Advice/criticism for a solo sailor in south Florida. (Concerning west palm to Miami)

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Hi, so I have set off twice to sail from west palm to Miami. First time I turned back because of light winds and I hadn’t been off anchor for a month so I was rusty. Second time (today) I turned back after 3 hours with less than two miles covered. It was good wind 10-15 knots south East. I’m in an alberg 30. I was only making 2.5-3.5 knots on close haul. Given the speed, the tacking involved, and the northern current I came to the conclusion that it would be about a 20 hour sail. I have done that once before but promised myself I wouldn’t do it again. Being singlehanded in this particular stretch of coast seems extremely difficult. If this was a different stretch and I didn’t have to worry about the Florida current I could just have much larger tacks allowing for rest, but given the proximity to shore this seems untenable. I can’t motor exclusively or excessively as I use a 6hp outboard.

-Am I missing something?
-what are appropriate conditions to make this sail in a timely manner?
-is this just how this sail goes?
-I loathe the icw but do I need to just bite the bullet?


These may seem like duh questions to some, but I’m still learning. Thanks in advance.

[StuM]

Was that 2.5-3.5 speed through the water? If so, you should get more than that in 10-15 knots close hauled if sailed efficiently. Were you trying to sail too close to the wind?



With that sort of boat speed, tacking against a current you were lucky to not be going backwards

[Lost Horizons]

How far you were from the beach? Occasionally, Gulf Stream runs very close to the shore, you need to stay about 1/4 miles from the land. I made that trip a couple of times, each time arriving to Biscane Bay well after dark.

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by StuM

Was that 2.5-3.5 speed through the water? If so, you should get more than that in 10-15 knots close hauled if sailed efficiently. Were you trying to sail too close to the wind?



With that sort of boat speed, tacking against a current you were lucky to not be going backwards

Yeah 2.5-3.5 sog. I mean sails were trimmed she was happy. That’s why I was confused. I was sailing close to the wind but a good close haul. Not like I was fighting to keep her from coming about.

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

How far you were from the beach? Occasionally, Gulf Stream runs very close to the shore, you need to stay about 1/4 miles from the land. I made that trip a couple of times, each time arriving to Biscane Bay well after dark.

Okay that makes more sense I was 3/4 mile to a mile and a half depending. I knew you had to stay close but I had heard that within 2 miles was the safe bet. So it can be done in a day but you just have to tack about a million times in a short width. Thanks.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by SVSOLITAIRE

Yeah 2.5-3.5 sog. I mean sails were trimmed she was happy. That’s why I was confused. I was sailing close to the wind but a good close haul. Not like I was fighting to keep her from coming about.

We don't have a lot of information. What was the boat speed through the water? If you don't have an speedometer then throw a chip of wood off the bow and time how long it takes to get to the stern (precisely). Math will give you your boat speed.

If you have a plotter or any app on your phone which will show you your track, that will be information for you.

Then you will know if there is a current against you (Gulf Stream?).

You are either not getting good VMG disregarding the current, or the current is strongly opposing you.

If it is current then take this into account. Maybe there is information about the location and speed of the Gulf Stream. Could another day be more favorable?

Otherwise you will have to start earlier, or wait until you get a northerly wind.

I don't there is any magic answer to this.

What do the racing experts in your area who have to deal with the Gulf Stream have to say?

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Sorry unless I’m missing something the SOG or speed over ground was established as 2.5-3.5.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by SVSOLITAIRE

Okay that makes more sense I was 3/4 mile to a mile and a half depending. I knew you had to stay close but I had heard that within 2 miles was the safe bet. So it can be done in a day but you just have to tack about a million times in a short width. Thanks.

Next time, check out https://www.windy.com/-Show---add-mo....330,-80.082,8 before you go
Here's what it looks like right now Scroll forward 48 hours and it looks worse!

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by StuM

Next time, check out https://www.windy.com/-Show---add-mo....330,-80.082,8 before you go
Here's what it looks like right now

Definitely did that. For whatever reason I thought 3 knots was normal for the area. I’m guessing that’s a no. [emoji23]

Ok so stick closer to shore and check currents. When I was looking I couldn’t find an average not specific to the Florida current which they average at 3-5. So what would a good current for the area look like?

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by SVSOLITAIRE

Okay that makes more sense I was 3/4 mile to a mile and a half depending. I knew you had to stay close but I had heard that within 2 miles was the safe bet. So it can be done in a day but you just have to tack about a million times in a short width. Thanks.

3/4 is too far. I tried it once and was also making 3-4 knots. Turned around and it was 10-11 knots.

Tacking won’t be practical, your tacks will be 1/16 mi. You either wait for East or Northeast wind, or motorsail with SE wind. Plan on 5 knots of average speed for timing purposes.

I did not get your last question from the post above. Gulf Stream is a very special current. There are no others like it.

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by StuM

Next time, check out https://www.windy.com/-Show---add-mo....330,-80.082,8 before you go
Here's what it looks like right now Scroll forward 48 hours and it looks worse!

I can’t seem to replicate your settings in my iPhone. Do you have the basic package or advanced? All I see is gray color all over the map

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by carlosproa

I can’t seem to replicate your settings in my iPhone. Do you have the basic package or advanced? All I see is gray color all over the map

Mine was doing the same thing. Update the app.

[SVSOLITAIRE]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

3/4 is too far. I tried it once and was also making 3-4 knots. Turned around and it was 10-11 knots.



Tacking won’t be practical, your tacks will be 1/16 mi. You either wait for East or Northeast wind, or motorsail with SE wind. Plan on 5 knots of average speed for timing purposes.



I did not get your last question from the post above. Gulf Stream is a very special current. There are no others like it.

My last question was concerning what a “good” sailing current would look like for the area.

Thanks for the tips.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by carlosproa

I can’t seem to replicate your settings in my iPhone. Do you have the basic package or advanced? All I see is gray color all over the map

Neither, that's the website not an app. Try using a browser to that URL

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by SVSOLITAIRE

Sorry unless I’m missing something the SOG or speed over ground was established as 2.5-3.5.

Yes, you are missing something. When trying to establish why your speed was so low we need to know how much current was against you on your aborted trip.

SOG is not enough, we need to know your speed through the water.

Speedometer, track on the plotter, or chip in the stream.

OR we can assume that you had Gulf Stream against you, the resources shown in other comments will give us a picture of that. Probably that is a safe assumption.

Many cruisers neglect their knotmeters which become fouled and no longer give readings. It is easier to rely on the GPS SOG than to attend to the knot meter but that defeats the purpose and value of expensive sailing instruments, and in my view, it's laziness.

It is good to have the forecast of where the Gulf Stream is supposed to be and its velocity, but having reliable instrumentation allows verification.