Is it possible to ...drift?

[Nightbomber]

These days I dig through rules preparing for a first encounter.
Let me ask one dumb thing, mates.
Ship is not an airplane (well, she is not ) she does not have to move, she can drift.
Playing a maneuver card reflects a kind of propulsion, the ships in SGN did not have (had they?).
Why can not we just stay where we are without playing a maneuver card at all and...drift?

[fredmiracle]

Once you add the rules for sail settings (I can't remember if that is standard or advanced) then you can remove all sail and you will come to a stop.

Of course you can always head into the wind too. That won't exactly stop you, but you won't be going anywhere fast.

[The Royal Hajj]

Dropping all sails is similar to dropping anchor in this game. If you truly want to drift, I'd say once you have dropped all sails, start playing the broken mast cards.

[Пилот]

Dropping all sails is similar to dropping anchor in this game. If you truly want to drift, I'd say once you have dropped all sails, start playing the broken mast cards.

Interesting view!

[Diamondback]

I've thought about suggesting a "Currents" deck that if your ship stops, it might get carried different distances varying by size. Say, a 74's going to resist the push out to sea at the mouth of a river a lot better than a 32...

I'm envisioning this mainly for scenarios, where you have an identified current source and direction, so it'd definitely be a "niche item".

[Avi]

it might get carried different distances varying by size. Say, a 74's going to resist the push out to sea at the mouth of a river a lot better than a 32...

Currents do not "work" that way - the whole body of water moves carrying all floating things in it at the same speed.

Now, currents at a rivers mouth will not be constant across the river. If you envision (for simplicities sake) the river bed as being a shallow U from side to side -
theoretical current at the edges will be 0 and at the centre the highest - in between it will be some smooth function (not linear -but I don't remember its shape)

[KeithS]

You might be able to implement rules taking currents into account, probably moving all ships a fixed amount in a specified direction between each card placement, so you would need to take it into account when planning you sailing. Might make for an interesting challenge near coasts, islands, shoals etc. , then of course you could always take tides into account as well. Having said that the calculations might get a bit hairy as if the sailing wasn't tricky enough already (at least for me).

[fredmiracle]

what did it mean when a ship "lost steerage way"==i.e. was going too slow for the rudder to be of use? Presumably it drifted with the current, but also would turn in place, right? What drove that--current? wind? randomness?

[David Manley]

what did it mean when a ship "lost steerage way"==i.e. was going too slow for the rudder to be of use? Presumably it drifted with the current, but also would turn in place, right? What drove that--current? wind? randomness?

The vessel would drift with the current, but this would be modified to some degree either in ships heading or speed or both by the wind and by wave encounter. A drifting ship in the absence of wind will tend to turn across the sea, ending beam on to the waves. A drifting ship in the absence of waves will tend to turn across the wind. Obviously the degree to which this occurs depends on the relative positions of above and underwater centres of pressure, and both elements combining will produce a complex case that is a blend of the two.

Steerage Way is indeed the minimum speed through the water required to keep the rudder effective.