The new Feelin´ Good a Southern Wind 82, arrived yesterday to Antigua after a fast crossing. They had good winds and averaged 9.7 knots with only 40 minutes of motoring. Congratulations to a fast crossing!
Timing of the trade winds are the key to a fast crossing. ARC starts in November. It is in November the trades start to form. If you are lucky you get trade winds. Waiting to January normally means stronger and more stable trades.
If you have read our Blog from the beginning you might remember that I crossed the Atlantic with an HR 54, Feelin´ Good 2011. That was a slow year with many engine hours.
In 2001 I did my first Atlantic crossing with Sophia Rose, an HR 46. It was also a fast crossing with stable trade winds. We averaged 7.2 knots and had no engine hours.
The new Feelin´ averaged 9.7 knots when the crossed from Cape Verde to Antigua. Compared to our crossing 2001 it was a 2.6 knots difference. It does not sound too much of a difference. But over the 2600 Nm from Gran Canaria it means an extra 93 hours at sea. (Almost 4 days!)
Follow the Feelin´Good adventure around the world here.