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Old 04-07-2016, 04:18   #1
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Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

If you were looking for a weather window to cross from Boston to Nova Scotia in July, what would you be looking for and where would you be looking?

Likewise returning in September?


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Old 04-07-2016, 15:41   #2
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

Where are you aiming for in Nova Scotia? Are you doing a straight shot with overnight sailing? The weather window I'd be looking at is 3 DAY window if doing a straight shot. I'd start with NOAA Marine (VHF), then Predictwind.com and check NOAA Huricane site to keep tabs on any tropical storms or hurricanes. Also look at NOAA web site for NOAA Offshore weather forecasts. The prevailing wind will behind you going and against you returning. Coming back in Sept calls for closer weather scrutiny. Might want to do the return trip
in stages so you have choices of ports to wait out bad weather.
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Old 09-07-2016, 13:12   #3
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

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Where are you aiming for in Nova Scotia? Are you doing a straight shot with overnight sailing? The weather window I'd be looking at is 3 DAY window if doing a straight shot. I'd start with NOAA Marine (VHF), then Predictwind.com and check NOAA Huricane site to keep tabs on any tropical storms or hurricanes. Also look at NOAA web site for NOAA Offshore weather forecasts. The prevailing wind will behind you going and against you returning. Coming back in Sept calls for closer weather scrutiny. Might want to do the return trip

in stages so you have choices of ports to wait out bad weather.

Thanks for the reply and sorry to not get back to you. I was planning on going to Yarmouth or Shelburne straight from Boston.

Leaving Tuesday seemed reasonable but now looks like winds predicted up to 35 through the trip. Not sure if that's normal up here but feels like a little much single handed for my first time out.

Wind direction and swell looks good. I'm starting to imagine there might be a lot of waiting before a perfect crossing would be available?


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Old 09-07-2016, 13:38   #4
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

Just talked to my sailing guru who advises keeping up the coast of Maine and make the jump as an overnighter.


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Old 09-07-2016, 14:13   #5
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

Looking to making that hop sometime next week as well. Nantucket Sound to Shellburne. Right now it looks like Wednesday and Thursday are a bit windy, but $1.50 and a 5 day weather prediction will buy you a cup of coffee.

If this forecast holds (and I can get to Hyannis by then in reasonable wind, at Pt. Judith now, seeing a lot of easterlies the next couple of days.) I'll likely plan on heading out Thursday, deal with the higher winds and ride the declining wind through Friday.

My advise is be ready to go as the rough time to depart gets closer (and the forecasts solidify). Check the surface, 500 mb, 24, 48 and 96 hour charts from NOAA and compare them to the forecasts. Helps to see what is happening and a great way to learn how to make your own predictions from the data.

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Old 09-07-2016, 19:07   #6
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

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Just talked to my sailing guru who advises keeping up the coast of Maine and make the jump as an overnighter.


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Heading up the coast of Maine on your first time out singlehanding and then making a jump sounds more reasonable than a multi-day slog Boston-Yarmouth. Fog can be a major issue this early in the season. A fully-crewed boat from our club was hit by a fishing boat in the fog while en route to Halifax. Our friend had major damage to about 10' of his hull-deck joint, and the fishing boat took off. Be careful out there!
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Old 14-07-2016, 08:12   #7
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

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Looking to making that hop sometime next week as well. Nantucket Sound to Shellburne. Right now it looks like Wednesday and Thursday are a bit windy, but $1.50 and a 5 day weather prediction will buy you a cup of coffee.

If this forecast holds (and I can get to Hyannis by then in reasonable wind, at Pt. Judith now, seeing a lot of easterlies the next couple of days.) I'll likely plan on heading out Thursday, deal with the higher winds and ride the declining wind through Friday.

My advise is be ready to go as the rough time to depart gets closer (and the forecasts solidify). Check the surface, 500 mb, 24, 48 and 96 hour charts from NOAA and compare them to the forecasts. Helps to see what is happening and a great way to learn how to make your own predictions from the data.

-Argyle

Argyle did you end up leaving? Hope you have a good run. I'm in Isle of Shoals enjoying myself.


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Old 14-07-2016, 08:24   #8
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

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Argyle did you end up leaving? Hope you have a good run. I'm in Isle of Shoals enjoying myself.


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Wait till the people stream out of the old hotel holding hands and form into circles singing. Otherwise if you find something worth doing there other than taking a hide and scaring the birds you are easy to entertain

You trip is easy if the normal SW winds are blowing and from where you are the forecast should reasonably cover the trip. If you haven't been up to Maine you will soon learn the problem with hugging along the coast is the lobster pots!
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Old 14-07-2016, 19:14   #9
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

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Argyle did you end up leaving? Hope you have a good run. I'm in Isle of Shoals enjoying myself.


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No, wind too beaucoup Thursday (earlier forecast held, but higher winds and high pressure was slower to move offshore). Aiming for Friday (tomorrow as I type), decent wind for the first 24 hours, but nothing like Thursday, then it gradually dies. Fog might be an issue. Hanging out in Hyannis. If there is significant fog, I'll head out the great round shoal instead of the Pollock rip channel, much wider.

Isle of Shoals looks pretty cool. Might check it out on my way back down the coast.

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Old 18-07-2016, 17:02   #10
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

Arrived in Shelburn Harbor yesterday. Went from too much wind to not enough. A lot of poled out jib and motoring, but we're here now and it's a fantastic place. Might spend up to a week here before heading farther north.
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Old 04-07-2019, 13:01   #11
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

My wife and I are looking for a weather window to sail from Gloucester to Shelburne, NS, hopefully next week. We are planning to spend a couple months cruising Nova Scotia and perhaps Newfoundland. We spent the winter in the Bahamas.

I am concerned about tidal currents along the route, especially as we near Cape Sable. It looks like there are 3 knot currents around Cape Sable and the southern shore of Nova Scotia. How far off Cape Sable do we need to stay to avoid strong tidal current? Will we likely encounter much in the way of current along other parts of our route?

Any advice from folks who have done this route before and can provide information would be greatly appreciated.

We are in a Vancouver 27 with a 20 hp engine, so we average 4.5 knots motoring or sailing, mostly we sail. Thanks for any info you can provide.
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Old 04-07-2019, 14:04   #12
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

The currents can be strong even quite far off, but I haven’t found them dangerous. The two times I’ve run from Shelbourne to Marblehead I’ve stayed a few miles off.

Entering into Shelbourne it’s IMPORTANT to stay East if McNutts Island, in 2012 a boat wrecked coming in on the wrong side, no depth.

I use Weathertracker in an iPhone for weather. It’s a cheap but powerful GRIB file viewer. Once you download the GRIB file you have it and don’t need a further internet connection. Besides the normal GRIB display has a “metrogram” gram function that displays the weather at single spot. If you are more ambitious you can lay in a route and speed and it will show a metrogram prediction along your path.
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Old 04-07-2019, 17:45   #13
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

Thanks for your reply. We appreciate the information.
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Old 06-07-2019, 02:19   #14
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Re: Crossing Boston to Nova Scotia

When you rounded Cape Sable were you careful to time the tide so it was helping you around?
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