Ireland to Maine

I've crossed the Atlantic many times, visited the UK, but haven't made that exact voyage. That being said, if you are trying to be economical the shortest route from Ireland will be Great Circle routing, which will take you up near Iceland, Greenland, and then Newfoundland. I believe there is lots of range on that boat? So distance may not be a factor.
My best advice: If you have enough range, allow the weather to decide your route. These days we are very capable of accurately predicting weather for 7-10 days, and even beyond. Wait for a good window, and then follow the highs.

I've never made that trip and definitely bow to experience, but was wondering (just for my own education) if pushing the current and jet stream up north is really better than following to trades and doldrums by going south. I know that north would be the route going west to east, but not so sure going east to west and wonder if the southern route might be more comfortable and economical.

More comfortable, perhaps. But I doubt more economical. That's where weather routing comes in to play.

Dublin to Portland is roughly 2800nm

Dublin-Horta, Azores is 1350nm
Horta-Bermuda is 1800nm
Bermuda to Portland is 750nm

So you'd add about 1000nm or 1/3 distance to the trip.

Thank you Ken and understand that I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but wouldn't the current, wind and possible storms carried on the jet stream slow the travel (and increase the fuel burn) of a boat such as the Nordhaven by close to 1/3 (3 kts)? That would make the only consideration comfort.

That's the route most I know who are going from or to New England take and I've known some to take it from further south. While it can have weather challenges and the season for doing it is shorter, you also have shorter stretches away from land, don't have the 1800 nm from the Azores to Bermuda. That means your critical weather period is shorter and you can more easily bail to land and avoid bad conditions.

Also, glad to see your comment on weather forecasting. I see people worrying about 3 to 4 days and there are no systems that just show up with no warning in that time period. Some may be a bit worse than forecast or less. When at sea, if anything, you have longer accuracy as systems aren't crossing over land. Glad to see you say 7 to 10 days. I think a lot of people still think of times they didn't have access to all the forecasts wherever they were and forecasts we less accurate. For boaters to really be surprised by systems generally means they just weren't paying attention.

The short answer is no. I don't have a Pilot Chart aboard to accurately forecast the currents, but suffice it to say that you'll rarely encounter a 3kt current anywhere in any ocean. Jumping right into the Gulfstream is a rare example. Headed westbound, you'd even get a push from the Labrador Current whence past Greenland.

Crossing oceans just requires a different mindset than most people are used to. You're very correct in that you generally have much more consistent and predictable weather at sea; and if you think you're heading into less predictable weather, it's a good time to get familiar with the local watering hole until the weather patterns cooperate.

A few years ago a development with by boss' personal life required us to get the boat from Florida to Seattle in December. So many captains (including lots of my peers) called that plan crazy, touting that the weather in the Pacific is horrible in mild months, and that going in December or January was suicide. We just picked our weather, waiting patiently for suitable windows. All said and done, we made the trip in about month (including a stop in San Diego for the boss to enjoy Christmas aboard), and the weather was mostly pleasant.

The point I'm making is- weather is everything. If you can't read weather patterns yourself, there are several specialists that will hire their services. Feel free to PM me if you'd like their contacts.

Thanks for the education Ken.

For a 62' I would ship the boat. The price will end up being the same if you run it or ship it at that size. No way in hell would I want to do a transatlantic on a 62' yacht, even if it is a Nordhavn. Especially for a new owner, and doubly if you have little experience doing long ocean passages.

Your insurance company would probably prefer shipping also.

Ah but what they'll learn about their vessel, the experience they'll gather and the adventure is incalculable, not to mention the memories they'll create along with the pride of accomplishment. Although many transport captains I know don't like having owners on board I always encouraged it as I see even just running down the coast to be a college education in boating.

Before I'd do a trip of this magnitude, it would be on a yacht I know extensively and have done other trips on. Not one I just bought, am unfamiliar of it's issues, traits, etc. Not to mention, I'd be loading up the yacht with plenty of spares and so forth. Near coastal trips are one thing, you're never too far from help. A transatlantic is a whole nother story.

Then it sounds like your on you way.
Be sure to keep open a new thread on this forum and keep us up on all the planning and adventures.

I've seen a lot worse and a lot smaller (8') boats make that trip and with people a lot less experienced than the OP. And 62' Nordhavens are not boats generally mistreated or neglected. Life is about adventure. When else will these folks get this opportunity. I've been on boats for more than 60 years, 30 professionally, and this opportunity never presented itself to me.

One thing I would suggest: Check around, here, maybe the Nordhaven and passage maker sites to see if you can hook up with another boat making the passage. Besides there being safety in numbers it could add to the experience.

Sounds like you're qualified to take on the voyage, so maybe read up on The Brendan Voyage. They built a boat out of leather and wood, then followed the route of St. Brendan from Ireland to Newfoundland. Good reading, but the value to you is the route.
Like Capt J, says: Lots of spares
Pilot charts are available for download from HERE.
Another good tool is the Windy website. Not only is there a good representation of wind, you can select currents, and, the biggie is you can measure distances on it (right click). Really handy for "what if" voyage planning.
Good communication equipment should be a priority, in case tech support is necessary.
I have a feeling that I may be preaching to the choir, so please forgive me if I've covered old ground.