The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ crosses the North Atlantic under full sail for the first time in history

The training ship ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ set a new milestone after 85 years of service and 84 training cruises, crossing the North Atlantic exclusively under full sail. The Spanish Navy training ship departed Newport (Rhode Island) on May 21st and arrived today at the English Channel.

This achievement started just after leaving Newport sailing southwards to avoid an area of thick fog and sandbanks. Next day, at ten past eleven, the commanding officer, Captain Alfonso Gómez Fernández de Córdoba, ordered a change of course eastwards to start crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Since then, a total of 24 day’s runs have been accomplished sailing 3,060 nautical miles and reaching 13.7 knots last Wednesday with 6-meter high waves and 45-knot steady winds and gusts of 55 knots (100 kms/h).

The training ship usually endeavors to cruise at full sail to efficiently train the midshipmen of the Naval Academy. During this cruise the ship enjoyed many days of favorable winds but there were also days of dead calm. However, thanks to a series of storms, the ship was able to reach Europe without the use of her engine.

Fifth time the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ crosses the Atlantic exclusively at full sail.

The Spanish Navy training ship had previously crossed the Atlantic at full sail on four occasions, but always sailing westwards from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean Sea. This is the first time it does so eastwards.

The first time was in 1982 sailing from the Spanish archipelago towards the Virgin Islands thanks to the same favorable Trade Winds that helped Christopher Columbus to reach the New World five centuries earlier. The second was in 1990 from Tenerife to Puerto Rico. The third time was two years later in 1992 from La Gomera to Puerto Rico, and the last and fourth was in 2002 during the last cruise around the world, from Las Palmas to Santo Domingo.

The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ is currently in transit on her way to Den Helder (Holland) where the ship is scheduled to participate in the celebrations of the 525th anniversary of the Royal Netherlands Navy.