La traduction française de cette page n'est pas disponible.The Islands Odyssey yachts said farewell to the Canary Islands on Saturday 14 November, their final stopover being El Hierro, the smallest and most westernmost of the Canaries.
Islands Odyssey fleet in Puerto de la Estaca, El Hierro
After short hops between the islands, the yachts now face a 755 mile voyage to the Cape Verdes. There they will make their base in Marina Mindelo on the island of São Vicente. The Cape Verdes are an increasingly popular stopover for yachts crossing the Atlantic as a staging post to break the ocean voyage into smaller distances, which is one of the aims of the Islands Odyssey.
The crews of the 12 yachts the day before the start to the Cape Verdes
Australian yacht Whisper HR ready to leave El Hierro
The Odyssey yachts will leave São Vicente on 24 November bound for Barbados, which at 2020 nautical miles is the nearest Caribbean destination. The yachts are expected to arrive around the second week of December, after which they will continue on to Martinique and meet the Atlantic Odyssey yachts who are making the direct crossing from Lanzarote.
The yachts which took the El Hierro start were: Blue Moon, Kwanza, Hakuna Matata II, Lesmona, Nangilima, Optimus, Velvet, Vétocéan, Whisper HR, Sarayu and Xela.
Lufi of Guernsey was not able to take the start due to a minor injury sustained by the skipper. The yacht Serendip only took part in the Canaries Odyssey part of the rally and remained in the Canary Islands. For more details visit the rally entry list.
Francis from Vétocéan lost his glases before the start and had to dive to find them
The Islands Odyssey yachts can be tracked during their Atlantic crossing from the website, or you can subscribe to receive a daily summary of all the boat positions via email. Just email positions-subscribe@cornellsailing.com and you will receive a confirmation of your subscription.
For more photographs of the La Gomera stopover please visit this Facebook photo album (no need to login).
The Norwegian yacht Hakuna Matata II on their way south
The German yacht Blue Moon leaves El Hierro
