Orders to distant stations traveled at the speed of ships

How long did Admiralty orders take to reach ships on distant stations?

Often months; orders traveled aboard ships or with dispatched officers, so a commander could operate under old instructions until new ones physically arrived.

Long-distance command depended on physical passage rather than instantaneous communication. The Admiralty might place an officer and written instructions aboard a ship already bound for the station, and the recipient could continue under existing orders for months. The answer makes autonomy and delayed information central features of age-of-sail command.