Hurricane

[zeehag]

when i have a good genoa, i get 100 miles a day heavily motorsailing in a whole 10 kts winds..

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by viben

Every online forum these days seems to be filled with questions about what to do to prepare for the approaching Matthew, and most, if not all, advice seems to focus on lines, fenders and anchors – anything to tie the boat down.

Admittedly, I have no experience dealing with hurricanes, but since I am in the process of buying a boat in Florida, I am trying to learn the “tricks of the trade”.

Therefore, I will greatly appreciate some thoughts on the logical alternative to the “tie down”, namely to head out into the open waters, assuming one would have time enough to reach beyond the path of the hurricane’s eye.

For example, with Matthew running its predicted course through the Bahamas towards the Florida coast, my instinct would be to get under sail and head out, as far out east of the Bahamas that I could reach.

Am I crazy?

Yes, you are crazy.

You need to realize the size of one of these things.

A slight shift and it could come some where near the direction you went and you could feel the effects from 200 plus miles away especially at sea............

[Steve Bean]

I suggest looking up the tracks of past hurricanes. Once in a while they do some very "interesting" things...

[a64pilot]

Zee I'm talking a 24 hour day, remember your running from the boogie man, you don't stop for anything.


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[DeepFrz]

I think you guys are being awfully generous with the mileage, especially going around the south tip of Florida and heading west. It took us 4 days to get from Havana (Marina Hemingway) to Isla Mujeres in a 60 ft. boat. That was motoring/motor sailing the whole way. Granted we cruised at best mileage rate. The current there is wicked. About 280 nautical miles in 4 days. We did get in 1 day ahead of the 30 footer that left 1 day before we did though. We beat the storm but the two guys in the 30 footer were in rough shape when they pulled into the marina. We watched them come up the coast of Isla Mujeres, the south entrance to the bay was impassable, and the skipper and myself both commented on how glad we were that we were not out there.

I doubt that many sailboats under 40 ft. will average 120 miles a day for a full five days. Most don't have the fuel to motor that long.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Zee I'm talking a 24 hour day, remember your running from the boogie man, you don't stop for anything.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

i am talking REAL 24 hour days. whpo stops?? dayummmm ye aint been out HERE yet, eh?
there is a huge difference between THEORETICAL mileage and RREAL miles covered in a sailboat.
and this bitch aint a wimp--we donot stop during a passage unless someone dies.
hell i donot heave to or place boat into irons merely to boat a fish, why should i stop when i have perfectly good way--h ah aha ha ha
3.8 is 3.8 and a hellova lot better than the 1.2 mph uphill i was able to make in 2013/..
the REALITY is that sailboats donot cruise fast. we get a lucky passage or two--but there is no maintaining a fast course while cruising
if ye want speed --fly
even in a "performance" cruising sloop we didnt effect more than 1.2 in storm situations in gom. how the hell are folks expected to make 120 miles daily when current and winds are creating a 1.2 mph situation. have fun out here-- we all cannot be perfect with 120 miles daily every day.

[a64pilot]

Zee, yes actually I have been "out there" and I'd suppose even though I do not yet live on the boat, I'm covering more miles than most that live in one place on moorings and or anchored out, when I am "out there".
I usually am good for 180 miles a day motoring,sometimes a little less, and in heavy conditions my forward speed will drop to less than 4 kts, but I try not to go in those conditions, cause it's not usually fun.

This whole little scenario is predicated on leaving before conditions get bad, and not running into heavy headwinds and strong adverse currents.


I'm not abdicating anyone do it, cause like I said in the first post, if your engine doesn't conk out, I am not ready to bet my life on my engine, well not often anyway, I have ferried several single engine aircraft over large expanses of Ocean.
But surely under pure motoring alone you can do much better than 120 miles a day can't you? What is your average speed motoring? 120 miles is only 4 kts. Throw in the sails if the wind is right and I'll move right along, my best I averaged 8.4 kts off the coast of Sarasota headed towards the Dry Tortugas for almost a day, and I must have been in current, cause my IP is not an 8 kt boat, under any conditions, course withing 24 hours I was down to less than 4 kts when that 20 kt wind clocked around to straight off the bow.

[zeehag]

if iffs and ands were pots and pans beggers would be tinkers
and all conditions would be perfect to run 120 miles daily. but they are not so .

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Zee, yes actually I have been "out there" and I'd suppose even though I do not yet live on the boat, I'm covering more miles than most that live in one place on moorings and or anchored out, when I am "out there".
I usually am good for 180 miles a day motoring,sometimes a little less, and in heavy conditions my forward speed will drop to less than 4 kts, but I try not to go in those conditions, cause it's not usually fun.

This whole little scenario is predicated on leaving before conditions get bad, and not running into heavy headwinds and strong adverse currents.


I'm not abdicating anyone do it, cause like I said in the first post, if your engine doesn't conk out, I am not ready to bet my life on my engine, well not often anyway, I have ferried several single engine aircraft over large expanses of Ocean.
But surely under pure motoring alone you can do much better than 120 miles a day can't you? What is your average speed motoring? 120 miles is only 4 kts. Throw in the sails if the wind is right and I'll move right along, my best I averaged 8.4 kts off the coast of Sarasota headed towards the Dry Tortugas for almost a day, and I must have been in current, cause my IP is not an 8 kt boat, under any conditions, course withing 24 hours I was down to less than 4 kts when that 20 kt wind clocked around to straight off the bow.

180 average in a 38' boat is damn good... are you sure? Or is that in sweet conditions?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Sandero

180 average in a 38' boat is damn good... are you sure? Or is that in sweet conditions?

Yes, it is in sweet conditions and it's when I'm in a hurry, it's 7.5 kts. I'm 38', but only 33' at the waterline.
I plan on making 140/150 miles a day and usually beat that, but the way my mind works is I'd rather set a goal I know I can almost always beat, cause I'm happy when I meet a goal.
Now this is on motor, not sailing. The seemingly rare times I get to honestly sail, I consider 100 miles a day good, cause I don't have a racer. I am not a real Sailor I admit, cause when speed falls below 4 kts or so, I'm bad about cranking the motor and running it at 1000 RPM, that almost always lets me motorsail at 6 kts+. 1000 RPM isn't bad obnoxious and I tell myself I'm charging batteries
I don't know my fuel burn at 1000 RPM, but I don't think it's much.

Remember we were saying 120 miles a day, not 180, 180 is tough for me and I'm running the motor harder than I like, cause I hate listening to the thing.
But if I were running from something bad, in good conditions I can cover 180 NM a day.

[Steadman Uhlich]

FYI:
I have started a thread about Hurricane Preparation Videos that contains links to a Youtube video playlist with 40 videos related to preparing for a hurricane or tropical storm and what conditions may be expected.

Of particular note is a very good video which demonstrates tying up in a mangrove ringed anchorage in the Caribbean.

Here is a link to that thread which contains a few comments and suggested videos I found particularly instructive on the issue of preparation:

Hurricane & Tropical Storm Preparation Videos Tips - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

.......
But if I were running from something bad, in good conditions I can cover 180 NM a day.

something bad and good conditions don't go together. You cannot count on 180 mile days on an IP38, its not realistic. My boat has a lot more waterline and I would not count on 180 mile days in calculating my exit from a potentially dangerous spot.