WHEN TO GO (AND WHICH WAY TO GO)

There is plenty of great cruising on the way south to the Canary Islands for the start of a transatlantic, so try to leave time to enjoy it. Starting from Northern Europe you have the opportunity of exploring Brittany and the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain and Portugal before the passage to the Canaries.

Alternatively, you could take the Atlantic islands route south, sailing to Madeira and continuing south to the Azores.

Aim to leave Northern Europe in late May or early June. The received wisdom is to be south of Biscay before September when the risk of big Atlantic lows tracking further south increases.

Late August or early September is a good time to make the passage from Portugal to the Canary Islands and benefit from the last of the Portuguese trades. These northerlies are a heat-driven wind that dies out as autumn tails off. Cut-off lows can occur in October and November, bringing strong winds and unpleasant sea conditions.

There are plenty of places to leave a boat in the Canary Islands if you have to return home, or you could cruise round the archipelago. If you plan to have work done in the Canary Islands ahead of the ARC, book in advance, especially if it involves a lift out and dry storage. “I’d suggest June or July for work in October. If you don’t book, you could find you’re in a queue,” says Jeremy Wyatt.

One concern British citizens now share, post-brexit, with sailors from other so-called ‘third countries’ is that permission to stay in EU countries is restricted to 90 days every 180. So if you enter the EU in May, you’d be out of time by the start of the ARC in Las Palmas in November.

Crews have several ways of getting round this. One is to leave the boat temporarily, fly home and return prior to the rally start. Another is to sail across to Morocco. Either way, a short break out of the EU seems to be satisfactory in practice. “The 90-day rules are very, very vague,” says Wyatt. “The biggest change [for UK citizens] is that Spain requires people travelling from a third country to have a ticket back out, and for you that is your boat. We also recommend carrying a copy of your boat papers and a copy of the marina docking receipt so that if you are challenged you can prove your boat is in the country you are going through.

“Once you are in the Canaries no one is checking; it’s only a problem when going through an airport. It is essential to get your passport stamped at the airport. If not, it could cause a problem coming back in.”