Bay, Ireland. I plan to leave June 3rd, 2011. The boat I want to take is a Macgregor 26M. Is this solid enough?

Trans-Atlantic Singlehanded

by John August 1, 2007

Question: I’m at a point in my life when it’s time to live the dream that I’ve had since childhood and that’s to sail across the Atlantic single handed. I’m a complete beginner to sailing. I’m currently doing a skipper’s course which will take me up to advanced cruising, coastal navigation and radio operation, although [...]

The Gulfstream, Everything You Wanted To Know

by John June 19, 2008

A friend of ours, who is a cruise ship captain, sent along the following list of links to everything, and I do mean everything, you have always wanted to know about the Gulf Stream. Some interesting stuff.

Don’t Get Caught In The Gulfstream

by John October 18, 2009
Jenifer's Clark's Gulfstream chart

It’s the time of year when many cruisers turn their eyes south and start planning a fall passage to Bermuda. I started sailing to and fro between Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast some 35 years ago. Back then we often took lumps and did not even know why.