Transatlantic - expect rough seas?

[rnr4thatsme]

Hi there!  Just wondering, on a transatlantic, does one usually encounter rough seas?   Since you are unsheltered by land?

[leaveitallbehind]

Rough seas are unpredictable and can occur anywhere based primarily on prevailing weather conditions at the time. Time of year can also influence weather patterns.  Albeit in the Pacific v the Atlantic, we completed a 6 night crossing from Hawaii to Vancouver in April a few years back.  Some days were a little rough, others were smooth as glass. That was clearly in the open sea. I have to ask how far away from land do you have to be to be unsheltered and what effect does that have on sea conditions?

 

The point being is what you are asking is impossible to predict and can change week to week.

Edited January 25 by leaveitallbehind

[jsn55]

Sometimes, depends on the weather.

[*Miss G*]

Quick answer:  It depends.  On oh so many things.

 

I’ve done both eastbound and westbound.  Westbounds were in the Fall; we followed a southerly route, and seas were smooth as glass.

 

Eastbound was in the late Winter following a southerly route.  Huge winter storm to the north and a howling gale with rain the first few days out of Port Everglades.  Seas were rough for about the first 5 days.  They calmed down a bit, picked up a bit, calmed down a bit.  Departure was 3 hours late due to 200+ passengers with delayed flights.  Even then, a lot of people missed the ship.  Others were being flown to meet us at our first port stop in the Azores, but that got cancelled due to bad weather.  Then our next port stop in Morocco was cancelled due to bureaucracy.  I have no idea if anyone caught up to us or not.  I doubt it, though.

 

I have to add… in bad weather you are better off at sea than “sheltered by land” because weather doesn’t really care where it hits.  Location and underwater terrain can play a huge part too.  The Captain can plan a route for the least impact… including canceling ports.

Edited January 25 by *Miss G*

[leaveitallbehind]

13 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Quick answer:  It depends.  On oh so many things.....

I have to add… in bad weather you are better off at sea than “sheltered by land” because weather doesn’t really care where it hits.  Location and underwater terrain can play a huge part too.

Not really - the primary causes you indicated in your (my edited) response are all weather related, which will always be the key factor.

 

And I completely agree that at sea is the best place to be as the Captain can maneuver the ship to the safest waters available.  That is why whenever possible ships put to sea when storms are approaching port. 

 

But, again, the bottom line is sea conditions are generally impossible to predict - especially too far out.

 

Anecdotally the calmest seas we ever encountered were in the Atlantic en route from NJ to Bermuda (smooth as glass).  And the worst we ever encountered was Christmas Eve en route from Colon, Panama to Jamaica. (reported 20 feet+, oddly no storm).

Edited January 25 by leaveitallbehind

[*Miss G*]

4 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

the primary causes you indicated in your (my edited) response are all weather related, which will always be the key factor.

 

I don’t think my post was disagreeing with weather being a primary factor, but underwater terrain also contributes to sea conditions.  Eg, the Bay of Biscay, where the public areas of the ship were practically deserted.  It was like I had a cruise to myself!  It was fascinating watching the waves pass over the windows while dining.  (To others; not so much.)  The 2nd most rocky marine conditions I’ve experienced was in the Med, which I think falls into the OP’s category of “sheltered by land”.  Other times in the Med it’s always been smooth.  As everyone says:  unpredictable.  🤷‍♀️

[leaveitallbehind]

26 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I don’t think my post was disagreeing with weather being a primary factor, but underwater terrain also contributes to sea conditions.  Eg, the Bay of Biscay, where the public areas of the ship were practically deserted.  It was like I had a cruise to myself!  It was fascinating watching the waves pass over the windows while dining.  (To others; not so much.)  The 2nd most rocky marine conditions I’ve experienced was in the Med, which I think falls into the OP’s category of “sheltered by land”.  Other times in the Med it’s always been smooth.  As everyone says:  unpredictable.  🤷‍♀️

No you weren't disagreeing with that at all - I just noted that most of the reasons you cited were weather related, which I believe to be the primary factor with sea conditions.  But you are also correct there are regions on the globe where other sea bed, etc., conditions influence the seas.

 

Hope you didn't misunderstand me - I wasn't trying to contradict you.

[Hlitner]

We have done at least 50 TA cruises.  On those voyages we have had everything from gorgeous weather and glassy seas to 6 days of awful weather and 25-30 foot seas.  Take your pick.  

 

Hank

[Ilovesailaway]

My first TA is in April, Miami to Barcelona. Hoping for calm seas considering we will have 8 straight sea days before ore first port of call. 

Interesting comments about where ppl have encountered rough seas. I have done about 15 or so Caribbean cruises and the waters between Florida and the Bahamas have been pretty rough a few times. Iv'e only done one Med cruise and had calm seas the whole 3 weeks.

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, rnr4thatsme said:

Hi there!  Just wondering, on a transatlantic, does one usually encounter rough seas?   Since you are unsheltered by land?

As soon as you have a few miles or so of open sea, a steady wind will give you rough seas.

The Mistral, just south of the mouth of the Rhône, can produce awesome seas.

Edited January 26 by navybankerteacher

[MBP&O2/O]

Define rough?

Some people will think any wave with a whitecap is a rough sea and throw up accordingly.🤮

Others eat breakfast in F8.

Anything goes😁

[*Miss G*]

6 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Define rough?

Some people will think any wave with a whitecap is a rough sea and throw up accordingly.🤮

Others eat breakfast in F8.

Anything goes😁

 

Haha.  So true.  I would like to clarify my post in that the Med experience was 33’ waves and the Bay of Biscay was 40’.  The kind where you get thrown out of bed and everything falls off the counters and shelves.  Everything lesser than that was just rocky.  😂

[Bill Miller]

Or, as we say at the church carnival after watching a crew of winos and crackheads tighten nuts n bolts assembling the Ferris wheel, "You pay's your money and takes your chance."

[Teeara]

On 1/25/2024 at 10:25 AM, rnr4thatsme said:

Hi there!  Just wondering, on a transatlantic, does one usually encounter rough seas?   Since you are unsheltered by land?

I have a video on my YT channel on our WB TA in 2022.  It's just one sample of what to expect.  Most of the time it was pretty smooth but we did have some motion on the ocean.

 

 

[Markanddonna]

I have been in about seven TAs and the ocean, fall or spring, was always like glass. I have experienced seasickness on three cruises but had no problems with the worst storm we have ever experienced...a medicane, which are hurricane winds in the Mediterranean. The schools were closed in ports . It was wild!  The outside decks, dining and buffets and the elevators were closed. We did just fine. You just never know. I was seasick yesterday with storms near the Bahamas. Side to side, aft to bow and then a stir in the middle. Was better as soon as the storm waves ceased. Btw, don't ever say you never get seasick. I didn't until after my 15th. It just depends. Also, the ships give out seasickness pills like candy. They like clean carpets.

[floridafish]

Calm seas scare me. I need some motion. Sleep better as well.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 1/25/2024 at 10:25 AM, rnr4thatsme said:

Hi there!  Just wondering, on a transatlantic, does one usually encounter rough seas?   Since you are unsheltered by land?

We would need to get a bit more information.  Are you contemplating a transatlantic crossing?  If so…where and when.  You see Mr.4 a North Atlantic January crossing on the QM2  is a lot different than an April crossing in the Southern Atlantic on a repositioning cruise to Florida.  Weather conditions on the Atlantic can vary greatly depending on time of year, Northern or Southern etc.  

[rnr4thatsme]

I was just looking in general at this point... I was not aware that there would be different conditions for different times of year, etc.   Thanks for the info!