When do you cast off?

[DMF Sailing]

Ahoy, Forum!

Another poll from the DMF Sailing Experience, a.k.a. The Most Bored (and possibly boring) Keelboat Skipper on the Planet.

You're about to undertake a passage from a familiar port to an unfamiliar one that you assume, given the conditions, tides and currents, and the characteristics of your vessel, will take about 24 hours.

You are shorthanded—either one or two capable sailors on the boat, so there are not enough crew members to divide into four-hour watches.

The passage itself will be over open water, but on both ends, there are the usual obstructions and traffic attendant with coastal sailing.

For the purpose of this question, we will assume that the conditions are conducive to your tolerance for passage-making, and not expected to change significantly during that 24-hour period, other than the usual changes that take place throughout the day in the area where you cruise. Though one can never know for sure what the sea has in store for you! [In my waters, that means, first and foremost, that you have to be ready to sail your way through 50-foot-visibility fog banks at any hour of the day in any conditions pretty much any time of the sailing season]

We will also assume that you intend to stay on schedule (so that, in my case, where I know the felicitous sea breeze will die in the evening, I shall hoist the iron jib to maintain the 6-or-so knots I get in a 10-knot wind, not because I'm in a hurry, but because I don't feel like bobbing around at 0 knots if I don't have to.)

So: What time of day do you depart?

[boatman61]

Well seeing as it's an unfamiliar port I would do the same as for a familiar port.. cast off at 10am so as to arrive at 10am.

[Jammer]

Mid morning, so as to depart during daylight arrive during daylight even in the event of delays, and so that the overnight portion is away from shore where there are fewer things to hit.

[fxykty]

Same as both the above posters - leave sometime in the morning so as to have some wiggle room for unexpected delays of the anticipated passage time.

Time for cast off may need to vary depending on local conditions. Say there’s an expected front coming through mid day - it would likely be silly to leave before the front and sail through it. So your mid morning departure becomes a mid afternoon departure. Not the end of the world, but if anything lengthens the anticipated passage time then you have several options:
1) speed up with more sail or more engine to arrive well before nightfall
2) find a closer intermediate location to anchor and berth (i.e. split the 24 hour passage into two shorter ones)
3) sail very slowly and take an extra night
4) sail normally and if you don’t arrive before it’s too late in the day to enter a strange port, heave to or sail out and back overnight and enter during the day
5) sail normally and enter the port even if it’s dark

The last option is perfectly fine even for unknown ports if you have accurate information about the port and where you need to get to. If you don’t have accurate information then entering at night (or fog!) adds a bunch of risk. Only you can decide the risk level you’re comfortable with.

BTW, with more than one sailor onboard why do you say there are not enough sailors for a proper watch system? With two people of course there is (though in our couple crew we do 5 hour watches overnight so we only need one nightly wake up). At least one person is on watch at all times from departure to arrival. Easy for two people.

[ullar]

Nice breakfast and then we'll go. As others said, depart in daylight and plan to arrive in daylight, leaving some wriggle room.


One more thing. If it will be a marina with limited guest places I would plan to arrive close to midday. Just to have a better chance for a berth available.

[Fore and Aft]

DMF sailing for us a dawn departure while the wife and kids are still in bed. Hopefully the teenager gets up and helps with the anchor otherwise I am on my own until the wife wakes up, puts the coffee on and gets breakfast sorted. Eventually the kids get up and life goes on.
Then its just plodding along under autopilot, keeping watch, trying to read and pass the time until we get close to port. Night time entry does not worry us, it's certainly easier to enter a strange port compared to 25 years ago.
Cheers

[El Pinguino]

Breakfast in the dark, sail at dawn - SOP for winter day sails in Patagonia. Adjust to suit for morning arrivals on longer runs eg Golfo de Peñas.

Nothing worse than arriving in a strange unlit anchorage in the dark.

[Quebramar]

If the unknown destination shows no major difficulty, how about leaving mid-afternoon after a nice nap, so as to be fresher through the night (assumption being single handed)? Leaving early in the morning makes it for a more tiring night, me think.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by DMF Sailing

Another poll from the DMF Sailing Experience, a.k.a. The Most Bored (and possibly boring) Keelboat Skipper on the Planet.

DMF! Not the most boring, but possibly the most bored!

We need to find you that boat and get you out there - and soon.

Get you some following seas...
LittleWing77

[tamicatana]

I calculate the passage time, assess the expected conditions, and leave whenever I think gives me the best chance at arrival at the strange place in daylight.

There are only two aboard, and we tend to just sail till we don’t feel like it and then go off watch. That said, it usually works out that I am day and husband is night, just bc personality.

[OldManMirage]

I clicked early morning, mostly because I'm already an early riser.

But we all know that weather is the real ruler of when we go.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

DMF! Not the most boring, but possibly the most bored!

We need to find you that boat and get you out there - and soon.

Get you some following seas...
LittleWing77

I love this poll, Wing. I love this poll.

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I clicked early morning, mostly because I'm already an early riser.

But we all know that weather is the real ruler of when we go.

It will set you on your side and show you the road to Damascus!

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by tamicatana

I calculate the passage time, assess the expected conditions, and leave whenever I think gives me the best chance at arrival at the strange place in daylight.

There are only two aboard, and we tend to just sail till we don’t feel like it and then go off watch. That said, it usually works out that I am day and husband is night, just bc personality.

I like it!

Rock on, T

[Van Der Beek]

So that I arrive at daybreak, if possible.
Like most sailors I don't like to arrive "blind" i.e. at dark to a place I've never been before.

I imagine it a bit like landing a plane in the dark or heavy fog, yes you have all the instruments you need, but having your eyes confirm what those instruments tell you, induces less stress and make for a more relaxing (and safer) landing.

@OP
Hopefully you'll find the boat you're looking for in a near future.