On Sep 28, 2:37 pm, "Don White" wrote:
"Vic Smith" wrote in message

...

Good movie, but...
Since I'm tending more and more toward a sailboat, I have a question.
How often in your various areas is it impossible to move under sail
because it is dead calm?
Anybody care to give an estimate in terms of days/hours/season?
Ohara has said there is "no wind" in the summer on the Florida gulf
coast, but since I'm not there with a sailboat I don't how to
interpret that in a meaningful way.
Thanks.

--Vic

This is a great place to sail.
Winds most afternoons from about noon to 1800 hrs.
Besides, you'll have a small motor for those times when you'e becalmed.

Casual sailboat cruisers find that they end up motoring more than 50%
of the time to get anywhere. You can be a fanatic and eventually get
there but ask enough cruisers and I think they will verify this oft
quoted number. This motoring 50% of the time is for cruisers
regardless of where they live. However sailboats tend to be very
economical on fuel use getting about .5 gal/hr at about 6 kts. Mine
uses so little fuel that keeping a full tank of fuel from growing
algae is a problem.
When it comes to sailing, the smaller the boat the more fun because
being very close to the water makes you feel like you are going fast.
I cannot say there is "NO" wind on the gulf Coast in summer but the
fraction of days when it is totally glassy is over 50% with few days
with consistent wind. Time whn it is not glassy is generally due to
an approaching thunderstorm (late June till Mid Sept.) or storm in the
gulf.