The Atlantic Crossing Guide

We call it 'The Pond', yet the Atlantic Ocean covers one fifth of the surface of our planet and one third of its surface area of water. It is still a mighty big pond to cross! Realising the dream of an Atlantic crossing remains a challenge but the rewards are many and lifelong.

The Atlantic Crossing Guide is well established as the standard reference for anyone planning an Atlantic voyage, whether via the trade wind route to the Caribbean or to Europe from the United States. The better prepared you are, the greater your chances of success. Packed full of the collective wisdom of cruising sailors over four decades, this new edition has been updated to include advice on:

• Suitable boats, including considerations of hull integrity
• Equipment and maintenance
• Advances in navigation and communications systems
• Access to weather and routing information
• The balance of power input and usage
• Planning for hurricane season
• Risk management
• Crew harmony and health
• Provisioning

• Atlantic weather systems, including tropical waves and hurricanes
• Common routes and timings across the Atlantic
• Seasonal cruising along bordering coasts and within Atlantic island groups
• Fog and ice in the higher latitudes
• Key landfalls

About the Author

Jane Russell trained as a research biologist and taught science before setting sail with her husband on a five-year circumnavigation via Panama and Suez. That was just the beginning of what is now more than 30 years of sailboat cruising, either seasonal and coastal or bluewater and liveaboard, with and without their two children. She has written and edited for the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation since 2007 and for 10 years served as their Editor-in-Chief. She is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, and the author of the 6th and 7th editions of The Atlantic Crossing Guide.

Praise for The Atlantic Crossing Guide

“I cannot imagine setting sail without it.”
– SAIL

“A must for all aspiring ocean crossers.”
– Yachting World

“A fantastic amount of information.”
– Yachting Monthly

“A vital part of the ship’s inventory.”
– Sailing Today

“Well established as the standard reference for anyone planning an Atlantic voyage. Packed full of collective wisdom of cruising sailors over four decades.”
– All at Sea

Table of Contents

• 1. Thinking It Through
• 2. Preparing the Boat
• 3. Creating a Home from Home
• 4. Navigation and Communications
• 5. A Happy Ship
• 6. Keeping Healthy
• 7. Dealing with Risk
• 8. Protocol and Paperwork
• 9. Atlantic Weather, Currents, and Route Timing
• 10. The Atlantic Coast of Europe
• 11. Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Coast of Morocco to Madeira and The Canaries
• 12. Cape Verde Islands, Senegal, and The Gambia
• 13. Atlantic Ocean - Trade Wind Routes
• 14. Landfalls in the Caribbean
• 15. Routes Across the Caribbean and Landfall in Panama
• 16. The Caribbean Islands to Florida
• 17. Landfalls on the Atlantic Coast of the USA – including Entrances into the Intracoastal Waterway
• 18. Passages in the Middle Latitudes of the North Atlantic – including Landfalls in Bermuda and the Azores
• 19. Passages and Landfalls in the Higher Latitudes of the North Atlantic