The Risk of Ignorance

Marathon, FL
No LL

This morning we heard a shocking conversation on the local cruiser's net. A voice on the net asked, "The winds are 20-25 from the Northeast. Where is the best place to cross the Gulf Stream in this weather." There was a long pause, most of the other skippers must have been as shocked as we were. Then, several other skippers came back and gave the correct answer. Namely, "Don't go! Don't even think about going."

I'll explain. The Gulf Stream is certainly the world's most famous ocean current. It is also one of the most powerful ones. When strong winds blow opposite the current, huge steep breaking waves appear. They are called elephant waves. In extreme cases, these waves have sunk vessels that believed themselves sea worthy. The most common hazard seems to be the windows on the boat. If a wave breaks the windows, then the following waves start filling the boat with water. In less extreme cases, the waves are not life threatening, but they subject the occupants of the boats to the most uncomfortable ride of their lives.


I don't mean to disparage the skipper who called with the question. He did the right thing to ask. Ignorance does not mean dumb, it means uninformed. The shocking thing is that this man came to Marathon so uninformed, that he thought he could continue with his sail plan regardless of the weather and the Gulf Stream. If he hadn't asked, he might have subjected himself and his crew to a very regrettable experience.

If one sets out to circumnavigate, or to cross a big ocean, then one must be prepared for some very bad weather and bad waves. On the other hand, cruisers like Libby and I who do coastal sailing and shorter passages of 5 days or less, can and do avoid the worst sea conditions indefinitely.