Atlantic Odyssey II is underway with 13 yachts from 11 Nations

Atlantic Odyssey II is underway with 13 yachts from 11 Nations

Boats head to the start line in a stormy looking La Palma. Image courtesy of Cornell Sailing

All 50 sailors who started in the Atlantic Odyssey II from La Palma to Martinique January 8, 2015 preferred spending the Christmas holidays and New Year in Europe before crossing the Atlantic, as opposed to the choice made by the crews of the 33 yachts that participated in the Atlantic Odyssey I which started from Lanzarote in November 2014 and were looking forward to spend their holidays in the tropics.

As with previous Atlantic Odyssey rallies Cornell Sailing will use DeLorme inReach satellite trackers supplied by Global Telesat Communications. Using a combination of the GPS and Iridium satellite networks, the DeLorme inReach tracking devices provide 100% global coverage and will automatically transmit regular GPS location reports from the participating yachts. This will enable the yachts to be visually located and monitored by race spectators and organisers anywhere in the world - track the progress of the rally.

The DeLorme trackers also have an SOS capability which hopefully none of the participants in this rally will need to use. Unfortunately in the November rally one yacht used their DeLorme to initiate an emergency medi-vac:

As varied as the yachts hailing from 11 different nations, were the crews starting from the Marina La Palma on the island of La Palma which is called la isla bonita (the beautiful island). There was a father and son crew, a 3 men crew who had been sailing together for 30 years, couples with and without children, families with children and friends, a boat-owner with friends and a paid skipper. Variety was also to be seen in the type of boats: old steel yachts, brand new yachts, secondhand boats, a new catamaran, all together 13 yachts built in 9 countries.

The Atlantic Odysseys are organized by Cornell Sailing Events. The next Atlantic Odyssey will start from Lanzarote on November 18, 2015 and from La Palma on January 9, 2016. Both are bound for Martinique. For those sailors wishing to make a more leisurely crossing, the new Islands Odyssey will leave from Lanzarote on 1 October 2015, visiting all the Canary Islands before leaving from La Palma bound for the Cape Verdes, Barbados and Martinique. For more information see www.cornellsailing.com.