Outrunning the weather! Reality or rubbish?

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AHoy2

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Is outrunning the weather really a factor when considering mobos for UK coastal use? I have seen this “major benefit” of fast boats mentioned several times on the forum, typically and most recently in the SD v. planning hull discussions.

A typical mobo trip is unlikely to see the boat further than 30 miles from a safe port. Assuming that a “slow” mobo cruises at 15Kts and a “fast” one at 25Kts the respective travel times to port are 2 hours and 1.2 hours - a difference of under 50 minutes. Extending the distance to a Channel or Irish Sea crossing increases the time difference to around 1½ hours. Do skippers really undertake passages with such tight weather windows, or does outrunning the weather mean reacting to conditions they didn’t plan for?

Associated with this, displacement boat owners (motor and raggie) work on a different timescale with a speed of 4 to 8Kts and need to plan longer passage times, making more allowance for conditions and the wider met picture. As a consequence do they make greater use of the “poorer” weather conditions (of F4 or more /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) that have many of the faster mobos at their moorings or “outrunning the weather” ?

Ahoy2. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Edit: Added displacement speed for benefit of HLB /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I'd love to find a 1 1/2 hour weather window....
Tried to get to Dover today in weather that i knew was going to change but it changed far quicker than forecast...

Outrunning weather....Haahhhh....dont even try it...IMHO
 
No idea where you get your thoughts from. Fast is about 20 knots, slow being raggie 3/4.

Distance, say about 100 miles, if trying to out run. Yep many of times out run a storm, before it came in. Missed most by three or four hours, Got a bit close to one, when a F10 came in after ten minutes. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Only time I ever tried to outrun a squall, it changed direction to follow me, then dumped a load of hailstones the size of small marbles on my head. Female crew that I was trying to impress with the joys of boating wouldn't step aboard again for months /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
The comparisons I think, would be relating to planning and full displacement, and the obvious difference.

Going to sea with an envisaged small window of weather opportunity is at the very least, ambitious.

Everybody thinks they have the best 'sea-boat', but when it all turns to poo, and if they all told the truth, no-one wants to be there.

There are of course those among us who go looking for an adrenalin fix, but thats a seperate issue again! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
We've often used the radar when fishing to track the path of a heavy shower, then moved ourselves to avoid it. That's about as far as outrunning the weather goes for me!
 
More a case of being able to use smaller weather windows, and sometimes getting into safe haven if things change unpredictably.

But often in heavy head sea weather a planning or SD boat has to slow to displacement speeds anyway so not much of a time saving if the weather is already that far gone.

The nice thing is sometimes being able to cruise at displacement speeds when the weather is amazing and there's great scenery to be enjoyed, no rush needed, even on long passages.
 
We were once holed up in Torquay for a week with a F7/8 blowing. There was a mornings lull before it was due to blow up again, so we legged it (4 and a bit hours back to the Solent). The sea had a fair old swell which kept us on our toes, but at 25 kts cruise, we made it with a couple of hours to spare. Then it really blew with a vengeance for another few days, so we were grateful of the window. Yes it be done, but I would not cut it too fine.
 
Definite reality for most family cruiser situations.
Two situations I can quote as examples

On holiday in Guernsey, Dom telephoned us while we were having a BBQ and said there is a nasty weather system on its way.

We cast off @ 0530

Calm seas
several warnings of swalls in our area with 50 knot winds
we could hear thunder

I pushed the throttles forward to max cruise revs

we then saw lightning astern of us that basically followed us into Studland anchorage where I placed my self at the side of the largest yacht in there.

Another time heading east up the N French coast there was a Spanish plume ( sp?) seriously heavy rain, the downpours with zero viability were clearly visible on the radar which we used to dodge around the black blobs, like a video game, speeds of 30 knots where needed.
At one point we had rain in the cockpit but kept dry, you could not see the stern of the boat it was that bad but we stayed dry.

At 25 knots you can usually get to your destination before the tide turns.
Many times I have been out in large waves, make good speed but knowing when the tide turns the waves will be seriously uncomfortable.

As for the nonsense about dangerous to run between windows, sorry thats just rubbish.

If you get it wrong you may wish you were not out there but you will not be in any danger.

We hope to find 4-5.
If you get it wrong you may be out in 6-7 but the boat will not start to sink until 8-9.

Its not just the speed of a fast boat that allows more comfort in heavy seas.......... once climbing up large waves you need an incredibly over powered boat to make the top at the speed and time you choose, been in a semi displacement boat hearing revs drop and knowing you arnt going to make the top is heart beating terror for some .
 
Yes
in 2007
when travelling a 70 mile trip from Giardini Naxos to Porto Rosa in Sicily, I had a weather window of NW wind Force 4 to 5 in the morning increasing to 6 later on in South Tyrennian sea
I found it Force 5 as soon as I turned Messina straits and 1 hour after I came in harbour it was gusting Force 7 too
that same trip but 3 days later I also saved myself a forcasted Force 7-8 again in the South Tyrennian, by travelling early in the morning which I did in a flat sea...
so yes in my opinion it helps a lot
 
As for the nonsense about dangerous to run between windows, sorry thats just rubbish.

If you get it wrong you may wish you were not out there but you will not be in any danger.










The way I have interpreted small weather windows is making passage between storms or adverse weather fronts.

Your first example was you moving in favourable conditions before the weather hit, and the second was dodging around heavy rain squalls, which usually means not much wind, but poor visability. Neither example dangerous, but I do get your point. I very much favour 25 knot cruise speed, etc............

However, I would not encourage boaters to make hasty descisions and put to sea during unstable weather patterns, or short lived lulls between strong fronts.

All it takes is a mechanical or physical (prop foul) failure and you are dead in the water. You may be 30 miles to sea, the boats rolling, you have your head in the engine room and start becoming sick. You are with your wife and kids, instant panick.

Isn't this why you buy a twin engined, shaft drive boat, well just try to hold a course at sea on one engine, as the weather picks up. There are of course proceedures to follow, locking off the dead shaft, trim tab fully down on the operational side, and ahead very slowly, but you are very much at the mercy of the elements.

Are you capable of carrying out all the necessary proceedures during a crisis, is it worth it.
Of course there is danger, everybody is going to handle a situation differently, and thats usually dependent on their level of experience.
 
If we worried about the next storm coming, we'd never go to sea. Theres always another storm coming, sooner or later.

If a trip can be done in say 4 hours, your in a predictable weather window, where as if it takes 12 hours, your not.

So speed makes a big difference.
 
I don't have any photos of this one, for all the reasons listed previously, but this was a printout from last season after a failed attempt to outrun something.

Guess which boat set off at 12:00 in moderate conditions then found themselves going up and down rather a lot until the next port:

wccruise.jpg
 
I guess if you are totally confident with your vessel, your capabilities, as well as the area in which you operate, then you will always make the dash.

If you are not all of the above, well, you decide.

When you talk weather, its like how longs a bit of string.

Hayden might be happy rolling along in 25 knots, and Joey Plonker might be highly stressed.

Too many anomolies.

Go if you are happy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I can only speak for myself as I have "outrun" the weather on two occasions in 6 years of owning Coney Island. Typical westerly wind weather patterns for the area. On both occasions it was from Abersoch to Porthmadog, so heading East. On both occasions it was badly forecast and started out pleaseant and sunny, then descended into sunny but very windy (rough sea) descending further into darkening skies and driving rain. We motored back as the sea started to heap up (family not impressed!) but we did outrun the rain and were moored up safe as the strom rolled in...then rolled away two hours later.
 
I'mjust a complete wimp who avoids deathwish "dashes" like the plague. All you dashers are betting your safety on weather forecasts which are inherently unreliable. Sooner or later you will wish you stayed at home. Done it, didn't like it, won't do it again!
 
setting off the day before bad wether hits is fine we all do that. I'm talking about the guys who think they have a couplel of hours to make it somehwhere. Not to mention quote "If you get it wrong you may wish you were not out there but you will not be in any danger" Since when was being caught out in a hoolie not dangerous?

maybe some folks are talking about a trip acroos the solent and of course thats OK Im talking about longer offshore passages
 
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