A celebration of a un-extraordinary sailing passage. Very well executed by Captain Jeff Crosby and crew.
The passage planning “direct distance” between Lunenburg and Boston is 350 nautical miles. Given time of year and other mission aspects that provided a more relaxed mission calendar, we gave five days, or minimum speed of 70 nautical miles a day. Hence maximize sailing and still remain on schedule. Wind for the passage turned out to be relatively consistent throughout the passage. Providing southwest to west to northwest winds of 5-15 knots. And delivering a beat to windward throughout. Actual distance transited became 480 nautical miles. Covered in four days. An average of 120 nautical miles a day. Of the 480 miles actually transited, only the first 15 and last 30 miles were motored. So, 435 miles sailed to windward for roughly three and a half days of pure sailing. Meaning an average of 124 miles a day sailed while advancing against the light to moderate wind and sea. While also being pushed around by the currents of the Gulf of Maine. Sometimes favorably. Sometimes not. Especially the strong currents near Cape Sable, at the southwest end of Nova Scotia.
Watch changes every four hours, meant twenty watch changes occurred.
Thirteen tacks. Look over the image of the electronic chart showing the passage. Most of the tacks are obvious. The less obvious tacks were due to wind direction changes.
Eleven sail changes between setting all sail at the beginning and taking in all sails at the end three and a half days later. The sail changes were the smaller sails. Jib topsail, main gaff topsail and fore topmast topgallant (aka t’gant’sle). They went down and back up as wind strength increased and decreased.
It is likely this passage occurred many times by many sailing vessels not possessing engines. So, if Pride’s engines had not been started at all during this passage, it seems likely it would have taken an additional twenty-for hours. And still Pride would have met her planned calendar arrival of Saturday at Boston. Having set out from Lunenburg Tuesday, as per the calendar.
However, these days we are able to minimize the less enjoyable aspects of drifting, and maybe rolling, when trying to sail during very light wind.
Most captain logs celebrate extraordinary passages. Here is a log celebrating an un-extraordinary passage, very well executed by Captain Jeff Crosby and crew.
Signed,
Jan C. Miles
Senior Captain
