Hazard spot
Canary passage and Western Sahara
The trade wind accelerates between the islands and along the coast, adding several forces. Calm patches and gust zones lie close together between the islands.
- Cause
- Strong katabatic winds
- Main season
- all year
- Position
- 24° 00,0' N 014° 30,0' W
On the map
The map shows this spot. You can pan, zoom and click the other spots.
How the place works
Between Gibraltar and the Canaries the northeast trade accelerates along the African coast, and the Canary Current sets the same way. Off Cape Juby and the Western Sahara a high following sea builds in a sustained northeasterly, plus Saharan haze that cuts visibility to a few miles.
What breaks there
This leg is the classic run before the Atlantic crossing, and the damage is that of a long downwind passage: furling gear, vang, main on the boom, autopilot. Anyone collecting it here repairs in the Canaries under time pressure before the start.
What this means for your policy
For this passage two points are worth checking: whether the cruising range includes the African coast, and whether an Atlantic crossing needs a separate agreement. Both belong settled before departure, not in Las Palmas.
Read this in fullCruising range
This spot lies in the cruising range the calculator lists under this step: Worldwide
Calculate a premium for this cruising range
