chesapeake bay winds and waves--newbie

2

280 Gator

Member
May 9, 2012
91
virginia
Boat Info
2018 290 SDX OB
former 280 Sundancer
former 220 Overnighter
former many Mastercrafts
Engines
Twin 250XL Verados with Joystick
i have a twin engine 280. i havent been in the Bay but a couple times so far. For those in Southern region or that know the area I live in NN and right now my boat is a Dare Marina in Yorktown. This requires that i go out the York river and down the Bay into Elizabeth river and eventually the James.
I wanted to get my boat home Sat--tides are good at mid day. But wind forecast at Bay Bridge tunnel are showing winds of 15 mph and gusts to 26 with wave heights of 5.5 ft.
I assume i dont want to be in that with a 280. Im wondering what wind and waves you guys are comfortable in?
Thanks
Dave
 
Hey Dave.
My .02, I wouldnt want to be out in that (the waves... the wind isnt as big a deal on its own). You likely (at least i would be) off plane for sure, and depending on the directions you are traveling, taking a lot of spray/water up over the bow onto the foredeck and eisenglass as it gets grabbed by the wind when the bow breaks the wave.

Up our direction (and probably a good rule of thumb for most of the bay)... Assuming the winds are not being produced/controlled by a storm, if you have concerns about waves/wind, you want to be out early and get where you're going. Around here, the wind typically kicks up around 1130-2 and stays steady until dusk or a bit later.

As a side note, I do have friends with a 280 and they go in a lot worse weather than I do. A lot depends on your (and your family/guests) tolerance for off plane wallowing/rolling in the waves at 6-8 kts. Two of my typical crew turn green fairly easily, so I have to plan around better weather options to make things work... if I want their help / company that is! :) I usually draw the line at 2-2.5 foot chop if I want to go on plane and have to go in a direction that's head on or near-head-on. Going with the seas/wind and at a less direct angle makes it more easy to handle the waves. Also, in general if you stay closer to the shore on the side from which the wind is coming, you typically find smaller seas than on the opposite shore (where the wind is headed). Waves build the more the wind has chance to whip them up. (I think that's called "fetch").

James
 
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Dave--
Your experience "in conditions" will dictate whether you take your 280 out into the Chesapeake or not. You can certainly run the 280 in 5-6 ft waves, but it won't be much fun. I've found that the boat can take more than the boaters.
From a personal perspective, I found it not worth going out in a small craft advisory when I had the 300. When I moved up to the 340, I would take it out in a small craft advisory, but I was on the Chesapeake two years ago in the 340 with 5-6 ft waves and it was stressful for primarily the "crew" but me as well. Many in our group had cabinets open (even though locked) and items were all over the floor in the salon. We even had our door handle break-off trying to make our way down to the salon from the cockpit. Our 44 will handle 5-6 ft waves better, but we still don't like it much.
In sum, your 280 can certainly handle it, but how much fun will it be for you and your crew? Interestingly, the last time we were in 5-6 ft waves my wife said over channel 16 to our group, "...I now give authorization to buy the 610" :)
 
I had our 330 in 5'-6' waves twice. The first time we started on plane but after a few miles cut it back to a fast displacement speed. It was rocky but it was fun. The second time was on the Snake River in gale force winds as a squall line moved through. I was just basically marking time and not trying to go anywhere. That also was fun but only lasted for about 15 minutes until the storm passed.

As was mentioned earlier, your boat will handle much more than most people on board. Me? I like the rockin' and rollin' more than most people.
 
If you've only been out in the Bay a couple of times, 5.5 footers would not be a good way to try. Even at the beginning of each season, I steer clear of weather that would otherwise be OK in the last summer or fall. It's all about my comfort level. After a few months off, it takes a bit to get comfortable again.

Worst I have been in was the Chesapeake going from Solomons Island down and around Point Lookout and up the Potomac. I've heard the stories of this area and so arrived at slack tide. Thankfully too as the Bay was rough with about 3' and whitecaps. I was able to stay on plane, at the absolute minimum speed to do so. I had to keep messing with the throttle when it would begin to fall off, but it wasn't too bad of a ride. I was comfortable with it at least. That's about the limit for comfort there. Once we got caught in a storm that was barreling down the Potomac...that's when the old flat panel TV broke off it's mount on the wall...but that's a story for another time!
 
From which direction is the wind forecast? Last time I came out of the York, it was 3-4 footers, wind directly out of the west. Short waves and just pounded through until we could turn North. Then it was easier as the waves took us on the starboard quarter. Wind direction will matter down there. And as said earlier, go early in the day.

Mike
 
thanks everyone. Been around boats my whole life but cruisers are brand new. When i took the boat over for the winter i ran into some near 5 ft . It was ok near shore but there is an area where it gets real shallow -Poquoson flats -and i had to go out in the bay . Waves were head on and i basically cut the engine down and rode the waves near idle --riding into the waves ~ 45*. Did I do the right thing? didnt feel like i should have tried to plane at all. Admiral thought we were going to flip over backwards everytime we rode up.
Should i have opened it up a little and tried to cut through more.
 
spikedaddy99 said:
From which direction is the wind forecast? Last time I came out of the York, it was 3-4 footers, wind directly out of the west. Short waves and just pounded through until we could turn North. Then it was easier as the waves took us on the starboard quarter. Wind direction will matter down there. And as said earlier, go early in the day.

Mike
Click to expand...
here is the forecast at the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. winds are out of the southwest
Saturday, May 11Sunday, May 12
Local time2am5am8am11am2pm5pm8pm11pm2am5am8am11am2pm5pm8pm11pm
Wind direction















Wind speed (mph) 15 15 16 18 18 17 15 13 8 12 10 13 10 9 5 5
Wind gusts (mph) 29
 29
 31
 30
 29
 28
 29
 28
 10
 15
 15
 16
 13
 12
 6
 6
Wave direction















Wave height (ft) 5.2
5.6
5.9
5.6
5.2
5.6
5.9
5.6
5.2
4.6
4.3
3.6
4.3
3.9
3.6


 
I would have been at a "fast displacement" (not on plane) with tabs all the way down as long as the boat was just porpoising and not slamming the bow. In the Bay, frequency of the waves is as big of a pain as size. They seem to come in quick succession.
Mike
 
280 Gator said:
here is the forecast at the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. winds are out of the southwest
Saturday, May 11Sunday, May 12
Local time2am5am8am11am2pm5pm8pm11pm2am5am8am11am2pm5pm8pm11pm
Wind direction
Wind speed (mph) 15 15 16 18 18 17 15 13 8 12 10 13 10 9 5 5
Wind gusts (mph) 29 29 31 30 29 28 29 28 10 15 15 16 13 12 6 6
Wave direction
Wave height (ft) 5.2 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.2 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.2 4.6 4.3 3.6 4.3 3.9 3.6
Click to expand...
That means water will be pushing toward the East, and the West side of the Bay will have smaller waves. I had an App on my phone when I lived there that showed the bouy information in the Bay. It was pretty cool to use for wave heights and frequency. I forget the name, but if you have the ability, you could find something. Maybe you get lucky Sunday afternoon.
 
Last edited:
spikedaddy99 said:
I had an App on my phone when I lived there that showed the bouy information in the Bay. It was pretty cool to use for wave heights and frequency. I forget the name, but if you have the ability, you could find something.
Click to expand...

SmartBuoy. Chesapeake Bay Interactive Buoy System.
 
280 Gator said:
here is the forecast at the chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. winds are out of the southwest
Saturday, May 11
Sunday, May 12
Local time
2am
5am
8am
11am
2pm
5pm
8pm
11pm
2am
5am
8am
11am
2pm
5pm
8pm
11pm
Wind direction















Wind speed (mph)
15
15
16
18
18
17
15
13
8
12
10
13
10
9
5
5
Wind gusts (mph)
29

29

31

30

29

28

29

28

10

15

15

16

13

12

6

6

Wave direction















Wave height (ft)
5.2
5.6
5.9
5.6
5.2
5.6
5.9
5.6
5.2
4.6
4.3
3.6
4.3
3.9
3.6
Click to expand...

What site/app did you pull that table from?
 
280 Gator said:
i have a twin engine 280. i havent been in the Bay but a couple times so far. For those in Southern region or that know the area I live in NN and right now my boat is a Dare Marina in Yorktown. This requires that i go out the York river and down the Bay into Elizabeth river and eventually the James.
I wanted to get my boat home Sat--tides are good at mid day. But wind forecast at Bay Bridge tunnel are showing winds of 15 mph and gusts to 26 with wave heights of 5.5 ft.
I assume i dont want to be in that with a 280. Im wondering what wind and waves you guys are comfortable in?

Thanks
Dave
Click to expand...

Dave, watch the weather for this coming Sat. We look to be having another front move in around mid day or so bringing more rain and wind. Tomorrow, Fri may be a better day with a late day sea breeze. James has been angry over this last week but was better today. I came up to Deep Creek today, it was a little choppy but not rough
 
Come out to bouy "P" down to "11" green, to Hampton, to The HRBT, to MMBT,and up river. The small boat channel keeps you close to the Hampton / Newport News shoreline. You could cut the corner from "5" green to "11" green. Check it out on the charts
 
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I use predictwinds on my android phone. So far the free service has proved pretty good. I might subscribe for a year this season.

I usually will look at the tides and current. Peak current against the wind will give you the worst conditions. The opposite will give you optimum conditions so I time for that through slack if I have a long cruise planned.
 
Gunn said:
http://buoybay.noaa.gov/

This is the best reference for realtime weather info for me. Check it out every time we head out. They do have a mobile app too.

Tom
Click to expand...

Funny. I never knew they had a website, just the app. I picked up a card with the itunes information at the Bay Bridge boat show last spring. Pretty handy app, and looks liek the website is too. The 1/7/30 day tracking looks interesting.
 
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