The Atlantic circuit has often been seen as a year-long adventure, crossing the Atlantic in late November or December to the Caribbean, with a return to Europe starting in May.
There are good reasons for this timetable, the overriding one being the hurricane season. This runs from the beginning of June through to the end of November. Hurricanes can happen outside of the ‘official season’, but they are rare – although there can be named storms in May. By departing towards the end of November, with the bulk of the crossing in December, we maximise the Caribbean season, often coming back to Europe in May.
Interestingly, for the actual crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean, statistics show that the wind tends to become stronger as