Evening sunsets on west bound TA

[Josie201]

I know generally speaking we’ll be sailing into the sunsets, and we generally prefer aft facing balconies … so I think we might need to book a more standard balcony but wondering about port vs starboard to enjoy afternoon and early evening sun.  Any experience to share ?   TIA 

[RGEDad]

2 hours ago, Josie201 said:

I know generally speaking we’ll be sailing into the sunsets, and we generally prefer aft facing balconies … so I think we might need to book a more standard balcony but wondering about port vs starboard to enjoy afternoon and early evening sun.

 

Well - If you are west-bound, and north of the equator, you will have more sun throughout the day on the port (left) side. 

I supposed if you have a TA the is direct from say Southhampton to Miami you might catch the sunset on the starboard (right) side, but most of the day you would be in shade. 

On one cruise from Southhampton to Boston, then to Fort Lauderdale we had a Starboard balcony. We did not see the sun until we headed south out of Boston. Of course, the captain was dodging three hurricanes so that may have impacted any solar opportunities. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by RGEDad

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Josie201 said:

I know generally speaking we’ll be sailing into the sunsets, and we generally prefer aft facing balconies … so I think we might need to book a more standard balcony but wondering about port vs starboard to enjoy afternoon and early evening sun.  Any experience to share ?   TIA 

 

There are lots of variable to consider, with respect to the ship's latitude, sun's declination and route. Can you provide some details on the itinerary and time of year, otherwise it is impossible to provide a definitive answer.

[Heidi13]

4 minutes ago, RGEDad said:

 

Well - If you are west-bound, and north of the equator, you will have more sun throughout the day on the port (left) side. 

I supposed if you have a TA the is direct from say Southhampton to Miami you might catch the sunset on the starboard (right) side, but most of the day you would be in shade. 

On one cruise from Southhampton to Boston, then to Fort Lauderdale we had a Starboard balcony. We did not see the sun until we headed south out of Boston. Of course, the captain was dodging three hurricanes so that may have impacted any solar opportunities. 

 

While this is often the case, you require the ship's latitude in relation to the sun' declination to make a definitive determination.

[Josie201]

24 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

There are lots of variable to consider, with respect to the ship's latitude, sun's declination and route. Can you provide some details on the itinerary and time of year, otherwise it is impossible to provide a definitive answer.

I thought westbound TAs were generally October or early November but perhaps not.  We’d be looking at the Barcelona to Florida route in that timeframe.  

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Josie201 said:

I thought westbound TAs were generally October or early November but perhaps not.  We’d be looking at the Barcelona to Florida route in that timeframe.  

 

The Meddy ships repositioning to the Caribbean are certainly in that time frame, but you can find W'bd TA's probably most months.

 

The route normally follows the Canary Current down towards Madeira and then across with the North Equatorial. Therefore, on clearing Gibraltar, they will set a SW'ly course, so the port side should have sun in the morning and stbd side in the late afternoon.

 

On heading West, the sun will be well to the south, so the port side will have most sun.

[Ride-The-Waves]

Everybody knows that its POSH: Port Out Starboard Home (from the UK heading to India)

[CGTNORMANDIE]

4 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Everybody knows that its POSH: Port Out Starboard Home (from the UK heading to India)

Yes…but that was done to avoid the sun and to stay on the cool side of the ship.😎

Edited June 18, 2022 by CGTNORMANDIE

[Heidi13]

16 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Everybody knows that its POSH: Port Out Starboard Home (from the UK heading to India)

 

The POSH acronym was developed on the P&O/BI ships before the days of air conditioning for the transit through the Red Sea. The port side had morning sun and was therefore cooler in the evening, while southbound. Northbound up the Red Sea, the stbd side had the morning sun, so was cooler in the evening.

 

Since POSH was developed for generally N'bd or S'bd courses through the Red Sea, it isn't always relevant on a Trans-Atlantic, as it will depend on the route. As I explained in a previous post, on clearing Gibraltar, the ship will probably set SW'ly courses. Sunset will be on the stbd side, which is the opposite of POSH.