sherwindu wrote:
I think the problem was not so much the time of the year, but you probably
sailed when there were winds out of the NW, N, or NE.

Nope, winds were E when we first headed out from Ft Pierce, clocking
slowly around to SSW.

... That makes for very
steep waves
in the Gulf Stream with it's northerly flowing current.

Boy does it ever.

Another issue is that the waves tend to build up in a certain direction
and take a long time to die down. We were sailing in a cross-swell most
of the time which made steering tricky.

... There are days in the
winter when the winds are more favorable. I have sometimes waited up to a
week for the winds to clock around to give a more favorable crossing.

I would too, normally. But this was a delivery.

Shortening sail should be the first thing on a sailor's mind, short of
fighting off catastrophes, like a hole in the
bottom of the boat. Maybe I'm extra cautious because of having a 22 footer,
but I
think bigger boats can also get into trouble, especially in the Gulf Stream.

Sherwin D.


Bigger boats, like maybe freighters and/or Navy destroyers?
The ocean is plenty big enough to humble man's grandest creations.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King