700 mile Blue passage - Tenerife to the Azores - £899 12 day Ocean Passage - SAVE £200 now £699

Bessie Ellen - Sail the Ocean Blue

An 13 day ocean passage that doesn't require you to give up the day job, sailing between two very different island groups. The Canaries are reliable for winter sun, so pack your shorts, but also be prepared for ocean swells, water accross the deck, night sailing with absolutely no light pollution, and days without sighting another ship. Bessie Ellen has a fairly small professional crew so this really is a hands on sailing adventure where we need you to take part in every aspect of sailing this tough wooden ship. If you have sailed our larger square riggers this is a much more a team effort between ships crew and guest crew and we suspect you will really feel like you have become a blue water sailor by the end of the voyage.

Bessie Ellen 2011 - 2012 Winter Voyages flight information Flights

Voyage Notes Bessie Ellen Winter 2011-2012 Voyage Notes 1.5MB pdf

Canaries - sailing in shorts

The often snow covered Mount Teide dominates the skyline of Tenerife in total contrast to the black sand beaches and hot desert like vegetation on the lower slopes. The high mountains divert the trade winds and exciting wind acceleration zones exist between the islands, but they are well mapped so you know where to expect them. You can glide silently under dark cliffs one minute then pop around a headland into a vast patch of white horses and thrilling strong wind sailing. There may be time to visit another island like the lovely La Palma (no airport so only walkers and nature lovers tend to visit) before you set off on your 750 mile ocean passage.

Azores - Staging post for sailors for centuries

The Azores as a destination are well out to the North West of the Canaries, so you can enjoy a fast sail in the North East trades with the wind on the beam, if it all goes to plan. Bessie Ellen is fore and aft rigged so she is more versatile than a square rigger in terms of the directions she can sail well.

In the 19th Century sailing cargo ships like Bessie Ellen would have used the Azores as a staging post to cross the Atlantic, and even today the group of nine islands provide the last taste of land for round the world yacht sailors before setting off on the next stage of their jounrney. Many crews have painted an image of their vessel on the harbour wall as a good luck charm, so if you are a bit of an artist perhaps you can add Bessie Ellen to the wall of fame.'

Watch Keeping

During the voyage you will be spilt up into watches, the normal duty rota is four hours on duty and eight off but this may vary with circumstances and crew abilities.

This is a deep sea voyage and you will get into the rhythm of an Ocean Passage with time to unwind and enjoy the sheer beauty of the Atlantic. Mobile phones will definately not work on this voyage - which may be a plus point for those looking to escape modern life.

Keep a good lookout

Spot the different sea birds as you head south. Where ever you go you may see the tiny black Storm Petrel, how such a small bird exists out in the ocean’s has always won my admiration. 

Ocean Wildlife

Where the deep ocean and North Atlantic drift current meet the continental shelf of Europe, there is a vast upwelling of plantkton and food from the ocean floor. Bessie Ellen will be sailing accross one of the richest fishing grounds in the world, and the plentiful food in the cool Atlantic waters attracts super pods of dolphins that are rarely seen near the coast and the predictable feast means that whales cruise the Continental shelf as they travel up and down the Atlantic.