Tides, Currents, and Sailing

I'll give you what info I can, but I've never had any experience on a schooner. Most schooners would be larger than my boats. My own experience is limited to about ten years sailing on the Chesapeake Bay in a 25-foot Cape Dory sloop -- typical photo at

http://www.sailingtexas.com/scapedory25c.html

and an open 16-foot centerboard sloop that looked a bit like

http://www.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=226943&ck

The schooner rig was more often used on commercial vessels of about 40-90 feet. For vessels of that size, trading between continents would not be hampered by "tides and currents" so much as by sheer distance.

If the distance between continents were, say, 2000 miles or more then a 40-90 foot vessel would be en route for weeks. It would have to carry so much food, water, and other supplies for its crew during the voyage there would not typically be much cargo capacity left to haul much paying cargo. A schooner could make the voyage, but financially a larger ship with greater carrying capacity would usually be more profitable. Schooners excelled at medium range work: leaving New England, fishing the Newfoundland Banks, and returning in 2-3 weeks from a total voyage of perhaps 1000 miles.

"The risk of losing an entire ship, her contents and her crew was too high and too expensive. How legitimate is this "excuse"?"

I'd say it's somewhat limited, in terms of historical plausibility. In the days of "iron men on wooden ships" human life was cheap, and even the ships themselves were surprisingly inexpensive. It was not at all unusual for a ship to repay its entire costs (i.e. construction plus operation) in as little as two or three voyages. If an owner could get three successful voyages out of his brand new vessel he was often financially ahead. If your book's planned voyage is REALLY risky no doubt some owners would pass on it -- but for plenty of other owners if the expected profits could be jacked up enough to offset the increased cost they were willing to risk it.

In a violent storm they'd typically "shorten sail" or reduce the amount of sail they had up. If possible, they tried to keep at least some small amount of sail still up, as that tended to help stabilise the vessel.

If a wooden ship was still afloat after storm damage it could almost always be jury-rigged sufficiently to make landfall somewhere. It's incredible how much damage a resourceful crew could somewhat overcome with makeshift repairs.

Hope this is of some use. "Captains Courageous" is no doubt one of the most famous schooner stories. It's described at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captains_Courageous

Good luck with your story!

Additionally, the East and West continents of this world have limited to no trading. My excuse for this is that the tides and currents in the wide ocean make sailing too treacherous for traders. The risk of losing an entire ship, her contents and her crew was too high and too expensive. How legitimate is this "excuse"?

Click to expand...

Considering our own world history, there were people who took the risk anyway. I think readers might have credibility issues if a sailor were afraid to sail because of the tides. Sailing in those times was dangerous, and those who did it knew what they were risking and took their chances. There was, already mentioned, also a money person who was willing to take a chance on potentially huge profits. Tales of Columbus and of the first settles on the Mayflower and the Fortune might be a good place to start because it would talk about the dangerous trips.

Probably...

the best reference books on sailing boats are by Bjorn Landstrom. You can find the books at abe.ca or thebookdepository.co.uk

Pre-deisel/motors, boats left harbor with the incoming high tide--literally lifting the ship up and away, high like low tide occurs 2x a day, alternating.

From Wikipedia:
The semidiurnal tidal range (the difference in height between high and low tides over about a half day) varies in a two-week or fortnightly cycle. Around new and full moon when the Sun, Moon and Earth form a line (a condition known as syzygy), the tidal forces due to the Sun reinforce those of the Moon. The tide's range is then maximum: this is called the spring tide, or just springs and is derived not from the season of spring but rather from the verb meaning "to jump" or "to leap up". When the Moon is at first quarter or third quarter, the Sun and Moon are separated by 90° when viewed from the earth, and the forces due to the Sun partially cancel those of the Moon. At these points in the lunar cycle, the tide's range is minimum: this is called the neap tide, or neaps. Spring tides result in high waters that are higher than average, low waters that are lower than average, slack water time that is shorter than average and stronger tidal currents than average. Neaps result in less extreme tidal conditions. There is about a seven day interval between springs and neaps.

The changing distance of the Moon from the Earth also affects tide heights. When the Moon is at perigee the range is increased and when it is at apogee the range is reduced. Every 7½ lunations, perigee coincides with either a new or full moon causing perigean tides with the largest tidal range. If a storm happens to be moving onshore at this time, the consequences (in the form of property damage, etc.) can be especially severe.

Currents work at different levels in the ocean, moving with the current can cut down hours if not days, going against is harder.

Even a destroyed wooden ship to bits of beams will float, cargo lashed down that is heavier than the combined weight of water and wood will make that part of the wood sink. Sections of deck, empty mast or railing will float. Sailcloth, once wet is heavier and will usually sink, also the lines entangle and trap sailors drowning them.

A heavily hit ship could jettison all cargo and goods fat enough to float make a severely crippled trip to land, bailing all the way--if land was close enough.

You add/drop sail depending on the storm--wind/water and wave height. Severe winds will shred the sheets, also being the only wood on water draws lightning and that can add to the festivities of staying afloat.