Gulf Stream when wind is at 90 degrees?

[MarkJ]

A bit spikey in the next few days but better than next week...

I am thinking of crossing the Gulf Stream out side Beaufort North Carolina in a 20 knot NW. At the place I am crossing the Stream is heading NE so the wind will be at 90 degrees.

My course is SE, wind up the bum, shortest course to cross it.

What conditions can I expect?

Thanks,


Mark

[2Hulls]

Hi Mark - I've done exactly that numerous times, but leaving from the Ches Bay. We end up crossing the stream where you will. As you suspect, no nastiness from wind driven chop against the stream. Have fun!

Dave

[MarkJ]

Great, thanks Dave.
Looks like I am off into it today to the Caribbean. Blows like like hell all week. But from behind/beam. And slightly less than yesterday's gribs.

Mark

[paxfish]

So two reasonably stout vessels, a gunboat cat and a 40 tri were lost/ abandoned last winter after attempting to cross the stream in a nw gale. Gale force winds are forecast today here on the Chesapeake.

One thing they learned is that the Gulf Stream does not flow in one direction. Large eddies flow in many directions.

No way I'd be heading out there now..

What is the current forecast there?

[l2ridehd]

It will be a lot better then it was a month ago. I crossed with 30 knot NE winds from the east toward the north and west. A very slow with lots of tacks process. And because the current was opposite the wind, very high close swells that were not at all friendly. A long and very wet trip.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by paxfish

So two reasonably stout vessels, a gunboat cat and a 40 tri were lost/ abandoned last winter after attempting to cross the stream in a nw gale. Gale force winds are forecast today here on the Chesapeake.

One thing they learned is that the Gulf Stream does not flow in one direction. Large eddies flow in many directions.

No way I'd be heading out there now..

What is the current forecast there?

You are very right about the stream. People imagine that it is a well organised linear flow, when in fact it is fractal. Attached is a screenshot I took of a section of the stream I took while race navigator/tactician in the recent Transatlantic Race. Caveat Navigator!

[Hud3]

Mark,

You'll likely find windspeeds in excess of the GRIB predictions once you're in the Stream. If it's like one of my crossings in NW winds, the waves will be coming at you from two or three different directions, and when they come together, they can jump into your cockpit. Be prepared for a rough ride.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Mark,

You'll likely find windspeeds in excess of the GRIB predictions once you're in the Stream. If it's like one of my crossings in NW winds, the waves will be coming at you from two or three different directions, and when they come together, they can jump into your cockpit. Be prepared for a rough ride.

Hey Hud… you mean like this one?

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Mark,

You'll likely find windspeeds in excess of the GRIB predictions once you're in the Stream. If it's like one of my crossings in NW winds, the waves will be coming at you from two or three different directions, and when they come together, they can jump into your cockpit. Be prepared for a rough ride.

And yes, I always plan for windspeeds in excess of grib files by a minimum of 35%.

In a nice little squeze zone centre Stream (same time as the screenshot above) we had predicted winds of 25 to 30 knots and actual up to 57. Sustained above 48 for 15 hours.

[Delancey]

Gulf Stream in area in question. Pretty organized. Eddies mostly further downstream.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Gulf Stream in area in question. Pretty organized. Eddies mostly further downstream.

True enough that along that stretch further South the stream tends to be more organised, however the data is fairly large grained, and significant localised eddy structures (rather larger than a boat!) exist throughout the region, which are not represented on the large scale data renders such as that. They become much more obvious in the models further North and East, when they are scores or hundreds of miles wide.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Gulf Stream in area in question. Pretty organized. Eddies mostly further downstream.

Nice imagery BTW… what site is that from?

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Hey Hud… you mean like this one?

Yep. That looks just like the one that dumped a foot and a half of water in our cockpit.

[Delancey]

My Fav! Earth Wind Map-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Earth Wind Map with Mean Sea Level Pressure Overlay
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Ocean Currents-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Ocean Currents with Sea Surface Temperature Overlay-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

BTW, MF how was your crossing last summer? Hope you had fun!

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Delancey

My Fav! Earth Wind Map-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Earth Wind Map with Mean Sea Level Pressure Overlay
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Ocean Currents-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Ocean Currents with Sea Surface Temperature Overlay-
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

BTW, MF how was your crossing last summer? Hope you had fun!

Well, let's just say it was pretty eventful

And thanks for the links: very useful and great imagery!