What is your WORST day's run

[Dsanduril]

There have been a number of threads recently that ask questions about passage planning and average speeds. For the majority of us on the sailing side I suspect the average passage run is somewhere between 100 and 200nm. I'd like to have a place that displays the variability. Lots of people will brag about the best run, but what about the worst?

When I thought of this I knew my answer * -17nm * we were 17 miles further from the destination after a day of flat calm than we were the day before.

But then I thought about storm management. I know I've run off in a storm further than that, but was never really paying attention to VMG in those conditions. So, do I include that? Not even sure what the number would be.

What was your worst day? Did you resort to the iron genny? And if the boat isn't the one you're currently listed with, what size/type of vessel?

[gjordan]

18 miles in the ITCZ between Ahe, and Hawaii. Beautiful flat calm seas and clear (but hot ) weather. 2 days like this were wonderful, then the trades slowly built in. Also in the so called Sargasso Sea, between BVIs and Bermuda, did several 20 mile days. It was so calm that I read by candle light in the cockpit at night. Light air sailing is a true delight. ______Grant.

[belizesailor]

Similar to OP, about -20 nm hove-to in foul weather. Waiting for conditions to improve before entering Gulf Stream. Pearson 44, Tortola to Annapolis.

I did turn and run w a storm once and made about -160nm in 24 hours, but at that point we had aborted and were heading to safe harbor. Hit 10+ knots w about 35' WLL under storm jib only...yeeeha! Forecast conditions had turned to crap all the way across the GOM. Hunter 37 Cutter, Port Aransas to Tampa.

[El Pinguino]

Define 'day's run' ... I've had a few good or at least acceptable runs and still managed to have a greater 'distance to go' the following noon....

[StuM]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Define 'day's run' ... I've had a few good or at least acceptable runs and still managed to have a greater 'distance to go' the following noon....

Yep, at times it pays to sail a long way on a losing tack either to avoid bad conditions or to pick up more favourable winds/currents.

[Dsanduril]

Well, I guess I'd define a "day's run" as "distance along the intended or desired course". This may not be distance made good to destination, as we all sometimes sail intentionally longer distances than rhumb line (to get around the Pacific High, to meet the trades at favorable longitude...). Really I think this is up to the individual, what do you consider your worst day in terms of making distance? As with everything else sailing and internet, there will be a wide variety of opinions as to what constitutes a day's run and what is worst

[Wrong]

There were so many bad days on my passage between Nose Be Madagascar and South Africa in 2012 that a generalization is in order. In the Monzambique Channel the wind dies around sunset. Overnight adverse current set me back 25+- n.m. on multiple occassions. Then there were the southerly busters coming up from Africa that either caused me to heave-to right away or after beating uselessly until I'd had enough... Once again, on these occasions I lost +-25 n.m. When I was able to sail it was mostly close hauled and regaining my DTK, 80 n.m. south was a chore. Wind finally backed to W.S.W. +- 22 knots with swells running from N.N.E. AND S.S.W.. 18 N.M. from the shelf on approach to Richards Bay a nor'wester blew in packing 40+- knot wind. Hove-to, I was blown 50 n.m. south of my approach to R.B.. Diverted to Durban on a south easterly...

This passage is my worst, even when considering the occasion when my boat ended up 110 degrees off vertical in 2008 80 n.m. from Cape Mendocino.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by gjordan

1... It was so calm that I read by candle light in the cockpit at night. Light air sailing is a true delight.

Grant,

couldn't agree more. In a world where we all seem to always be in a hurry to get someplace, reaching the Zen state where you can not only accept but actually embrace ghosting in light air and not really "getting anywhere" is one of the things I find appealing on a passage.

Some of my worst day's runs have been some of my best days sailing (and some of them, of course, have been absolutely miserable).

-----

On a separate note, we had wind of >50 come up suddenly one night and make our anchorage completely untenable. With seas breaking over the bow in 6m of water we bouyed the anchor, slipped the rode, and headed for deep water. By the time the wind abated we were 50 miles from our anchor. Does that count as a day's run? We weren't even intending to be underway, and suddenly we were.

[rbrentp]

This is a hard one. Falling off is bad. Being blown off course is bad. Going nowhere is bad. Not sure how to quantify these. Bad storm is miserable sailing but you can cover NM if conditions are right. Worst for me was an eight hour run due north into a 25knot wind in shallow water with 4 foot chop. Wife was sick and we were headed to the emergency room. Rest of crew was feeding fish. Trip was three miles in length on the iron jenny.