Dear fellow sailors
2024 has been a very fruitful and unpredictable season.
For the first time, we have tried to complete a whole "tropical to arctic loop" style trip.
The planning was based on the usual prevailing winds, as they are described in the famous Pilots Charts ; it has appeared that, this year, this scheme has been mostly wrong.
No matter why, but we have had to adapts the schedule, while putting on hold the cold part of the loop, by staying in July and the first half of August in western Scotland.
Also, because of persistent eastern winds in Biscay, we have had to adapt the trips in this area, by going from Azores straight to western Spain, and from there a long passage (almost double as the rhumb line) to Ireland.
I want to thank all the crew who were able to change at last minute their pick up ports, and sailed with a lot of courage some challenging passages. But this was also a good opportunity to learn how it is always possible to manage a way to reach the desired point (harbour, area), even if at the cost of adapting the schedule.
There is a rule, in sailing, which is catastrophes almost always happen because the skipper wanted to stick, for various reasons, to a fixed sailing plan.
This is why, in offshore and ocean sailing, RYA always ask us to think about a diverting plan, as a "what if .... ?"
Next season, as I have the feeling the next one or two summers might be perturbated by unpredictable weather patterns, we will focus on sailing into warm waters only ; and by the way, it seems what most of you want to do ;)
I wish you all merry Christmas.
Stéphane
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