No navigation but an educational what if

[Ross]

http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/caribbean/caribbean.htmlImagine your self somewhere in the Caribbean sea when you are caught in a storm and dismasted above the lower spreaders. When the storm clears all hands are healthy, long range radio is out, there is adequate food and water for a few weeks and you are able to jury rig sails. Your motor fuel supply is good for 10 hours. How and where would you plan to make land fall if the storm had blown you west of the island chains? You still have a functional GPS and small scale charts of the region and some harbor charts.Edit to add link:http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/maps/caribbean-map.htmlEdited to add question mark after "chains"

 

[Doug13108]

Assuming the prevailing easterlies

have returned, you would probably want to sail south/southwest to the ABCs. Oranjestad, Aruba is a well marked harbor. If it is hurricane season, you would not want to head north for DR or Jamaica. You could go downwind, but the Central American coast is more hazardous and it's a long sail unless you are already very far west.

 

[Ross]

My thinking is that the currents will be

a strong factor in your decision. The jury rig may not have very good ability to the weather.

 

[sailaway78]

More info please

Ross, I would need more info. before I made any decision. How far north/south am I located, and how far west have I been blown. The Caribbean isn't that big, and lots of folks seem to forget there is a west side to it. So, depending on how far west I have been blown, and where I am located in a north/south direction would have to be determined first. Would also have to take into consideration the moral of the crew. Then a decision would be made. Possibilities would range from the Yucatan, to the Honduras Panama area, the coast of S.America if I was blown way west, to the closest island to the east of my location. Also would have to consider the Cayman Islands kind of out there in the middle, if far enough north.I might also be tempted to consider making for Cuba, as I would love to go there and an emergency situation would excuse me from the stupid govt. regs now in effect.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Uhm, the question says you HAVE a

functioning GPS receiver. Why would you "need to know more about where your are?"Winds blow east to west, currents do different things that I don't remember since we're 3,000 miles away. But if I was sailing down there I'd learn what the currents did and make best use of a downwind run to a beam reach course under jury rig using the currents.Also depends if I spoke Spanish or not or where I'd like to go that i haven't been already.

 

[Ross]

The first link in the post is for the Caribbean

current. I gave you the GPS so that you could determine your location and then formulate your decision. As to morale I include wine and spirits as essential provisions in the food locker.

 

[Buck2796]

Stu,

I may have the GPS; but, for the purposes of answering the question, I don't know what it says.As "Nice and Easy" says; without knowing where that GPS says I am, I can't decide on the best course of action.So.... where am I ? ? Just West of Granada; just West of Antigua; just South of Jamaica; just East of Panama ? ? ? Ross, the question can't really be answered intelligently as stated.BTW, you should have a question mark after your 4th sentence.

 

[Ross]

I left the location as an open question

so that each person could formulate his/her own course of action. There are no wrong answers.

 

[newly anonymous]

close-hauled on starboard tack

...and let the wind gods decide where we make landfall.

 

[Ross]

That works for me . watch out for a lee shore

 

[CalebD]

I like the question as posed.

Even though the time of year is intentionally left blank (eg, hurricane season or not). I think the first thing to do is to get a location fix from the GPS and figure out where you are. The next thing is to come up with some options for saving your damaged boat and in tact crew. I would want to jury rig as much sail as possible to get within 6 - 8 hours of being able to motor into a port (hurricane season and insurance riders be damned). My Spanish is at a level where I could muddle through as is my Francais (S'il vous plait? Por favor!) so either country on Hispaniola would be alright although I bet that the thievery level in both countries would be a factor in my decision. Another consideration is that whatever course I choose that there may be more bad weather coming my way and with a jury rigged set of canvas I would want to use the predominant current to my advantage (generally WNW with usual Easterly winds) to get to terra firma quickly, even if that meant landing in Cuba, or Haiti. The ABC islands would be fine choices if they were nearby but it appears that the current would not be able to help you get there quite as easily unless you were within 10 hours of motoring.Also left blank is that the VHF (not long range) radio is working but I will assume it is but perhaps not from the top of the mast any more (auxiliary antenna) so I would attempt to contact any other ship that might come within line of sight.

 

[Buck2796]

John,

Would your answer be the same if your GPS told you that you were 50m West of Granada ?Personally, I'd rather just motor into the wind back to St George instead of tacking 500 miles across the Caribbean to maybe Puerto Rico or the DR. But, then, some people DO like to sail

 

[Ross]

I posted the link to the caribbean current

so that even with no experience in that region some small knowledge was available. A small scale chart will allow a crew to determine where "where" is as derived from the GPS. I deliberately left out "where" you can chose that and start from there. It is posible that you were on the atlantic side of the Antillies when the storm struck and you were blown through a passsge between the islands and are some distance west .

 

[Ross]

Buck would 10 hours of fuel take you

50 miles against wind and current?

 

[Benny]

If you were somewhere in the Caribbean sea

and just go blown west, means you are deeper into the body of water. A quick glance at the chartplotter will tell you where you are at. The current that comes up the coast of Central America wraps inside the Gulf and comes out between Cuba and the Florida Penninsula will suggest you avoid going westward. Cuba, especially its southern coast would not be my first choice. The Domonican Republic sounds like a good choice for landfall, Bermudez Rum, Merengue music and good sea food. Sailing to the Eastern Caribbean would just mean going against wind an currents so shoot for the big islands wether running or heading up. You would like landfall at a Port O' Call where you can efficiently repair your rig. Puerto Rico would probably offer the best facilities and parts availability. They also have Salsa and a darn good rum.

 

[Ross]

Benny, You need to open the first link

It has the title of The Caribbean Current and that current is worth reading about.

 

[newly anonymous]

Buck, I've lost a mast before...

...and while it's no fun, it's no reason to mess up a good sail... ...on the other hand, although I've been to Antiqua and St. Lucia, I've never done Grenada.

 

[Buck2796]

WELL....

Ross, Sure; motor as far as the 10 hrs will take you, then sail the last mile or 2 into the harbor like a hero..John, never lost a mast! ! Heard that they're too hard to find if your're offshore.BUT; ... THERE ARE 3 MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER ...First.. This incident could not have happened on a Hunter.. A Hunter would have sunk long before it even encountered the storm (wherever that might have been),Second.. Since we must be on a real "blue water capable" sailboat (like a Swan or .. a Beneteau), with plenty of food, wine and current charts, why bother to do anything? Eventually you'll drift to land somewhere, or not. Or, maybe be found by a drug running boat (followed by a US Homeland Secruity boat, follow by a UFO ?)Third .. My deck crew and her friend want to know if they can be included in the story... The thought of drifting aimlessly for days on end, laying out on the foredeck (naked), eating, drinking wine, and reading current charts has them packing their bags already.....

 

[newly anonymous]

incorrect assumption

sorry to have opened the door for some gratuitous Hunter bashing, but lest I leave you with the wrong impression, it was a Juneau 40 on which we lost the mast, not a Hunter.

 

[Ross]

John, That's why you lived to tell about it.

;D