The Nordhavn 40 around the world got a very early lesson why a low power
vessel needs to follow the sailing routes (mostly trade wind)--On the trip
from Dana Point to Hawaii, the Nordhavn 40 ran the rumb line, without takining
into consideration that the Pacific High had moved further South than normal,
thus changing what would have been a down wind, down wave run, into a thrash
into the wind and waves. Subsiquently the fuel consumption was much higher
than anticipated. Not only do you need to be aware of the "average" patterns,
but of specific locations of high and low pressure areas at the time of your
passage.
What I learned during that passage to Hawaii from California--I was
aboard as crew--was that you need competent fuel management. You need
to know your boat and its fuel consumption curves and be able to fine
tune fuel burn as the passages progresses.
So that even if you know, as we did, the specific location of highs
and lows, when they don't move as forecast, you're not going to get
caught short.
Going to weather is not nice, but running out of fuel is a definite no-no.
As it turned out, the last 24 hours or so of our 16-day passage we
were able to run at hull speed, because the captain had fussed with
fuel burn for the first half of the passage so that there would be
sufficient reserves.
--Georgs
Georgs Kolesnikovs
Editor and Publisher, Circumnavigator
http://www.nordhavn.com/circumnavigator/cirumnavigator.php4
Bob Austin wrote:
>The Nordhavn 40 around the world got a very early lesson why a low power
>vessel needs to follow the sailing routes (mostly trade wind)--On the trip
>from Dana Point to Hawaii, the Nordhavn 40 ran the rumb line, without takining
>into consideration that the Pacific High had moved further South than normal,
>thus changing what would have been a down wind, down wave run, into a thrash
>into the wind and waves. Subsiquently the fuel consumption was much higher
>than anticipated. Not only do you need to be aware of the "average" patterns,
>but of specific locations of high and low pressure areas at the time of your
>passage.
What I learned during that passage to Hawaii from California--I was
aboard as crew--was that you need competent fuel management. You need
to know your boat and its fuel consumption curves and be able to fine
tune fuel burn as the passages progresses.
So that even if you know, as we did, the specific location of highs
and lows, when they don't move as forecast, you're not going to get
caught short.
Going to weather is not nice, but running out of fuel is a definite no-no.
As it turned out, the last 24 hours or so of our 16-day passage we
were able to run at hull speed, because the captain had fussed with
fuel burn for the first half of the passage so that there would be
sufficient reserves.
--Georgs
--
Georgs Kolesnikovs
Editor and Publisher, Circumnavigator
http://www.nordhavn.com/circumnavigator/cirumnavigator.php4
