Leaving Las Palmas

Freeway (of Penpol)
Phil Saltonstall, Bob Fousert & Andrew Beale (NZ)
Sun 9 Jan 2022 07:48
ARC start day. The ARC cruise/race begins for us at 1300 when we, in time-honoured fashion, follow all the other boats across the Las Palmas start line and begin our trip to St Lucia.

Weather reports suggest that the favoured route is the classic one: heading Southwest from the Canaries, in order to make ground towards the more stable trade winds below 25N, before taking a more direct Westerly track for the Caribbean. That option has the twin additional benefits of achieving warmer weather faster and offering the Cape Verde islands as an en route sanctuary for any repairs/provisioning needed.

Typically, the forecast is offering SE/SSE winds at the start today. It wouldn’t be right, I suppose, for us to get underway with anything other than a beat to windward. In an area of prevailing Northeasterly winds. Good grief.