sailingsmart
The Atlantic Ocean Conveyor What Does It Mean As We Head South? “Unless we change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed…”
U
nderstanding global ocean currents is important for all offshore sailors, but it’s especially important for multihull sailors. Strong wind against currents offshore in places like the Gulf Stream can quickly create wickedly steep and breaking seas. Those sharp seas can certainly be problematic for monohull sailors, but for multihulls and those onboard, they can be catastrophic leading to pitch-poling conditions. Regardless of the type of vessel or even if someone is land-bound, ocean currents play a significant role in 26 Multihulls Today • winter 2021
by Bill Biewenga
all of our lives and largely determine how the planet holds, dissipates and distributes heat. Global warming is quickly being accepted as reality rather than as theory. Even the Wall Street Journal has reported that the Greenland icecap is melting faster than previously expected. One of the possible outcomes of global warming and melting of the glaciers and ice on and around Greenland and the Arctic is that the Gulf Stream’s flow could be altered. How does all of that fit together
