Planning passages and cruising itineraries in order to avoid storms and to profit from favourable winds is really complicated. After listening to plenty of opinions and doing some more reading we decided yesterday that our plan of crossing the Atlantic early (still in October) was not feasible this year, because the Atlantic is unseasonably warm, which may mean a prolongued hurricane season. After crossing later we’d have to rush even more quickly through the Caribbean in order to get to the Panama canal in time. Aditionally we’d also have to leave out Suriname. As a result of this we’ve now changed our whole cruising itinerary completely. Our preliminary plan now looks now like this (planning too far ahead doesn’t make sense anyway…): We’ll spend a few months here in the Cape Verdes, cross the Atlantic end of December or beginning of January at the best time for the trade winds, take another 2 or 3 months to explore Suriname and will then head on slowly at the Southern edge of the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan and Dutch Antilles, Panama…) thus keeping out of the way of hurricanes. This way we’ll arrive a year later than planned in the South Pacific, but we feel really relieved now. The constant feeling of having to push on and the ticking of the clock in the back of our heads is gone and we can enjoy our journey a lot more.
Yesterday we left Palmeira in the company of two British single-handed sailors we met there, but our “passage” only took us 7 miles to the next bay 
No other boats are here in Mordeira, just sand dunes ashore and turquoise water in the bay. Leeloo is also glad that there are fewer boats and dinghys around, lonely bays are more after her taste. After our first experimental self-made panbread turned out just perfect this morning (crispy crust, moist and fluffy inside) we feel like we could stay out of civilization’s path for a very long time 
10 comments
hermine hackl says:
October 22, 2011 at 4:51 pm (UTC 0)
Gute entscheidung – geniessen statt hektik – selbstgebackenes brot -
und eine zufriedene leeloo,
Birgit says:
October 25, 2011 at 5:31 pm (UTC 0)
wir fuehlen uns viel wohler, seitdem wir die hektik aus dem plan genommen haben. wenn man in einem land nur kurz stoppt und dann weiterhudelt hat man im endeffekt ja nix davon…
Ingo says:
October 25, 2011 at 10:34 am (UTC 0)
Na dann viel spass beim Ausspannen – kann Euch nur zustimmen -> ned hasten, sonst aergerts Euch nur hinterher dass ihr dort ja gern mehr Zeit verbracht haettets …. Vielleicht habts wieder neue Photos fuer die “Zivilisationsgefangenen”?
lg von den Grazer Pillen
Birgit says:
October 25, 2011 at 5:33 pm (UTC 0)
genau, wir wollen ja ned um die welt hudeln sondern viel erleben und mitnehmen. wie gehts euch? schickts amal aktuelle fotos von klein anja
glg an romy und die kleine
Roswitha Feldbauer says:
October 25, 2011 at 1:09 pm (UTC 0)
Hallo Zusammen! Recht habt´s. Ist sicherlich die richtige Entscheidung. Wir müssen dann halt fürs nächste Jahr einen neuen Plan aufstellen, wann ich Euch wo besuchen komme
Aber jetzt flieg ich erst mal nach Mauritius. Bis dann!
Birgit says:
October 25, 2011 at 5:34 pm (UTC 0)
wir werden den neuen routenplan bald online stellen, damits keine voreiligen ticketkaeufe gibt, hehe. allzu weit vorausplanen funktioniert nicht wirklich, weil man staendig neue leute trifft, die was wissen, empfehlen, etc.
glg
birgit
Ciska says:
October 31, 2011 at 1:52 pm (UTC 0)
hello Christian & Birgit,
Nice site. We read your new plans.we intend to go to Surinam in december or Januari and will stay there for a few months.
we pobrably will meet you ther again. kindest regard, johan and Ciska, Van Straelen
Birgit says:
October 31, 2011 at 5:59 pm (UTC 0)
hi,
where are you now? Did you also get rolled badly in the NW swell during the last days? It would be nice to see you in Surinam
ciska says:
November 5, 2011 at 3:41 pm (UTC 0)
hello Christian & Birgit,
Since last tuesday 1 november we are in Mindelo. good anchorage, but a lot of wind.
Yesterday The Blue Moon also arrived in Mindelo.
During the NW-swell of last weekend, it was not that bad for us, but we thought it enough rolling outside the breakwater at Palmeira.
Mondaymorning we went to get our shippapers and left for Mindelo.
Kindest regards Johan and Ciska
Christian says:
November 11, 2011 at 4:55 pm (UTC 0)
Hi,
wow, you’re already in Mindelho… Are you planning to set out for Surinam soon? If not you should definitely visit Sao Nicolao – it’s such a beautiful island and the anchorage is big enough for a mine sweeper
cu
Christian and Birgit