As a new owner of a mac26, and as a new sailor, what distance can we expect to travel on Lake Erie on a three day weekend, out and back?
Sailing distance.
- Thread starter gbrian
- Start date
It depends:
First on your minimum sailing speed before you turn on your motor. If you are trying to get places, most people will say 4 knots, and use that number for your distance calculations.
Then on how many hours will you actually sail each day? Eight?
If so 8x4 = 32 NM a day.
First on your minimum sailing speed before you turn on your motor. If you are trying to get places, most people will say 4 knots, and use that number for your distance calculations.
Then on how many hours will you actually sail each day? Eight?
If so 8x4 = 32 NM a day.
Or if you're like me and say that you're out there for sailing not motoring, you can set your minimum speed at "anything that will register on your GPS for at least 45 minutes each hour" you could do as little as 3 or 4 miles in the whole three days and spend the last hour motoring back... Some crews get impatient when you do this though.
It is important to size your sailing area. It helps for planning destinations, refueling stops and provisioning. The answer to your question would depend on what you envision doing whether sailing non-stop or just cruising to a nice cove and spending most of the weekend there. We like to get a few hours of sailing and then reaching an anchorage in the late afternoon with time to relax, fix dinner and just enjoy quiet time in the water. On a three day trip we usually plan on a sail not to exceed 30nm one way. At an average speed of 4.5 knots it comes out to about 7 hours underway. That gives us the whole 2nd day to enjoy the destination and then return on the 3rd day. If you can work a triangular route then you may be able to sail a few miles each of the three days and spend two nights at different destinations. There are some things that can be done to extend the sailing area; you can take one weekend to pre-position the boat 100nm away and then pick it up on the following weekend to start the actual trip. That would entail finding a transient slip in a marina to leave the boat over the week days. If you have a trailer for the boat it is even easier as you could drive and tow it for a few hours and start your trip 300 miles away or if you want to make a one way run just drop off the tow vehicle and trailer at your chosen destination and when you get there just pull it out of the water and drive back. As far as how far is it safe to go, it depends on the wind or the amount of fuel you carry. A 10HP outboard engine will burn around 1 gallon per hour so if you are carrying 2 five gallon cans of fuel you will have around 10 hours of motoring. When coastal cruising it is always a good idea to have tow insurance. If you get stranded they will bring gas out to you or tow you to shore.
We had our Hunter 27 at Mentor Lagoons near you for three years. Four hours was a good max for a three day weekend. That's basically From Cleveland to the west to Geneva to the East. Chagrin River and Fairport Harbor are two other good destinations within that range.
Sailing across the Lake to Erieau is 8 to 10 hours. We love Erieau, but would not plan that trip for three days. You have to leave time to wait for fair winds for an 8 hour leg.
If you put in at Sandusky or Catawba Island where we are now, three hours will get you anywhere in the US Erie Islands. Marinas, moorings and anchorages abound in Sandusky Bay, Cedar Point, Kellys Island, and the Bass Islands, including Put-in-Bay.
A good nearby, first cruise would be Fairport to Geneva. Lots of things to do in Geneva, and the Marina is nice. Be sure to tie up a Pickle Bills in Fairport coming or returning.
Start simple, and build up to longer cruises. Most of all, take your time, and enjoy yourselves!
Sailing across the Lake to Erieau is 8 to 10 hours. We love Erieau, but would not plan that trip for three days. You have to leave time to wait for fair winds for an 8 hour leg.
If you put in at Sandusky or Catawba Island where we are now, three hours will get you anywhere in the US Erie Islands. Marinas, moorings and anchorages abound in Sandusky Bay, Cedar Point, Kellys Island, and the Bass Islands, including Put-in-Bay.
A good nearby, first cruise would be Fairport to Geneva. Lots of things to do in Geneva, and the Marina is nice. Be sure to tie up a Pickle Bills in Fairport coming or returning.
Start simple, and build up to longer cruises. Most of all, take your time, and enjoy yourselves!
And if you are actually sailing to a destination, you have to take the wind angle into consideration. Wind off the nose in the direction you want to go means lots of tacking, and not much VMG.
I sailed a customer about 20 miles from my Marina to Chicago, which took a few hours. Turned to head back for a dinner at the marina, and wind shift off our nose. After tacking a while because I was low on fuel, the chart plotter calculated our arrival time at the marina at 9pm...not good. Tacked a little while longer, and finally decided to fire up the diesel. Made it in for a late dinner, but it highlights 2 things:
1) I keep the diesel tank pretty full now
2) Don't plan on hard timeline when sailing...enjoy the journey.
Greg
I sailed a customer about 20 miles from my Marina to Chicago, which took a few hours. Turned to head back for a dinner at the marina, and wind shift off our nose. After tacking a while because I was low on fuel, the chart plotter calculated our arrival time at the marina at 9pm...not good. Tacked a little while longer, and finally decided to fire up the diesel. Made it in for a late dinner, but it highlights 2 things:
1) I keep the diesel tank pretty full now
2) Don't plan on hard timeline when sailing...enjoy the journey.
Greg
The short answer is: Distance = Speed x Time; i.e., Nautical miles traveled = nautical miles/hr x hr. However, the answer to your apparent implicit question of how fast can a Mac26 go?--I don't know; engine on or off?
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Thanks a bunch to all. Looking forward to a good cruise. It's been a long time since I crewed on a 28 foot sloop for two racing seasons out of Edgewater yacht club on Bob Greens "Knotmaker" Bob, better know as Captain Bligh taught us a lot abou
t sailing. He really knew how to sail.
t sailing. He really knew how to sail.