Traditional Tall Ship Atlantic Sailing

Join the Past in the Present – Traditional Tall Ship Atlantic Sail

Sailing across the Atlantic is not a new adventure. It’s a journey that has shaped the course of history. From early merchant traders and naval explorers to migrations for better lands. I live in Cornwall, England, and our small harbour in St Mawes has evidence it was a trading port with the Phoenicians over 2,000 years ago and which is a voyage of over 3,000 nautical miles. Not that they did it all in one go, they were very adept at hoping along the coast in small hops.

Today, a traditional tall ship voyage offers the chance to explore the ways of the past in the present, experiencing first hand the skills, discipline, and self-reliance that defined these epic journeys. All our voyages are on fully equipped and licensed ships authorised to cross oceans.

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Sailing the Routes of the Past

Every Atlantic crossing follows routes forged by history. The trade wind route, heading west from Europe to the Caribbean, is a path that 17th-century merchant ships and naval vessels took with predictable winds behind them. The old phrase runs, “Sail south until the butter melts and then turn west.” The return leg, via the Azores, retraces the track of homeward-bound clipper ships and explorers like Columbus. All of our voyages returning from the Caribbean or further south stop off in the Azores on their way home to Europe.

“We found soundings,” is a typical ship’s log entry as they enter the Western Approaches to the English Channel. If your lead line is long enough to reach the bottom after you leave the deep water of the Atlantic, that’s when you are in soundings. That’s not the only thing to tell you you’re approaching Europe. The sea changes colour as the ocean currents climb up the edge of the continental shelf, picking up sediments that feed a host of fish. The fish attract the first coastal birds you are likely to have seen—and also fishing boats. Watchkeeping takes on an extra edge.

Further south, the South Atlantic routes were used by whalers right up into the 1960s. These waters were first charted by early Antarctic explorers. Today, when you enter a fjord like Drygalski in South Georgia, the chart is way out of date. Global warming means the glaciers have retreated and you can go miles further up the fjord, literally into uncharted waters. The ship proceeds at a very slow speed, keeping a keen eye on the depth gauge. You can even spot that you’ve sailed over a terminal moraine. That’s fun.

Crossing the Atlantic -The reality of an Ocean Passage

Meteorology

So few ships sail in these southern waters your weather forecast might be a bit personal. How is that? Well, ships sailing in these waters will report to weather forecasting agencies in Europe the conditions they are currently experiencing: wind strength and direction, barometric pressure and trend, humidity, temperature, sea salinity, wave and swell directions and heights. The next forecast you receive may well be modified by the information you have provided. 

If you are interested in the Weather looks at this Review of Weather Apps

Why Take on an Atlantic Crossing Today?

Few opportunities remain to experience ocean sailing as it used to be done. A traditional Atlantic crossing is not just about the miles covered. It’s about mastering a skillset that has been passed down through generations. It’s about understanding the ocean as those before us did, relying on wind, current, and seamanship rather than modern convenience.

You can learn traditional skills like splicing rope and repairing sails. Maybe join in using a sextant.

Join the Past in the Present

If you want to sail in the wake of the great seafarers, test your endurance, and step into the long tradition of ocean voyagers, an Atlantic crossing on a tall ship is an experience that will shape you forever.