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

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:20:53 -0500, Vic Smith wrote:

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

In coastal areas, "dead calm" is relatively rare. Just the sun's heat,
and the differences between water and land, will provide a daily offshore/
onshore breeze. However, the difference between a breeze and wind,
between ghosting and burying a rail, is often the difference between
boredom and fun. I would interpret O'Hara's comment as sailing the
Florida Gulf Coast in summer as not being fun, not that there isn't
enough wind to move.

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:21:58 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:20:53 -0500, Vic Smith wrote:

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

In coastal areas, "dead calm" is relatively rare. Just the sun's heat,
and the differences between water and land, will provide a daily offshore/
onshore breeze. However, the difference between a breeze and wind,
between ghosting and burying a rail, is often the difference between
boredom and fun. I would interpret O'Hara's comment as sailing the
Florida Gulf Coast in summer as not being fun, not that there isn't
enough wind to move.

Makes sense. Lucky I'm not easily bored on the water, but I can see
how my patience might be tested.

--Vic

"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.

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.

On Sep 28, 7:17 pm, wrote:
On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:37:57 -0300, "Don White"

wrote:
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.

I can't speak tor the north coast but we almost always have a good
breeze in the afternoon in SW Fl. It is usually west to east but if we
have something going on off the east coast strong enough to push off
the sea breeze we get east winds.
I do see slick calm mornings when I am doing my sunrise water samples
(that's when you should test for dissolved oxygen)

I have heard that Ft Laud (like much of SE FL)has reliable summer
winds that moderate the temps somewhat. We do not so inland more than
2 miles is brutal. Early summer pattern is for T-storms to build up
about 5 miles inland but they do not move offshore cuz they are
opposed by the seabreeze. In late June, the seabreeze dies so the T-
storms move over the near shore. Later, the water is warm enough to
produce its own t-storms and then there is no seabreeze. Mid -Sept,
fewer t-storms over land but a few offshore till the water cools in
early Oct. Then we get the fronts coming thru causing winds to clock
around to the north being strong for a couple days then they clock to
the east and die. Best sailing days are either in a weak winter front
the day it passes or the day right after a stronger one.
When I 1st started sailing, I was on Lake Guntersville in N. Alabama.
They had even fewer good sailing days due to the surrounding Mts.
From what I can tell, most northern climes have great summer sailing.

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:20:53 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

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.


Summer on the Gulf of Mexico is problematic. It is frequently dead
calm in the morning before the sea breeze builds up along the shore in
the afternoon. Afternoon in summer brings in the thunderstorms
however and they can be very dicey for a small sailboat. Winter is
much better with days of steady easterly winds in south Florida, ideal
for reaching up and down the coast. Ohara is up north in the Big Bend
area and probably has less wind on most days.

Another big variable is whether or not you are sailing just for the
pleasure of being out there, or if you are trying to get someplace.
Sailors trying to get somewhere spend a lot of time with the engine
on, well over 50%, quite possibly over 90%.