Are you an all Weather Trawler?

Do you travel in the rain?
stay home?
What are your limits

Season is so short here I do not care about weather except if it puts me in danger and enjoy as much as possible!

L

Of course we get lot's of rain in the Pacific Northwest. This past summer we decided to only travel when the weather was clear because you really can't take in the beautiful scenery when the clouds are in the trees and it is raining. Yes you need the time to do this, in our case we had 5 months.

atunkiller said:

Do you travel in the rain?

stay home?

What are your limits

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Yes, travel in the rain, and snow, and sleet, and hail, and even on occasion sunshine.

My limits relate to wind. If it is really windy and if that wind is going to be against the current, then I’ll stay at anchor or at the dock.

It’s nice when it’s hot and sunny but not necessary. In winter, the rain and cooler weather is can be ok as long as the wind isn’t too bad. The hardtop over the cockpit still allows me to be outside and dry.
Wind is always the limiting factor. I try to avoid anything over about 25 knots.

If it’s not comfortable we don’t travel. Depends on the weather and current state of mind. It’s supposed to be fun.

In the PNW, just about starting the end of sunshine. I like the winter, empty anchorages, less traffic near ports and cities, nobody blocking the fuel dock. Better than summer for someone like me.

Rain doesn't deter me. Only seen snow a couple of times as I'm usually in SWFL by snow season. Have cruised in 40 knot winds (switch back waterway) which was spooky, horizontal spray. Waves are my deal breaker. 4' is where I start to think about staying put. Fog is a bigger issue for me than rain. No fun when you can't see 100' a head of you.

Ted

Wind, depending where I am. 30 kts SE in the Strait of Georgia is a no go, but often its fine even in gale prone Johnstone Stait. It's actually not the wind per se but the waves they create.
Also will not go out in fog but if caught in it will not necessarily head for the nearest haven immediately.

The only thing that would stop us are sea conditions.

No problem with rain, fog, or wind up to 25 kts because we have a lower helm station and radar. More wind than that and we stay put.

We've had snow on the ground in town for six months straight and it can rain/drizzle for weeks at a time...if you wait for good weather to do anything here you'd get nothing done.

Having said that, we haven't had a drenching rain for over four months and all the creeks & rivers are spectacularly low.

Windy days are hiking days.

Since our season is 12 mo a year, I wait for perfect conditions. Most likely to keep me home are sea conditions and temperatures higher that 95F

We boat for 12 months a year here as well, but the low wind on winter weekends ratio is nothing like the rest of the year!

Cruise like we do and you look forward to nice sunny days. That’s what we prefer, but fog, rain, wind seem to be the norm. Its those lumpy seas that tend to make us stay put.

We have been boating for 12 months since arriving in Washington, with one exception. A couple of years ago the boat sat on the trailer from mid-Novenber until the first of March. It seemed like every free weekend, the wind, cold, and short days were not worth the effort to go. Walking the dog down an icy dock in the dark is trying too hard to have fun.

Last winter saw a new-to-us boat, so we used it a bunch. That included a good storm right away, which was forecast, and 48 knots of wind and a building sea from behind.

As for limits - so far we try to avoid opposing wind and tide, major head seas, and the frozen docks in the dark scenario.

We don't do as much anchoring in the winter. It's great to visit all the places in the winter that are crazy in the summer.

Still anticipating getting my first enclosed wheel house..... 50 years of all weather in open cockpits, last boat with a bimini..... Yes, we go out there.

We go out in good weather only, even so sometimes up pops wind, rain or fog. I do this for fun!
The only thing worse than being at the dock, wishing to be out on the water, is to be out on the water wishing to be at the dock!

This storm made me more cautious but for the most part.. Shrug.

This is our first “big” trip. But in New Jersey now it’s chilly getting cold and the weather in Florida is gonna feel warmer. Lol. Casting off Monday. We been planning this for almost three years. So, I guess we don’t mind the weather. Lol

Between Toronto and Bahamas we stay put if beam seas hit about 2.5', head seas 4' and following seas about 6' (we hardly notice those at all with a fantail). Otherwise we travel when it's snotty so we have the time to stop and explore when it's nice.

We too use our boat in off weather. Last summer we had to travel in the fog. We could have turned back but no point as it was about the same distance back as forward. Visiblity came and went although I've been in worse. DOn't want to though.

We don't really winter boat any more but we used to including kicking 8" snow off the boat, kicking the lines free of the cleats/rails, travelling in snow, playing ice breaker in about 1" of ice and so on.

Some times winter was the best time. NOv. was often stormy so we missed but once into the clear cold the seas were dead calm and almost no boats.

I do my best to avoid the rough stuff now but 3' head sea, 4' stern, and about 2 or 2.5 beam is our limit.

We used to push harder, now we will wait although I will still grumble. But I also want to keep my wife boating and I've seen to many guys scare the hell out of their wife and then she simply will no longer go. Not that I haven't scared her but keep it to a dull roar.

To be a fully found all weather vessel



A recording of Victory ar Sea , Dance of the North Atlantic must be aboard.

You know not to go out if there is a chance of spilling your martini

Donpollosco said:

This is our first “big” trip. But in New Jersey now it’s chilly getting cold and the weather in Florida is gonna feel warmer. Lol. Casting off Monday. We been planning this for almost three years. So, I guess we don’t mind the weather. Lol

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Have a good trip. May see you along the way. I leaving Crisfield, MD on next Friday or Saturday.

Ted

Sea Q said:

You know not to go out if there is a chance of spilling your martini

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It's called a gimbaled drink holder.

In the rain, yes, unless it is torrential. I only move when it is dang near perfect. This is supposed to be pleasure boating. One way for me to make it so is to exercise caution.

Here is Steinhatchee... A pelican is sitting atop one of the markers I passed on the way out the channel in a light rain.


Being inside makes a world of difference. I love my boat.

I bet it depends on whether you're retired or not and whether you travel local, familiar waters or long distance to new locales.

I'm retired and tend to pick the prime wx for travel/fishing. If I worked for a living, I'd tend to go, no matter whether it was raining or not.

I also travel local in the SF Bay and CA Delta frequently so I have better local knowledge of risks and traffic flows. If I was crossing big waters into new areas, I'd be less inclined to travel in adverse conditions.