2. Bermuda to Antigua
(Heavy Weather Passage)

Bermuda may seem warm enough but it is well north of the established tropical trade winds and this will be another passage where weather routing is important. We will leave the beautiful, gin-clear waters of Bermuda and head out for the nearly 1000 nautical mile passage to Antigua. It may be a little chilly early on in this sail but this will quickly turn into a balmy tropical passage. We will cover all of our easting while still north of the Trade Winds and will wait to turn until our destination is almost due south. In theory this will give us a beam reach into English Harbor, but this invariably turns into a close-hauled approach.
This will be a challenging sail with the potential to encounter an early cold front coming off of the continent, as well as strong upwind conditions in the trades approaching Antigua. Expect to learn how to sail effectively upwind, how to safely deal with heavy weather, and how good coffee can taste on your midnight watch! After making landfall you will have completed a true ocean passage and will know firsthand how to safely and confidently sail offshore.