Motoring into the wind

Engines, Drive trains, Propellers, Steering, Ground Tackle and other mechanical system
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xluke1
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:22 pm

Motoring into the wind

Post by xluke1 »

Hello,
I'm planning a trip up the coast on my '94 Freedom 35 (yanmar 3gm30f) from Norfolk to Boston (offshore via Cape May, Block Island, Cape Cod Canal) and a 2 week timeframe for a 5 day trip may force us to head onto the water without a following or reaching breeze. I have experienced difficulty in making headway into the wind (either motoring or motorsailing) on the chesapeake bay when the waves are up. In about 25 knot headwinds and 3-5' seas we were only making 3.2 knots of progress and guzzling fuel. The short period of the waves on the bay make for very choppy sailing and momentum is constantly being taken up by crashing into the next wave. I was wondering if similar conditions at sea (say 4-9 foot seas, 20 knot breezes) would also be very difficult to motor into or if the longer periods of the waves will allow for reasonable progress. Can anyone comment on this either broadly or specifically?

Thanks!

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