{"id":684,"date":"2000-05-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2000-05-24T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/?p=684"},"modified":"2012-03-07T20:15:35","modified_gmt":"2012-03-08T01:15:35","slug":"s_logs-dashew-dashew48","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/s_logs-dashew-dashew48\/","title":{"rendered":"Bermuda-Newport Passage: Gulf Stream Tactics"},"content":{"rendered":"
Squalls, lightning, and sloppy sea state – Steve and Linda brush up on their Gulf Stream crossing tactics.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Tuesday, May 23 – 0900.<\/h3>\n

Lots of exciting looking clouds – you could easily be intimidated – but no wind to speak of, not that we’re complaining mind you! Have unrolled the working jib and we’re just fetching our waypoint to cross the Gulf Stream, still on port tack.<\/p>\n

This is the first time we’ve played in the Stream in many years, so we’re a little rusty on the best tactics. However, there are a couple of basic cruising rules. First, avoid the Gulf Stream in frontal weather. The increased warmth and humidity add energy to whatever weather is above and downwind. Squalls are much more intense and a general heightening of wind strength is typical – although not always well forecast by computer models.<\/p>\n

The second issue is the sea state. The edges of the Stream are quite defined, much like the edges of differing air masses. As such they provide a type of wall, and wave systems can be trapped with these walls, bouncing back and forth, creating very uncomfortable and\/or chaotic conditions. You also have the issue of current opposing wind and wave which results in much steeper than normal waves.<\/p>\n

Along with the meandering (riverbed-like) flow of the main axis of the Gulf Stream, there are warm and cold eddies spinning on the sides. These are analogous to highs and lows in the atmosphere. The warm eddies spin clockwise as do high pressure systems, while the cold eddies spin counterclockwise, like low pressure systems.<\/p>\n

Even in a vessel as powerful as Beowulf, we would avoid crossing the stream in frontal weather conditions. However, for this passage it appears that is not an issue as we should be almost to Newport (maybe even anchored) when the next system crosses our path.<\/p>\n

From the Gulf Stream chart we picked up in Bermuda, and from Commander’s Weather, we have am entry point to cross the Stream somewhat to the west of our rhumb line course to Newport. The exit point is almost right on course – so we’re losing only ten miles or so to cross at a narrow spot. If we were 20 miles to the east, we’d be in the stream for a hundred-plus miles, instead of the 45 or so this will entail.<\/p>\n

1006<\/h3>\n

– Another squall line on radar and in the sky. Barometer is dropping. Roll up jib and get ready. Wind shifts abruptly 30 degrees to the right – to West, but drops to 15 knots rather than increase.<\/p>\n

1144<\/h3>\n

– Wind back to SW 18, sky is clearing ahead, and sea state is sloppy. Beowulf is powering along with working canvas and two tons of water ballast. She wants to run at 14 knots, but she’ll get accelerated and then a minute later get slowed by a crossing sea, so we’re probably averaging only 12 or so. Rebecca holding behind us about 12 miles. We seem pretty evenly matched and it is a good chance for us to check the effect of sail trim and ballast.If trim is off a bit, she begins to catch us – particularly if we are oversheeted.<\/p>\n

1200<\/h3>\n

– Just received the current (4 hrs old) surface analysis on the fax. If you move it forward a couple of hours, they have the front exactly right. We’ve got roughly 385 miles to go. <\/p>\n

1530<\/h3>\n

– Still making good progress. 340 miles to go. If we average 11 knots from here, we’ll get in at 2130 Wed. If we can maintain 12.5, easy to do if the wind picks up and stays SW, we’d be in by 1830.<\/p>\n

1610<\/h3>\n

– Spoke with Rebecca. They are 12 miles behind us and to leeward, doing steady 13 to 14 in 20-24 knots of wind – while we’re slowing down in lighter airs. Another squall line ahead on radar. Not as intense looking, but wider areas of light showers showing up. Have to see if our lighter winds are general and we’re ahead so in them first, or they have a better slant of wind.<\/p>\n

1800<\/h3>\n

– 36deg 23min N\/69deg W<\/h3>\n

. Wind SW down to 8-10. Rebecca has stopped gaining on us, so the lighter winds are area wide.<\/p>\n

Wednesday, May 24 – <\/h3>\n

0015 <\/h3>\n

– Hit the first way point for Gulf Stream. No temperature change and still adverse current.<\/p>\n

0130<\/h3>\n

– Now we’re in it for sure. Water temperature is up eight degrees F, no major current effect except a set to the East. Breeze is SSW at 15 so we’re starting to pick up speed. This is forecast to build to 30 knots, gusting 40 as the day wears on. That should provide a nice ride! Sea state quite mild and very balmy outside. We’re still sleeping under a light blanket, wearing shorts and T-shirts. GPS says 34 miles to go until next way point on other edge of stream. Bet the air temperature changes then (our cold weather clothes – including thermal underwear, are ready to go).Unless the wind picks up quickly or goes somewhat forward, there is now little chance of getting into Newport for dinner. Have not been able to raise Rebecca in VHF. Hopefully this is because she is way behind – but then she could be way ahead, if she has done a better job with getting a favorable push from the Stream. Her position to leeward also gives her a better (closer) reaching angle in the current breeze – which is too deep for our liking at 150 degrees true. Isolated squalls dot the radar at 48 mile range, nothing looks ominously shaped. Still, we’re avoiding them in deference to the Gulf Stream’s potential.<\/p>\n

0230<\/h3>\n

– We must be in the southeast meander of the Gulf Stream we were trying to avoid. Current is knocking two knots off our speed and pushing us SE so that our course is adjust about 20 degrees to the NW (we’re steering 345 magnetic making 002). Water temp now up 9.5 degrees F and more isolated squalls showing up on radar. 30 miles to go until we’re out of the stream. Hopefully we’ll be clear before the early morning round of squall activity begins to kick in.<\/p>\n

0300<\/h3>\n

– Radar shows two lines of squalls, about 40 miles across, ahead of us. Lightning beginning to show ahead of us. Don’t see how we can avoid these, but perhaps heading up will help.<\/p>\n

0310<\/h3>\n

– Squalls building on radar – however for now we are not getting any closer. They are about 2 miles ahead, about where the edge of the Gulf Stream lies. On deck, overhead, it is clear, and a lovely canopy of stars quilts the sky. Lots of cloud-to-cloud lightning ahead, but do not see any water strikes – yet (and we hope it stays that way!).<\/p>\n

0330<\/h3>\n

– Breeze puffing into low 20s, but averaging 18 from south. We’re flying the reaching jib of the bowsprit, main and mizzen. We’ll wait until we’re out of the stream for the mizzen genoa. Barometer has been steadily dropping since mid morning. From a high of 1017 it is now 1005 – if we didn’t have fax charts to tell us what was happening, this would be a definite indicator something was on the way.Still losing a couple of knots to the current.<\/p>\n

0350<\/h3>\n

– Closing with squall line – now just 10 miles ahead. Starting to see a few water strikes of lightning. Have rolled away big reacher and are proceeding under main and mizzen until we know how much (if any) wind increase there is. During the day you could get some warning with wind on the water but at night the only warning will come from a sudden drop in temperature – and that’s often only 30 seconds to a minute. If we were in the trades we’d probably carry the reacher right through the squalls – but here we are forced to respect the potential of the Gulf Stream heat machine.<\/p>\n

0530 <\/h3>\n

– Still fussing with the squall line. Now in the northwest corner. 120 degree windshift, and quick increase in wind to 25 knots, but down down to 9. Water strikes of lightning on port bow. In theory, metal boats have a lower likelihood of getting hit as they bleed off the ion charge necessary to create a leader for the cloud’s energy to travel down. Still, it is always a little uncomfortable when you see that energy wacking the water nearby!Water temperature has dropped 8 degrees F in past 20 minutes – so I’d say we’re on the edge of the stream.<\/p>\n

0600<\/h3>\n

– According to our waypoints we are now out of the Gulf Stream. After a couple of hikes to 25 knots from SW to NW, wind is back in SW at 10 knots. We can see clear spots in the sky to the west although to the east and directly overhead it is still raining. Sea state has moderated considerably. Probably the lack of opposing current. Boat speed and speed over ground are equal for the first time in a long while.Now we wait on the SW wind to fill back in. Meanwhile, Rebecca is 15 miles or so to leeward and just behind us. If the wind stays deep behind us, her position gives her a much better angle to Newport with the wind further forward. That could be a problem. 209 miles to the Sea Buoy off Newport.<\/p>\n

Have not received weather faxes for a while, so are not sure what to expect in the way of timing for the next front. As we have gotten progressively closer to NMF in Boston we’ve had to lower the receiving frequencies. In the West Indies 12 mgh worked the best. In Bermuda it was 9 mgh most of the time. For most of this passage we’ve been using 6 mgh and just now we’ve started to pick up NMF on 4 mgh. <\/p>\n

0615<\/h3>\n

– Clear skies, no rain, and no wind. (View the weatherfaxes at http:\/\/www.mpc.ncep.noaa.gov<\/a> .)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Squalls, lightning, and sloppy sea state – Steve and Linda brush up on their Gulf Stream crossing tactics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[145,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beowulf-logs","category-dashew-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/setsail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}