Distance in a day (24 hrs) I know it depends on ..

[mocruising]

Dear experienced sailors and cruisers. If I average 5 kts for a period of 24 hrs it does not take a genius to work out that I will travel 120 miles. However what is a reasonable distance one can cover in a day in a well found cruising boat. ( HR 46) I know all the calculations wrt water line length I am not after this and I know that with a fair wind I will make better progress that with a unfair wind or no wind atall. I know I am asking how long is a bit of string but some of you experienced cruisers must have an average. I will be sailing from the SW of England and heading generally for the Med. I have 8 weeks before mid October where might I end up.

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[boatless]

Think you'll need to decide which bits are going to be done in 'delivery mode' and which are to be enjoyed.

I'd have thought you'd be motoring at 7kt as you near your destination, but perhaps sailing at 5 on the days you're just cruising. Once you get to know the boat and your mood, you'll have a minimum speed, at which you drop the sails and fire up. Mine's 4 if I'm trying to please the kids a bit, 2 if I'm pleasing myself.

Gather you're thinking of dashing past France, so a 6kt average for that part should be easily achievable, more if you play the tides well.

<hr width=100% size=1>my opinion is complete rubbish, probably.

 

[snowleopard]

i will stick my neck out and say: work on a 6-knot average assuning you will motor if speed drops below say 5 knots. the weather conditions will of course have the biggest influence, for example you could reckon on 8 knots in the trades or 4-5 in contrary winds. if you don't use the engine on your route it could be anywhere between 4 & 7 knots depending on the mood biscay is in, whether the portuguese trades are established and whether you hit a levanter in the straights.

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[SimonJ]

Sorry to be contrary it is not about how fast you go but how often you stop. You can for example get to Portugal easily in a week but then you will have missed what some think is the best part - the Spanish Rias for instance. Are you sailing to get there or sailing to cruise there? You can obviously get a long way in 8 weeks - or not! I should decide where you want to go first. If you are intending to overwinter somewhere can I suggest the Algarve? In which case see my ideas in the over winter in Gib message. Big choice, good prices, easy access and wonderful Portugese - others may disagree!

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[davidbains]

Re: Distance in a day (24 hrs) I know it depends o

As Simon says, it's about how often you stop. Frankly if you're not leaving till mid
August it's getting late to hang about in France or Biscay.
The normal thing is to sail fairly smartly to Brest or Camaret. Then wait if nec
for some higher pressure to cross Biscay. When you reach Bayonna, again take
stock of the weather and either enjoy cruising Portugal or head south fast!
I took 21 days from Brighton to Gib with not that many overnighters apart
from Biscay. Paused there to change crew and then in no wind motored
to Almerimar in another week. In eight weeks you could be in the Balearics.
Really cruising is firstly about where you're going to leave the boat next winter
and adjusting passagemaking accordingly.
I'm afraid people talk a lot of tosh about averages, usually claiming their top speed
through the water as an average. The real average from starting point to
destination is always much lower. If you're lagging behind your plan then a few
overnighters certainly moves you on a bit since you're not "losing time"
diverting into ports or exiting from them.

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[tcm]

agree with simon and david

yep.

albeit motoryboatingy, we took a boat with family antibes to gib and it took 2 weeks, 800 miles.

Then deliverywise, took it from gib-soton, 1200 miles, 3.5 days. Only stopped for fuel, then off again.

I met a 54 foot oyster in antibes, lady skipper said she took 15 days from ipswich, 10 at sea, in feb.

The key to covering big mileages in a boat or in a car is simple: stop as short a time as poss. Of course, you'll see no scenery, which cd be a pity...

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[tcm]

Re: Biscay note

there is at least one insurance companuy which discourages (by charging more) boats from being in Biscay between 15th August and 1st April. Arbitrary but interesting, and i plan to comply.

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[AndrewB]

If you were talking about a reliable trade wind passage, such as you should get down the Portuguese coast, then a daily average of 130 miles (5½kts) under sail should be reasonable for an HR46, more if you push it. Trouble is, you could get almost anything across Biscay - including severe gales that hold you up at that time of year. Allow 4½ days from Plymouth to Camarinas (500 miles), it could be quicker but might well take longer .... unless you turn the engine on.

 

[Spacewaist]

There are two answers to this Q. The first one is all the sensible advice from Simon & David with which I agree.

The second answer is that an Ocean passage in an HR46, provided (i) you can sail directly towards your destination (i.e. off the wind), and (ii) you are going to motor if the speed dies below 4 kts - then a 150 day average is well possible.

With 20kts true wind behind the beam (quite possible in Biscay in Aug/Sept) - then 170-180 miles quite feasible. You could go faster but - even with a big crew - I'd slow the boat to avoid breaking anything!

Very jealous - good luck.

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[Spacewaist]

I'd just add one thing about weather. True, the weather becomes less predicatable as the year wears on, but conventionally people say you have until the end of August to get through.

There are many sources of long range weather. The best I know (and the most expensive) is the Talk to a Forecaster service from the Met Office. These are pretty reliable at the macro level even four five days off (eg there will be fresh winds/strong winds from the South West quadrant on Thursday).

Biscay is quite a short passage (3 days ish) and once round Finisterre the wind sd stay firmly in the North.

My plan wd be to sit in port and wait for a "weather window", then confirm it by phone with the Met Office before departure. It's £17 a go, but worth it and gave me the confidence to keep going. Even if it costs you £51 for three goes, it is a small price to pay for the safety of your HR46 - oh, and her crew!.

Finally, if you've got the right comms you can speak to the Met Office while at sea. Attraction of this is that - if the weather turns nasty, they can break down the nearer term forecast into segments of a particular sea area and route you round bad weather. On passage back from the Azores in 2002 a vigorous depression was forecast. Many boats stood off and hove to for a couple of days to let the depression pass through. The forecast for Sole Lundy Fasnet etc was SW 9-10. The Met Office "routed me" through the southern sector of Sole to be sure of lighter (F6/7) winds for a comfortable - if exhilarating - passage.



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[jimboaw]

A few years back we took our Fjord 33 MS down to the Canaries and back. Some coast hopping some overnights. Best 24hrs 120 miles. Now have 40' Lavranos designed cutter which we live aboard and cruise E coast US. Best 24 (only 2 60ish crew) 185 miles.Marine Weather for Biscay/Spain/ Portugal ? Brush up your French. Far better than the Met Office! Freq/times in Reeds I think.

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[mocruising]

Thanks for the info all good stuff and I like the idea of weather routing, yes the boat has a Sat phone and SSB and I also carry a Thurayah hand held sat unit so comms. will not be a problem.

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[charles_reed]

Average speeds

Atlantic speeds tend to be far more consistent than in the Med.

On 29'10" LWL I used to passage-plan on 6 knots mean in W Atlantic seaboard passages, with my best 24 hrs being 187nM.

In the Med, where winds are highly variable in both direction and speeds, and are usually inadequate or excessive I use 5 knots as a more accurate mean, tho' I did a passage from Palau to Fiumicino last month at an average of 6.7, thanks to a brisk WSW and the genniker.

The problem with the med is the short sharp seas you get which stop a lightweight boat like mine trying to go to windward. An HR 46 will be better to windward but slower off the wind so I'd guess a reasonable mean for you would be about 5.5 knots.

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[charles_reed]

Passaging to the Med

Having done it a few times I'd say that, unless you get caught in a SW blow - easily forecast 5-6 days ahead - Biscay is an easy, but boring 3 day passage if you keep outside the 160m mark.

Far more amusing is to coast-hop down S Brittany (for my money one of the best cruising grounds you'll experience), cut across from la Rochelle to Donostia (San Sebastian to the hoi polloi) and then down the N Spanish coast to Rias Biaxas, definitely the best cruising next to W Isles. After June you'll have the Portuguese Trades to take you down that dodgy bit of coast to Cascais or Sines.
I'd strongly recommend NOT rushing into the Western Med - one of the least desirable cruising grounds in the world - missing the delights on the way there.

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