[rockDAWG]

1. Are you nut Moron, stay home hahah.
2. Sail right into it this coming Monday nite and Tuesday Morning, the weather is likely to be wrong.
3. Hey, just perfect condition to wet my appetite, go for it.

I am ready, and fly out tomorrow nite to FLL.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

You are taliking about northbound?

Well the wind is up your bum (in a number of ways )so the gulf stream wont be rough. You will have one fast trip.

The wind is far more than I like. Even if its from astern.


Now, if you mean you are heading southbound around the you'd be nuts stark raving bonkers. I dont plug into a forceast 35 knot winds.

 

[rockDAWG]

Yes, we are heading north. Leaving FLL this Friday to Annapolis. I am thinking of just flying a tiny staysail. However, according to the weather, we do have a brief period of time that we will have some northern component of wind (less than 4 hours), we can sail east to gain some more sea room.

We have SSB and modem to get weather fax, etc. so we can make our decision as we approach NC. We can make a left if we have to.

 

[jsaronson]

What will it be like in 2 days when you are there? Today's conditions don't mean much. You're on a 59 footer? Working jib should be fine.

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

You wont need SSB as you will be inside the gulfstream, so you will have VHF weather.

Yeah, I would be going jib only, maybe poled out if its that far behind, but only a small snippet of sail.

Opt out point of Beaufort NC.

But asy you say, if its predicted for a weeks time whats the chances.... Nil.

Mark

 

[smurphny]

I would be thinking twice about being in that. I'd be looking at a number of different forecasts, surface and 500mb charts, etc. not just a Passage Weather map. Look out ahead a few days. I'd be thinking ICW at Beaufort or sooner if it looked like getting beat up. It's a big boat but do you know what it can do?

 

[killarney_sailor]

Keep checking the weather as you get closer. If it is a big capable boat there should not be a problem going northbound in those winds.

 

[rockDAWG]

Keep checking the weather as you get closer. If it is a big capable boat there should not be a problem going northbound in those winds.

I will. If system swings to any north wind we will duck in Wilmington. I am not quite sure if we should wait until we get to Beaufort, NC as Mark suggested. I will study the charts carefully.

Thanks.

 

[Coquina]

This area is not called the Graveyard of The Atlantic for nothing. If I had even a slight HINT of wind going north or east I would go inside.

 

[JonEisberg]

This area is not called the Graveyard of The Atlantic for nothing. If I had even a slight HINT of wind going north or east I would go inside.

Uhhh, not with that boat's 85' air draft, you wouldn't ...

 

[rockDAWG]

This area is not called the Graveyard of The Atlantic for nothing. If I had even a slight HINT of wind going north or east I would go inside.

I can understand to duck inside the port for northern wind, but not sure why Easterly will be a problem if one keeps enough sea room off the shoal . The boat sails windward quite well with her high performance sails with two tracks, plus a powerful Yanmar engine with 125 horses.

Please explain. Regardless, I will be utmost caution at all time.

 

[JonEisberg]

I will. If system swings to any north wind we will duck in Wilmington. I am not quite sure if we should wait until we get to Beaufort, NC as Mark suggested. I will study the charts carefully.

If you can make it up to Cape Fear and around Frying Pan before you might have to pull the plug, I'd do that and go into Wrightsville rather than Southport... Beaufort and Southport are both good spots to wait for more favorable conditions, but the big downside to either is that is can be a long way back out and around again - either Frying Pan, or Cape Lookout Shoals, when you resume the trip... You can save yourself a bit of distance overall by going into to Wrightsville, then shooting straight for Diamond Shoals...

 

[rockDAWG]

Jon, that is I was thinking too to get to Wilmington area. How is Bald Head Island Marina, it seems relatively easy on and off. Or should I go to what you suggested Wrightsville. From Active Captain, I did not see any easy marina we can go. Perhaps, Atlantic Marine?

TIA

 

[JonEisberg]

Jon, that is I was thinking too to get to Wilmington area. How is Bald Head Island Marina, it seems relatively easy on and off. Or should I go to what you suggested Wrightsville. From Active Captain, I did not see any easy marina we can go. Perhaps, Atlantic Marine?

TIA

I wouldn't try to go into Bald Head with 8+ draft... you'd probably make it at high water, but the entrance is very narrow, little margin for error... Plus, there's not much there, it would be very quiet this early in the season...

Southport Marina is probably your best bet, nice spot... Make sure they know about your draft, however, there may even be issues there, at least in certain slips. There's also a new marina just a bit up the river from Southport, but I've never been in there...

Atlantic Marine - sorry, I'm not familiar with that one...

 

[captbillc]

that's a 60+ ft boat ? we took a 50ft shannon from SW harbor Maine to bermuda in november. 200 miles out at night it was blowing 40, gusting to 57 knots. wind was on the stbd quarter blowing against the gulf stream. we had the full main up & dropped the mizzen from time to time. made 10 knots down the swells & 8 knots up them. it was a quite a ride. we took a wave that filled the cockpit about 2 in the morning when i was at the helm. we made god time !

 

[justified]

If you have to bailout before Frying pan then I would go into Southport. Never stayed there but the cape fear entrance is very well marked and not far up to Southport. your next spot would be Marlborough inlet and over to Wrightsville. You may however have some dapth issues once you hit the main ICW channel. There is a nice marina just to the North south of the bridge - see active captain. If you make it up to Beaufort I would go to Beaufort town docks very easy on and off - long outside tees.
Have a safe and fantastic trip.
Peter

 

[blt2ski]

Someone is worried about a 50-60+ foot boat in 30-40 knot winds? Going with the wind no less!?!?!?! Some folks would have a chute up planing in the 20+ knot range! Could be fun in my 30' boat frankly. I hit 11 one time with a full main and 110 up. She does really well with a double up in 30+, I have to say that 11 was a hoot. Was doing 7-10+ that day with 30-40 knots of wind. Hoot of a down wind run.

Yeah the ocean is a bit bigger waved than here in puget sound......but still, those winds would be normal in Scotland! or some other places. Enjoy the downwind/current run would be my saying on this......Too bad I am on the left coast at the moment......

marty

 

[fallard]

You wont need SSB as you will be inside the gulfstream, so you will have VHF weather

Mark

Last time I sailed north in the Gulf Stream (with SSB) we were about 140 miles offshore as we sailed past Georgia. You wouldn't get weather on VHF unless it was relayed from someone else with SSB or satellite.

 

[rockDAWG]

I wouldn't try to go into Bald Head with 8+ draft... you'd probably make it at high water, but the entrance is very narrow, little margin for error... Plus, there's not much there, it would be very quiet this early in the season...

Southport Marina is probably your best bet, nice spot... Make sure they know about your draft, however, there may even be issues there, at least in certain slips. There's also a new marina just a bit up the river from Southport, but I've never been in there...

Atlantic Marine - sorry, I'm not familiar with that one...

Thanks for the heads up on Southport Marina, I will call them tomorrow. IF they can't take us, I will ask for their suggestions up river. There is Indigo Plantation Marina and South Harbour Village Marina.

Southport seems easier than Wrightsville.

Thanks.

 

[SVAuspicious]

1. Are you nut Moron, stay home hahah.
2. Sail right into it this coming Monday nite and Tuesday Morning, the weather is likely to be wrong.
3. Hey, just perfect condition to wet my appetite, go for it.

I am ready, and fly out tomorrow nite to FLL.

In the first place you are missing a LOT of weather information looking at gribs. I've made this speech before so I'll shorten it - the GFS computer model that generates gribs smooths over barometric discountinuities like fronts. See my aggregation of synoptic charts here.

Note that there is an occluded front stalled behind a mature low that dissipates over the weekend. That means thunderstorms in most cases. As the mature low dissipates the occluded front becomes a cold front and gets dragged along by the big low over the northeast which is likely to mean a significant wind shift completely glossed over in the gribs.

If you head offshore at 045T from FLL in SElys by midday on Friday, watch sea temperature to find the middle of the stream, the cold front will pass over you Sunday(ish) with the usual wind shifts. Really shouldn't be a problem on a big boat. Keep the boat moving and watch the radar. If the front moves fast or you are slow you may have to move East out of the Gulf Stream in anticipation of the wind shift - I don't like to give up the boost earlier than I have to.

As the high moves in behind the front you'll have light air for a while - all the more reason to be in the heart of the Gulf Stream.

Anything further out than that is guessing at this point. Watch the weather faxes.

I can understand to duck inside the port for northern wind, but not sure why Easterly will be a problem if one keeps enough sea room off the shoal.

Look at the Gulf Stream imagery. The curve of the US coast line drives the Stream along the coast of the Carolinas into a northeasterly direction before tipping further yet (driven by the Labrador Current among other things) and heading for Europe.

By the way, if you take the path espoused by others earlier in this thread and stay nearer shore watch for counter currents. You can really get knocked inshore. I'd go Gulf Stream center and out.