Sailing from the US to Europe right now. What do you think about the timing?

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

I tried to get the actual G titled thread to talk about her trip, but it has been hijacked by the climate debate . . . so . . . .

hmmmm . . . . to perhaps actually talk about sailing, since G is actually out sailing

They have gotten caught in an 'upwind' wind field, probably for today and tomorrow. The boat seems to sail pretty well, and they are (correctly) taking the southern tack. Sometime after around mid-day Saturday (depends on exactly where they get to) they will get a shift and should have a nice southerly wind, they want to be down around 33N, and then they should be able to rocket east for a while. Longer range (and thus ofc not at all certain), the highs do seem to be forecast to setup decently south, giving them a favorable route in the mid to high 30's (latitudes) usually with a bailout into lighter winds by dipping south into the highs.

I actually find this passage more interesting to follow that the typical. There are some interesting routing challenges, and I am curious about how the boat actually performs.

Anyone have a set of 'cruising' polars for this boat? I would be interested to do an actual weather routing.

Agree, heading SE 'till tomorrows wind chance and then NEE to stay well of the high. Thou it's easy to say sitting inside, besides the weather doesn't know the predictions

[Dsanduril]

Interesting that all of the discussion here is about La Vagabond (I guess their marketing must be working) when there are currently two threads running here on CF about boats in trouble in the same waters:

A definite tragedy with loss of life -
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-226528.html

Something that could be very unpleasant or could simply be unduly worried landlubbers - Missing Vessel - Blue Dog - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

Interesting that all of the discussion here is about La Vagabond (I guess their marketing must be working) when there are currently two threads running here on CF about boats in trouble in the same waters:

A definite tragedy with loss of life -
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-226528.html

Something that could be very unpleasant or could simply be unduly worried landlubbers - Missing Vessel - Blue Dog - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

were they not heading for the carib?
thread says vessels headed usa to europe?,which is a whole other subject imho.

[Dsanduril]

They were, but when you depart the US east coast it is into the same waters regardless of the destination being Europe or the Caribbean.

Blue Dog at least planned to go New York - Bermuda, which is one strategy already discussed here for a Europe transit, and In Tune was 529 miles east of Virginia Beach, VA which puts them at about 36N, 67W, north and east of La Vagabonde that is getting so much discussion.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

I actually find this passage more interesting to follow that the typical. There are some interesting routing challenges, and I am curious about how the boat actually performs.

Anyone have a set of 'cruising' polars for this boat? I would be interested to do an actual weather routing.

I'm plotting some of their Predictwind locations in OpenCPN. Between 0800 and 1000Z, they made 14 NM (7 kt) at 156°. Between 1000Z and 1800Z they made abut 74NM (9.25 kts) at 174°. But only 6.1 NM between 1800Z and 1900Z at 164°.



So far they've covered about 340 NM and are about 290 NM from their start point. About 370 NM still on a direct line to Bermuda, but they can't lay it yet.

[Alfange]

Hello everyone.

Although this post is old, however as this information would be useful at any time, so I am putting here a very useful link for everyone involved with this issue.

Well, the best way to answer these questions would be to look into the distant past, and the learning left by distant past navigators, still important today, although things are changing, but they have suffered a lot to learn about the seasonality of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as other places, but to summarize this issue I suggest that you read the website data and guidelines carefully at the following link:


Trans-Atlantic, Caribbean to Europe Passage - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki



Thank you and all the best

[capn_billl]

Hurricane season is over is a relative statement. A chance of a late forming storm is still present.

The cold fronts are starting to push down.

You may be lucky, or you may be in for a rough ride.

That said, when IS the best time to cross?

Late spring? Early summer?

The good weather window is small.

[boatman61]

Well I have crossed from St Martin and Florida a few times.. In February, March, April, May, June and July.. strongest winds encountered were 40kts during the Feb crossing.. otherwise F7 and under.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Well I have crossed from St Martin and Florida a few times.. In February, March, April, May, June and July.. strongest winds encountered were 40kts during the Feb crossing.. otherwise F7 and under.

Seems quite a bit less predictable (more variables) starting further north along the US e. coast, but maybe that's just the card LaV drew.

[billreilly]

It's not the best time to go across, but you might get lucky... Without knowing what boat you have and your experience (or that of your crew) it's impossible to give an opinion.

Check out https://www.passageweather.com/maps/...ic/mappage.htm

You can also look at the pilot charts for November: https://msi.nga.mil/api/publications....pdf&type=view

I hope this helps,

Bill

[369thegoose]

Originally Posted by Seighlor

This is a really bad idea. A number of years ago I made a November-December crossing from England to Florida. The weather had not been good and we waited several days on the Isle of Wight for a good weather window.

Within twelve hours of our departure we were engaging storm conditions. Winds developed to something over sixty-five knots (That's as high as our analog knot meter would read) and remained at the level for two days.

There were four of us aboard. One suffered a broken toe. Not incapacitating but very painful. Another endured three broken ribs. Definitely incapacitating. A third was too seasick to move from his bunk.

My recommendation: Don't do it.

Absolutely, pointless exercise loaded with risk

[capn_billl]

It sounds like my intuition of a late spring departure is good.

Feb doesn't sound like fun. Depending on year, coastal weather at least, Feb weather can move up or down a month.

That leaves late March, or April for lowest severe storm chances.

And want to be outside hurricane belt by mid May.

[ejjawhite]

About 40 years ago I lost 2 friends along with their companions when they departed NY City in late November. DONT DO IT.

[NormanMartin]

I was just out there and the conditions are rough if you are in a coastal cruiser. We headed South from the Northeast and the chop on top of the swell really beat up the rig and crew. Lots of boats in Bermuda with damage when I left a few days ago.

My question is "why?" The Eastern Caribbean is so nice right now.

[tthouses]

We did during the NARC RALLY in 2005 and got hit by a rogue wave. Very rough transit. Don Street advised not sailing across at that time of year. There was an issue about it that he wrote in Cruising World some years ago. Good article.

We were heading from Newport to Bermuda and got hit south of there heading to St Martin. . So maybe different further north.