However you will not run in heavy weather, you must be prepared for a depression close to the Canaries and squalls, which might be quite violent depending the time of the year. In 2002 we sailed south from the Acores and had to wait for a while due to a series of strong depressions at about 25 to 30 North. Really very rare. Anyway, you are warned. What the squalls concern: normally a squall will last about 10 or 20 minutes. In front of the squall the wind will increase with 10 to 12 knots (max) and turn about 20 to 30 degrees.

The best is to reef down and to take a shower the moment the rain passes by. Then, in the ridge of the squall, the wind will be slightly lighter or just drop completely. Finally the average trade wind starts to blow again. Sometimes you run into squally weather, which will mean that one squall after the other, pass by. Nothing to do about it. Take it like it is.

For those who cross an ocean for the first time. Take your time. Do not try to settle a record. Enjoy every day. Sleep, as much as possible, eat regularly and reef down if that makes you feel more comfortable. Outside the hurricane season from December to May there is not much to worry about. To be honest, the weather reports will be all the same.

When you cross the North Atlantic Ocean during the hurricane season between July and November be prepared for the worst. We once crossed from Las Palmas to Dominica in October. Honestly it was one of the best crossings we ever had. However, we were well informed by meteo and we studied the weather patterns and phenomena like Tropical Waves. Also our yacht CrossRoads is capable of sailing more than 250 miles a day which is necessary to outrun a tropical storm or worse. See also the article 'Tropical Waves' on this site.