Bryan wrote:
I've never experienced an absence of wind where I didn't have an auxilliary
(sp?), you know, a motor, to fall back on; I've only read of the scenario.

What is the longest dead calm you've experienced? Were you relaxed, you
know, calm, about it? How long did it take before it started to get to you,
if at all?

If not you, what is the longest dead calm our sailing author's have
experienced and lived to tell?


I once experienced 4 days of almost dead calm in a Vic-Maui race. We
got too close to the centre of the high pressure. For those days we
covered about 25-30 miles a day. It was sweltering hot and we were
misersable.

"Gary" wrote in message
news:_jZjf.13770$Gd6.5128@pd7tw3no...
Bryan wrote:
I've never experienced an absence of wind where I didn't have an
auxilliary (sp?), you know, a motor, to fall back on; I've only read of
the scenario.

What is the longest dead calm you've experienced? Were you relaxed, you
know, calm, about it? How long did it take before it started to get to
you, if at all?

If not you, what is the longest dead calm our sailing author's have
experienced and lived to tell?
I once experienced 4 days of almost dead calm in a Vic-Maui race. We got
too close to the centre of the high pressure. For those days we covered
about 25-30 miles a day. It was sweltering hot and we were misersable.

Hard to say if you would have still been miserable if you hadn't been racing
and it hadn't been sweltering hot. Did you ever doubt you would find wind
again?

Bryan wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:_jZjf.13770$Gd6.5128@pd7tw3no...

Bryan wrote:

I've never experienced an absence of wind where I didn't have an
auxilliary (sp?), you know, a motor, to fall back on; I've only read of
the scenario.

What is the longest dead calm you've experienced? Were you relaxed, you
know, calm, about it? How long did it take before it started to get to
you, if at all?

If not you, what is the longest dead calm our sailing author's have
experienced and lived to tell?

I once experienced 4 days of almost dead calm in a Vic-Maui race. We got
too close to the centre of the high pressure. For those days we covered
about 25-30 miles a day. It was sweltering hot and we were misersable.


Hard to say if you would have still been miserable if you hadn't been racing
and it hadn't been sweltering hot. Did you ever doubt you would find wind
again?


We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast
in an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us
miserable was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were
so late getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that
normal takes 12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we
were reduced to slim fixin's.

"Gary" wrote in message
news:Eh_jf.14432$Gd6.5093@pd7tw3no...
Bryan wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:_jZjf.13770$Gd6.5128@pd7tw3no...

Bryan wrote:

I've never experienced an absence of wind where I didn't have an
auxilliary (sp?), you know, a motor, to fall back on; I've only read of
the scenario.

What is the longest dead calm you've experienced? Were you relaxed, you
know, calm, about it? How long did it take before it started to get to
you, if at all?

If not you, what is the longest dead calm our sailing author's have
experienced and lived to tell?

I once experienced 4 days of almost dead calm in a Vic-Maui race. We got
too close to the centre of the high pressure. For those days we covered
about 25-30 miles a day. It was sweltering hot and we were misersable.


Hard to say if you would have still been miserable if you hadn't been
racing and it hadn't been sweltering hot. Did you ever doubt you would
find wind again?
We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast in
an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us miserable
was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were so late
getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that normal takes
12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we were reduced to
slim fixin's.

Were you starting to worry or did knowing that you could call for help keep
the idea of starving to death in check?

Bryan wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:Eh_jf.14432$Gd6.5093@pd7tw3no...


We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast in
an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us miserable
was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were so late
getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that normal takes
12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we were reduced to
slim fixin's.


Were you starting to worry or did knowing that you could call for help keep
the idea of starving to death in check?


No worry, we had stuff to eat but no real food. We had a big bag of
flour and lots of jam and peanut butter. We just had no meat, rice,
bread or any of the normal stuff.

"Gary" wrote in message
news:OC3kf.13291$ki.3236@pd7tw2no...
Bryan wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:Eh_jf.14432$Gd6.5093@pd7tw3no...


We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast
in an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us
miserable was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were
so late getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that normal
takes 12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we were
reduced to slim fixin's.


Were you starting to worry or did knowing that you could call for help
keep the idea of starving to death in check?
No worry, we had stuff to eat but no real food. We had a big bag of flour
and lots of jam and peanut butter. We just had no meat, rice, bread or
any of the normal stuff.

Seems like fresh fish would also be an option.

--AG

Alan Gomes wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:OC3kf.13291$ki.3236@pd7tw2no...

Bryan wrote:

"Gary" wrote in message
news:Eh_jf.14432$Gd6.5093@pd7tw3no...


We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast
in an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us
miserable was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were
so late getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that normal
takes 12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we were
reduced to slim fixin's.


Were you starting to worry or did knowing that you could call for help
keep the idea of starving to death in check?

No worry, we had stuff to eat but no real food. We had a big bag of flour
and lots of jam and peanut butter. We just had no meat, rice, bread or
any of the normal stuff.


Seems like fresh fish would also be an option.

--AG


We had no fishing gear and our homemade stuff was unsuccessful. We
certainly had gear (and fish) on the way home.

"Alan Gomes" wrote in message
...

"Gary" wrote in message
news:OC3kf.13291$ki.3236@pd7tw2no...
Bryan wrote:
"Gary" wrote in message
news:Eh_jf.14432$Gd6.5093@pd7tw3no...


We knew it was an anomalie. The high had moved very close to the coast
in an unusual pattern. There was wind all around us. What made us
miserable was that our wives were in Hawaii and waiting for us. We were
so late getting there that they had all flown home. The trip that
normal takes 12 - 15 days took us 21! We ran out of food at 18 and we
were reduced to slim fixin's.


Were you starting to worry or did knowing that you could call for help
keep the idea of starving to death in check?
No worry, we had stuff to eat but no real food. We had a big bag of
flour and lots of jam and peanut butter. We just had no meat, rice,
bread or any of the normal stuff.

Seems like fresh fish would also be an option.

--AG

As I recall, the stories I've read that included descriptions of dead calms,
seem to have a common theme of an absence of hungry fish in the area as well
the absence of wind.