Most of the yachts taking part in the inaugural Islands Odyssey have arrived in Marina Lanzarote and are enjoying a few days getting to know each other before the start on 24 October.
Island Odyssey yachts in Marina Lanzarote
The small fleet of yachts made up of eight nationalities, a mixture of multi- and monohulls, include Velvet, sister to Jimmy Cornell’s Aventura, the prototype Garcia Exploration 45 in which he successfully completed the Northwest Passage this summer.
Odyssey sailors get together in the new marina Odyssey lounge
Velvet and her crew of Michel Tabusse and Helene de Lagarde will be enjoying a more pleasurable cruise as the Islands Odyssey yachts leave Lanzarote on a short hop to Fuerventura. From here they will wind their way through all of the Canary Islands, which are still a relatively undiscovered cruising ground as most yachts tend to stop only briefly in one of the main ports before heading off across the Atlantic.
On 14 November the fleet will leave from El Hierro, the westernmost outpost of the archipelago, bound for the Cape Verdes and then on to Barbados and Martinique.
Safety is important for the Atlantic crossing – Jimmy Cornell completes the safety inspection onboard Norwegian yacht Nangilima with Stian and Irmelin Nybakk-Sviland and youngest participant Ida
The Islands Odyssey is a new event run by Cornell Sailing designed to allow yachts to make the transatlantic crossing in easier stages. In 2016 it will be run as Barbados 50 to mark the 50th anniversary of Barbados Independence.
Atlantic Forum – sailors ask Jimmy Cornell and Pascal Guiraudou questions about the transatlantic crossing
The Islands Odyssey is sponsored in the Canary Islands by the Canary Islands Tourism Authority, the Lanzarote Tourism Board, and Calero Marinas. In the Caribbean, the event is sponsored by Barbados Tourism and the Martinique Tourism Board.
