Use this sailing calculation as a planning or educational cross-check for navigation, wind and current, rig loads, stability, anchoring, tides, visibility, performance, or recovery under explicitly stated conditions.

Circle diameter (NM)

Diameter of each circle of the figure eight.

Boat speed (kt)

Boat speed held through the maneuver.

Approach time (min)

Minutes allowed for the final approach to the casualty.

Estimate the minutes to sail two circular lobes of a figure-eight recovery path at the given boat speed, plus the final approach allowance. The tool evaluates the supplied inputs together and returns the named outputs below; it does not infer omitted operating conditions or change the units shown.^[1]

Recovery time (min)

Total minutes to complete the recovery maneuver.

• Actual conditions change with vessel design and loading, sea state, wind, current, tide datum, weather, chart accuracy, equipment, crew, regulations, and safety margins. Simplified formulas do not replace seamanship, approved stability data, or current navigation information.
• Use finite inputs in the displayed units and preserve more precision than the final presentation requires. Independently verify safety-critical, financial, compliance, or production decisions.

Cross-check official charts, tide and weather services, instrument data, vessel manuals, and collision regulations; maintain conservative margins and a safe alternative plan.

• Time to Start Line Calculator

  Calculate how many minutes it takes to reach the start line from the remaining distance and current boat speed.

• Post-Tack Acceleration Time

  Estimate how long a boat needs to recover full speed after a tack from the speed deficit and the acceleration rate.

• Crew Drift Estimate

  Estimate how far an overboard crew member drifts as current speed times time in the water plus wind speed times time scaled by a one percent windage coefficient.