high winds on seven mile bridge in the keys

[mikerodg]

I'm leaving Key Largo for Key West Monday the 9th. Cross winds of 28 mph are forecast. Should I cancel for 2 days or just drive carefully?

Thanks, Mike Rodgers 303-877-7501

[hermanmullins]

Mike, I would contact the Florida Highway Department for an adversary on high profile vehicles on the bridge. If they say NO then I would postpone. If they say yes then I would proceed with extreme caution.

Have a good trip and by all means be safe.

Herman 

[manholt]

As Herman said.  Also, depends on the type off coach you have...in mine I would not even feel it.  Takes a lot of wind to move a 30T coach.  If yours is a gas coach, different story!

[wolfe10]

Looks like just under 30 mph wind with higher gusts: https://www.ventusky.com/?p=25.00;-80.43;8&l=gust&t=20200309/1600

[manholt]

Just now, avg. up to 10 meters=24 mph, gust to 34, avg=31 mph!

Brett, great Link!

[wolfe10]

13 minutes ago, manholt said:

 

Brett, great Link!

Ya, that is the site we use for planning off-shore sailing legs.

Thankfully takes some of the DRAMA out of those ocean/Gulf legs.

[mikerodg]

Thank you for the advice. Left this morning, opened all my windows so the wind would blow through the rig. As we came around to 7 mile bridge the direction of the bridge and the winds were East to West. So we had a tailwind. Was also able to maintain the speed limit.

[hermanmullins]

Brett, what is a good trailing wind speed for you when sailing?

 

Mike

Now hope for a West to East on the return.

Herman

[wolfe10]

22 minutes ago, hermanmullins said:

Brett, what is a good trailing wind speed for you when sailing?

Herman

No simple answer.

Depends on boat (hull design/shape as well as LWL= length water line), the "fetch" of the wave (how far off shore you are), as well as direction.

Directly behind you is NOT the fastest point of sail.  A beam reach (wind 90-120 degrees from your course) is the fastest.

Back in 1990 before GPS or really good weather forecasts, we set out from Marco Island to Marathon on an overnight sail to put us in at Sawyer Bank off Marathon about 9:00 AM.  This was important, as  Sawyer bank marked the beginning of coral heads that were only knee deep to a water bird.  Given the forecast, we left late afternoon for the 80+ mile sail.  Wind was forecast to from the east at 10 mph-- so calm seas (we are just off the west coast of Florida) and easy full sail reach-- ya ideal. In those conditions, we calculated averaging 6 knots. OK, so the weather guy was not accurate-- winds were 15-18 from the East-- at least his direction was accurate.

Dianne and I were in our Pacific Seacraft Crealock 37'-- a very good offshore boat.   When Dianne revealed me for the 2AM to 4AM watch I told here we were ahead of schedule and unless the wind abated, we would need to come up with plan B, as arriving at Sawyer bank in the dark was not a good idea.

She woke me at 3:30 AM with her first major offshore decision-- we were way ahead of schedule-- even under reefed main and staysail we were still averaging 7.2 knots.  She showed me on the chart (ya a paper chart-- still carry them for backup) a 2 square mile area a mile off Middle Cape (south Everglades) that was 8' deep with no obstructions and recommended we go there and drop anchor for a couple of hours. I told her-- excellent decision, wake me when you need me to drop the anchor.

Slept for a few hours and finished our passage into Key Marathon.

Things don't always go as planned on paper.

 

BUT (the FUN BUT) if in a hurry and you are fully awake and engaged, 25 knots on your quartering stern is FUN.  Did that from Biloxi to New Orleans one time and arrived 3 hours ahead of schedule.  Yes, the boat had to be had steered because of the following seas, but  was it ever fun.