Westbound Trans-Atlantic

Wondering about the conditions aboard the Clipper ships in the Atlantic after departing the Canarys bound for the Caribbean - sea state, weather and such. Any information from experienced travelers is welcome. Thanks!

I did it on the Royal Clipper ion 2012 and we had great weather, a few window washing experiences from the waves over the portholes but all in all enjoyable enough to be out on the lounge chairs a lot of the time.

It was actually cooler and wetter when we got o Barbados

Thank you! The itinerary from Civitavecchia to Bridgetown looks wonderful.

I have done the trip many times - including twice in Star Clipper, once in Windsurf, a couple in massive ships and twice in my much smaller sailboat. The key feature is leaving the Canaries at the right time of the year for a good Tradewind (ie wind astern) crossing. November onwards is the right time for the best conditions. The weather in the Canaries then is mid 70s then and it just gets warmer. Last crossing in SC we had calms (and a swim in the sea!) followed by strong winds for a day or two. The vessels ride well and it is good to truly sail, noting that most nights they motor!

There are always ocean swells of some sort coming from storms 1000s of miles away. This is mid Atlantic stuff as winter approaches.

SC is relatively small so you are always aware you are at sea but the 'ride' is good. There is always some movement. So if you are sensitive to movement such a crossing is not ideal. I have seen some people upset by almost negligible movement in large 130,000 ton ships - much to my surprise. The eastbound trip by contrast is a much tougher affair - mostly motoring into head seas which is not nearly so nice with lots of pitching.

You have to decide on your personal threshold of seagoing comfort. All the passengers on crossings I have done have been happy - some have used 'patches' as a precaution. Most enjoy the motion that there is.

Thanks for that guidance - sounds like Westbound trans-Atlantic crossings are my cup of tea! The itinerary at the end of the season from Rome to Bridgetown looks great. We've sailed both the SC and RC in the past and in fact, are spending three weeks aboard the SC in July and August. Thanks again for your insight.

I have done the Eastbound Transatlantic on Star Clipper. The weather was not too bad but three sets of sails needed patching throughout the voyage. There was also a buffet all over the dining room floor situation. One guy; Bob, was severely injured during this incident and spent four days stuck in his cabin in bed with the door open so people could visit him. In bed at night I had the impression that about a metre of vertical movement was occurring. Most of the other passengers seemed to have yacht connections and brought a range of seasickness remedies. There was no obvious seasickness problem but that was down to who had turned up.

Regards John

Wow! I think we'll stick with the Westbound!

Wow! I think we'll stick with the Westbound!

Just remembered that the following year to my previous Eastbound Transatlantic Voyage (see post above) I had booked the follow on cruise immediately after the Transatlantic cruise so that was scheduled to be Southampton to Hamburg for the sailing festival. Unfortunately I was advised by the Travel Agent that ship was running late due to bad weather. It turned up two days later not in Southampton but Dover. Goodness knows what had gone on during that Transatlantic but the flights back to USA for those guys were messed up and any stay over after would have been reduced a couple of days even if your hotelier had kept your room reserved for you.

Regards John