Sailing on a Schedule

[goboatingnow]

everyone that does passage planing works with a schedule, Its also entirely possible to sail that schedule, I have done it many times. The key to realise that when weather threatens always put consideration of the boat and the weather way above any schedule, All will be well. Only fools push into weather to attempt to meet a schedule.


Dave

[rebel heart]

I think it's a little unrealistic to sail without a schedule. Some realities that cloud the picture a bit:

- Immigration and customs. Countries don't let you (usually) stay in them forever, so when you need to go, you need to go.

- Weather is usually multiple overlapping concerns where you're looking for ideal windows. So a schedule to meet favorable winds might expose you to bad currents in a channel. Get the currents right and you might miss the wind. Hang out waiting for them to line up and maybe hurricane season starts in two weeks, plus you're burning through provisions.

- You only have so many supplies onboard.

- People might need to get to a doctor. Not necessarily emergency stuff, but with us we've needed to keep tight to vaccination schedules for our kids once in a while.

- Tides are on a schedule.

- Diurnal winds are on a schedule.

- Trade winds are on a schedule, as is the ITCZ (sort of).

One of the ones I've been considering a lot is the Tonga -> New Zealand route where you need to get to Tonga by x time, the cyclone season starts at y, and low pressure systems move through on their own frequency independent of all that.

Also, every real-no-kidding-captain in the world (merchant vessel, warship, etc) is sailing on a schedule.

Sailing into a hurricane because you have to deliver some bananas is obviously stupid, but pretending that you can just sit there waiting for all the lights to turn green is a great way to sit on the dock forever talking about you're leaving next month which turns into next year.

[Hudson Force]

Oh man! ...at first I was feeling all carefree, "Pollyanna" No schedule for me! ...and then Mike OReilly comes along with the information about tide and current schedules and such practical things as making a daylight landfall. Now, Rebel Heart is reminding me of more truths. You can't just anchor out next to this island for hurricane season....


Yes, it's true. I guess I only carry an attitude of being carefree without a schedule, but in truth I keep to a responsible schedule about many things. This doesn't keep me from the joy of acting like I'm freewheeling!

[Scott Berg]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Owners set schedules... if I can keep them without damaging the boat beyond normal wear and tear I will... if it means risking the boat and crew its outa the window..
For my boats no schedule.. I sail for pleasure...

Exactly; SAILING TO A SCHEDULE is a DELIVERY and we get paid for those! On our own boats it's very different. I don't pay myself enough to push on when the fishing/sun bathing/diving/food/company/slow easy sailing/(add more here) is good!

[IdoraKeeper]

If your not on a schedule then you don't know where you will be. If people don't know where you are then you could be lost. If people think your lost they will send the coast guard to look. When they find you and your not lost, you get in trouble. Don't get in trouble! Keep a schedule!

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

If your not on a schedule then you don't know where you will be. If people don't know where you are then you could be lost. If people think your lost they will send the coast guard to look. When they find you and your not lost, you get in trouble. Don't get in trouble! Keep a schedule!

"...they find you and your not lost, you get in trouble". I never heard of this. Maybe I could get in trouble or get someone else in trouble. Do you mean that if someone requests a Coast Guard search for you and you are not in trouble,- then, you are?

[Palarran]

When the topic of sailing to a schedule is brought up it generally has to do with the choice of waiting for a weather window or not and the dangers of not.

I was worried about this when planning my first (and only) Atlantic crossing. Then I talked to a French delivery skipper who had done 16 Atlantics and 3 Pacific's about it. His response was something like "I no understand?, if you don't want to leave in gale, best not go" His point was IMO valid but he followed up with "Storm - no you don't go"

Personally, I wouldn't want to start a voyage in winds over 35 knots and would wait for it to abate. But were all going to get hit by it sometime whether beginning, middle, or end so at some point you have to draw a line. Where depends on boat and crew.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

If your not on a schedule then you don't know where you will be. If people don't know where you are then you could be lost. If people think your lost they will send the coast guard to look. When they find you and your not lost, you get in trouble. Don't get in trouble! Keep a schedule!

Funny story. A couple of years ago we get back from six weeks wondering around Lake Superior and we have a voicemail message from the Coast Guard. It was an urgent message asking me to call them. I assumed it was for a fellow sailor who was lost -- turns out it we US who were lost; or so they thought.

Apparently our neighbours called the CG to report us missing b/c we had been gone for three or four weeks. We must have mentioned our plans, but they either didn't hear properly, or we didn't say properly (probably b/c we had no definite plans). In either case, they got worried and called the CG. Luckily they didn't know enough about our boat to allow the CG to initiate a full search, so no harm done.

Since then we've become quite tight-lipped about our plans, mainly b/c we rarely have definite ones. We might be out for five weeks, give or take a week or two, so we've stopped giving out any definite schedules. If we get into serious trouble we're likely dead anyway, b/c it could take the CG days to reach us. And if we're not in serious trouble, we'll get back on our own.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Palarran

When the topic of sailing to a schedule is brought up it generally has to do with the choice of waiting for a weather window or not and the dangers of not.

I was worried about this when planning my first (and only) Atlantic crossing. Then I talked to a French delivery skipper who had done 16 Atlantics and 3 Pacific's about it. His response was something like "I no understand?, if you don't want to leave in gale, best not go" His point was IMO valid but he followed up with "Storm - no you don't go"

Personally, I wouldn't want to start a voyage in winds over 35 knots and would wait for it to abate. But were all going to get hit by it sometime whether beginning, middle, or end so at some point you have to draw a line. Where depends on boat and crew.

Conversely a lot of boats crossing the Pacific will wait for a smaller storm to make up the ~300 miles from coastline to tradewinds. Otherwise you burn all that fuel and you've still got >90% of your distance and the ITCZ ahead of you.

I think most people crapping on scheduled are talking about job or airline ticket schedules, but my point I suppose is that there's always going to be a date you shoot for. For long passages you need to load up on fresh provisions, top the tanks, stowe the anchor, all kinds of nonsense. You can't just haphazardly leave when the Jimmy Buffet album is over and you're feeling good to go.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

If your not on a schedule then you don't know where you will be. If people don't know where you are then you could be lost. If people think your lost they will send the coast guard to look. When they find you and your not lost, you get in trouble. Don't get in trouble! Keep a schedule!

Funny enough this is why I never tell folk where I am going till I've arrived..
Many years back on my 1st boat I was sailing from Poole to Keyhaven.. normally I took the inner route under the castle but this time I thought I'd sail by the Needles (They were tall in those days)... anyway.. my planning for the tide had been for the inshore passage and I ended up getting caught just by the Needles...
Sat there for 5hrs doing between 5-6kts and going nowhere... finally made the Keyhaven entrance around 2300... pub was shut so dropped the hook in the bend where it curved up to the village..
20 minutes later I was being bawled out by a Coastie for not reporting we'd arrived.. turns out the G/f's son had got worried as his Mom had told him she'd ring from the pub around 1900.. so at 1930hrs he alerted the Coastguard to a boat missing at sea..
So since then... folk know where I've been.. or am..
but next port and when I'm leaving...

[conachair]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Funny enough this is why I never tell folk where I am going till I've arrived..

Close with you on that

a calendar is up the top end of the top ten of dangerous things to have on a boat.

Though for a long one usually work out the absolute worst then add a week

Sent from my SGP312 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[scuba0_1]

With the difference in posts I wonder if it's the ones with unlimited amount if time retirees our jobless that state how much time is needed for a trip vs those that have 2 weeks and have to put it in 6 months in advance. If I have too ad a week I might as well sell my boat and that's never crossed my mind.

[Teknav]

I never ever fly without filing a Flight Plan with the FAA or its equivalent (foreign airports). The flight plan includes you route and your ETA. If I don't close my flight plan within the allotted ETA's grace period, very expensive Search & Rescue begin. Flying is all about schedules! Major airports will not allow you to land in them without knowing your ETA/reservation request, unless you declare an emergency.

Mauritz
If you fail to plan, you planned to fail!

[boatman61]

And folk wonder why I hate flying... can't go here.. can't fly up there... Oiii... your to low...WTFAY... that's an African tribe by the way...
Ahhh... a life on the ocean waves...

[GeoPowers]

Quite possibly most here are in vehement agreement, and it all boils down to semantics. I think most everyone here would plan for provisioning, weather windows, visa limitations, seasonal factors, etc, etc. And only the most free of free spirits would have no idea where they were headed when they get underway. Most have an idea of the next destination or two or three, usually with a backup plan or two thrown in.

When someone mentions sailing to a schedule I think of the scenario where it is blowing 35 day one, 40 day two, and 50 day three, then calm for the next several days.....but someone has to get back to a meeting for day three. In that case, sometimes its best to suck it up and find alternate transportation and leave the boat for a later return trip.

Frank