Best Time to Sail

[casampson]

Lately we've been sailing in the early evening and really love it. The wind is a little quieter and the sky can be beautiful. It's a very tranquil, almost hypnotizing time of day to be on the water.

So I put it to you: when is your favorite time to sail? Don't forget to explain why. Thanks!

[Paul D.]

Just before sunrise, of course. Especially when making an all day passage to a National Park.

[mgphl52]

Every chance I get! I live on the Florida panhandle and keep KAYLA in the water year round.
But I must admit that some of my favorite times to sail are in the summer evenings when we get 360 degree sunsets!
Unfortunately, I am still cursed with that 4-letter word called w-o-r-k...

[Ron M.]

A good weather window and a nighttime sail with a moon is indescribable, particularly with a phosphorescent wake marking your way.

[casampson]

You are right about the nighttime sailing. I had the good fortune to be aboard the Eagle a long time ago, and we sometimes sailed at night with a skeleton crew. It was like being on a ghost ship as we slipped silently through the water on a soft breeze, and the wake behind our fantail stretched out behind us for what seemed miles.

[Hutch_north]

Any time I can get out, and best when there's a good breeze!

[tjr818]

Not when it is 101 degrees with a heat index of 114! I can hardly wait for cooler weather.

[fmueller]

Some of the best sails I had in the last few years were cruising Boston inner harbor from evening into the night ... there is so much light you can see your way for the most part, and the city lights are beautiful. The density of the boat traffic, which can be truly formidable in the daytime, drops to almost nothing except for a few water taxis ... and the party boats - but they move so slowly a collision would be a non event ,,, I have an old 12 volt halogen spot that came with Jerezana that can pick out a buoy or another craft at 1000' easily, so I just keep this handy, sometimes just to I.D. myself to other traffic. That's part of the fun ... you do have to stay reasonably alert.

Sometimes of course the wind just dies, but on a good night there will be a steady light breeze quite unlike daytime air ... it just moves differently ... very very steadily, so evenly that there is no buffeting and for that reason, it feels like there is almost no breeze, but the boat glides along nicely. I often just sail with jib just to make it simple ... I'm not trying to cover distance ... just out there enjoying the solitude of the evening and the view if the city lights.

[Bill Goldsmith]

This time of year in the Northeast, evening and night sails are standard fare for us. Except for yesterday, which was a top 5 beautiful sailing day, we often get Hazy Hot Humid, and no wind. In the evening, a sea breeze works its way up the Hudson River, cools things off and makes for a wonderful sail. Coastal sailing at night is also good practice for discerning the nature of all the lights you see. Are they on shore? On the water? Running lights? Brake lights? A Buoy?

[Neil Gordon]

With most of our sailing time dedicated to coastal cruising, I tend to like early morning departures. The wind tends to start light and come up, rather than vice versa. And in any case, leaving early leaves more time to get there, so I'm more likely to be patient with light air. Lastly, early departures make for early arrivals... easier to anchor, easier to get a mooring, more time to enjoy a new destination, more time to fix/tweak whatever needs it, more time for a nap before dinner.

[Tom Keevil]

Here in the Pacific Northwest, best sailing is in the afternoon. Mornings tend to be windless, and it's good to wait for the breeze to build. That also allows us to have a relaxed start to the day. On the other hand tidal currents can be formidable, and a wonderful sail against a strong current may not get you to your planned destination. The problem here is that the power boats, for whom wind is anathema, all move in the morning, so by the time sailors arrive, most of the best spots are filled with power boats. Many sailors therefore travel in the morning, and they are the ones who complain about how there is never any wind.

Sailing at night is a bit dicey with all of the driftwood provided us by the logging industry.