I actually know which way it was, or at least the Caribbean, sort of. This is my 8th trip. 6 as skipper, two as crew. My first single handed trip TOO the Caribbean. Previously three single handed trips from the Carib to the states. In some respects the trip to the Carib is a bit easier even though you leave in November with winter close behind. For one, you're going with the prevailing weather not against it so you're not compressing the systems in front of you second, the gulf stream is only a day or two away from your departure. Weather forecasting is so good today that you can bet on a good forecast to get through this sometimes treacherous piece. The gulf stream off the Coast of North Carolina (so called Graveyard of the Atlantic) is not the most treacherous on the seven seas but it probably is in the top 5. If you wait for decent weather, no hard Northers or contrary swells, it can be a delightful trip. It had only caught me once on a return trip and then not in full fury.
The trip from the Carib to the states, although done in May or early June, takes you into the advancing fronts off the US coast and presents you with a gulf stream forecast 5 to 6 days away at departure, longer if your boat is slower. Forecasting is much improved, and I always use a pro weather router (Chris Parker) for the return, but 6 days is 6 days a bit beyond the edge of a dead-on forecast especially, in May and early June when the weather can still be rather unsettled.
This trip I had sailed through the gulf stream in good shape, sniffed out a favorable eddy and now was making 10 knots in a good wind north of the rhumb line. But the forecast was beginning to firm up and soon southerly progress at least under sail was going to become impossible. When the wind shift came I sailed east and a bit south and waited for the return of the easterly trades. Not exactly the course recommended but I had years ago made the mistake of getting downwind, down current and struggled to get back. I might sail longer, and those who carried enough fuel to motor closer to the rhumb line might get there as fast, but if I sailed east with the wind given me while making as much southing as I could, eventually the trades would fill. And sure enough, after struggling with the contrary wind and then almost no wind, making tactical decisions on when and how to use the remaining fuel, it did.
Parallax made landfall on the 12th of November with very little diesel after using over 100 gallons, 50 more than I had ever used before!!! Parallax only carries 90 or so gallons in on board tankage and on this trip 25 extra in Jerry cans. I needed the jerry cans.
So, me and two buddies and their crew who had been neck and neck finished the rally within 15 minutes of each other and no… we weren't buddy boating, we were just sailing hard. Parallax was the last of the three. She was overhauling quickly the last 100 miles at 12 to 13 knots but ran out of ocean. Great fun, great new friends. This the reason I sometimes enjoy sailing with the Salty Dawg Caribbean Rally. And yes, we all took the slant east and all were among the first to arrive.
For two weeks there was a Salty Dawg social function nearly every night and numerous boats get togethers. l met lots of new friends and had lots of fun. Then we all in our own time, set out to explore the Caribbean, up and down the chain, windward and back to Leeward's some returning to Antigua for the return home spring rally. My previous site has lots of pictures and a bit of history of most of the islands, this time I will just post some favorite pictures of the islands in no special order.in the Where's Parallax tab. For me this was the warmup for a much bigger trip so after banging around a windy winter in the Caribbean with wind often at 25 to 30 I sailed west to St Thomas planning to make a stop at Bermuda and then hook a right toward the Azores instead of a left back to the states. or maybe not.
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