from Cape Porpoise to Sable Island...

[louise33]

I posted this as another thread in another category, but maybe here is better....

I am trying to figure out how many days it would take to sail to Sable Island, Nova Scotia, from Cape Porpoise, ME, if sailing a 65-ft sailboat. I have no idea how fast a 65ft boat can sail, how many miles the course is, or how many hours is realistic to sail in one day... I know very little about any of this.

If anyone has any guesses to this, or can point me in a better direction to find the answer, i'd be VERY appreciative!

And is there a place online like Mapquest for nautical maps? tee hee. Something that is Mac friendly?

Thank you,
Louise

[sailingdog]

There really isn't a good answer to your first question. A lot of it depends on the wind, and that can be quite variable. Also, the skill of the crew, and whether you'll be sailing at night, or stopping for the night each day, will have a major impact on how far you can travel each day.

Do you have an autopilot or windvane, or will you be steering manually the whole way? How big is your crew? How experienced is your crew? These are all things that will affect how long it takes to make the voyage.

The best program for the Mac is MacENC. It will allow you to use the ENC files that you can get for FREE from NOAA.

[nolatom]

Please see my reply to your same question on the General Discussion forum. Sable Island's always been an island sailors try to avoid rather than seek out.

An inquiry about Sable in a "learning to sail" column gives me the chills.