If they still had Gandalf...

[Glirdan]

Saruman was controlling the weather, and he sent the storm. I guess it depends on whether you're going by the book or the movies.

Yes, it does depend on what you're going by, but I think we should be going by the books seeing as they were written by Tolkien where as the movie, even though it was very accurate, was not and is slightly innacurate. I understand that they had to change a few things in order for the general public (in other words, the non Barrow-Downers and other who've read the books before the movies) to understand what was going on.

I do agree with you that the three days would not really make a difference, except for the fact that if Gandalf did not listen to Radagast and go see Saruman and instead went back to the Shire and told them to leave right away, they would have gotten to Rivendell earlier. Now, a few people would already have arrived and they would not really need to wait for Boromir to have the Council and after they sent out the scouts, they could have left, still with Nine except maybe Gimli, Legolas and definetely Boromir would not have been in it. Elrond would have chosen people to go with them.