http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/25/us/mobile-bay-regatta-missing/
We are not the only event having a bad year
(11 posts) (9 voices)-
MisterMoon
MemberTo be fair, current reports indicate not all the missing and dead were particpants in that event. When the storm hit at 430, many of the participants had already finished the race and were heading back home.
Still it's pretty sobering. I've been caught in exactly one storm similar to that one. A big summer time T-storm popped up one day on Lake Lanier and we got blasted with 55 mph winds for a few minutes followed by about 15 minutes of winds over 30. When we saw it coming, we had only minute or two to get the sails down and lashed. At the time I was in a Cape Dory Typhoon, a very seaworthy 19' keelboat. With sails down, we bobbed like a duck in the short 5' waves and luckily didn't run out of sea room before the storm ended. Other boats on the lake weren't so lucky. In the aftermath we saw several turtled dinghies, swamped runabouts, and shredded sails on larger boats.
Posted 5 years ago # -
KNOTaDOC
MemberIn the video that Ouragan posted at the 2:34 mark a boat comes into view off the starboard side with sails up, and proceeds to get flattened by the gust that hits seconds later, a very sobering reminder to reef early and often. I myself was out this weekend in 15knot winds with gusts up to 20-25 had my main reefed 2-3 turns and mizzen in 1, and stopped after about 15 min and put an extra turn in each just because it was gusting so hard. All the more reason to continually hone skills and practice in all conditions to be in the best shape for the EC next year.
Posted 5 years ago # -
MisterMoon
MemberIf I see a squall line coming, my base strategy is to get all sails down before it hits. If it's forecasted to be really severe (and I couldn't find a safe harbor in time) my current plan is to drop the rig, assuming I'm able. I'm not at all confident that I could prevent a capsize in 70 mph winds under bare poles.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Meatloaf
MemberRegarding the Dauphim Island Race.
I know one of the captains who lost a man in the race He is one of the most talented and capable sailors on the northern Gulf Coast, period. They were slammed by gusts over 60 knots, all were throwm overboard, all but one were able to get back onto the boat as she righted herself. The man that was lost was a stout strong capable 27 year old experienced sailor. The crew had a line on him but were being blown downwind under bare poles around 6 knots. They tried to turn the boat but got knocked over again. Kris continued to hold on but as the Captain said, one minute he was still there, the next he was gone.
Another friend on a Melges 24 (bare poles) was knocked over twice, so far that the keel came out of the water and the mast hit the bottom (both times)! Some of the crew had PFD's on, others did not, all were thrown out of the boat. Both boats had finished and turned around heading north to go home, they were not in racing mode.
The "attitude" of big boats is that 99.99999% of the time, they don't go over. But sometimes they do. As many of us who race one designs know, small boats do capsize and the race committee's enforce mandatory PFD use often, but not always. We all have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in cars and have each most likely had at least one accident, whether it was our fault or not, it still happened. Did we need those seat belts on for every inch driven? No, but we wear them. Do we need PFD's on for every second we are on a boat, no, but we should.
Bottom line is I have started to renew all of my safety gear, from new PFD's to VHF radios to PLB's flares etc. As you know, it ain't cheap but it is a systematic approach of one item at a time as I can afford it, but the goal is to have valid serviceable gear that I can depend on and hopefully never use, just like the airbag in my car.
Of the forty or so resuces made on that day, not all were "racers." Many were casual boaters out for a day on the bay. The Coast Gaurd has not released the numbers of racers vs casual boaters that were rescued. Three bodies have been found, three more are missing. Pray for their souls and may their families find Peace.
Meatloaf
Posted 5 years ago # -
ShakyRudder
MemberOn the subject of large boats. Most large boat owners, and captains stow their safety equiptment below deck. That seems like the best thing to do since it will remain out of the elements. However if you find yourself in a bad situation going below deck is not always an option. Boats do not normally sink slowly or capsize gracefully. When you need your gear right now you will not be able to get it. I learned the big boat lesson about 10 miles offshore at night in a storm. I could not get to the life jackets and flares because the cabin was full of water. Everything in the cabin violently washing from side to side would have broken my bones or worse. I also knew that I would have to go underwater in that mess in complete darkness to get to the storage locker. The batteries were underwater so no lights, no VHF, and no GPS. The backups were in the cabin. The EPIRB, Coast Guard, and a great deal of dumb luck saved my life. I now make sure that everything I need is within arms reach from the helm. However even if you prepare and have everything you need at hand there is never a 100% chance of survival. The weather can change without warning and remind everyone just how powerful it is. I know at this point in Mobile they are in recovery mode but hopefully some will beat the odds.
Posted 5 years ago # -
GearBuster
MemberTribe Newbie here, Hello to All !!!
I remember a typical Weekend Club Race on Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, in the 60's. I was 13 or 14 and crew on a Pearson Triton:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_Triton
It was a Sunday afternoon race. Wind SE 12-15 we were half way up the windward leg. We saw a Black Sky like a curtain, we all knew, what that meant - a Summer Line Squall and it was coming at us, pretty fast. We dropped and furled all sail. This is way before roller furlers were in use, (ie) I stuffed the genoa, into a sailbag, still hanked onto the forestay !!!
The captain ordered everyone below, with lifejackets, except for me. Being the most agile and experianced, I remained on deck, at the helm, keeping the best angle to the wind, waves and blast, that was about to hit us. I chose NOT to put on a lifejacket. I'll tell you why I made that decision:
Some back ground - I helped my dad build my first sailboat, an 8ft pram, at age 5. He named it the "SEED" (It wasn't til years later, that I figured out the significance of that name). I taught myself, how to sail, before I learned how to swim... Some one took the SEED, off our beach and my dad bought, a new sailing dinghy, a 10 ft. Sloop made by O'day called a Sprite. I soon mastered that little gem of a boat. I routinely sailed by myself, for years and taught myself, how to fly a spinnaker, again alone.
During those formative years, experiance had taught me, to always, carry a knife, (I still have my folding, Currey Lockspike Knife, made in England, with the original tether) AND, that the ability to move around quickly and swim under sails and rigging, after a capsize, were easy, WITHOUT a life jacket and next to impossible and more dangerous, with one on, so I declined...
The Triton had a tiller, so I was forward, in the cockpit, when the Squall hit. I saw and felt the bare mast, smack the water, in less than a second, with incredible force. We were well beyond, 90 degress.
I crouched on the inside of the cockpit coaming, water up to my knees, looking ahead, down below, at the captain, his wife and daughter, (a future girl friend). The rain felt like rocks, hitting my bare tanned back... The water was bobbing up and down a few inches from going down the companionway. The mast head, remained in the water for about 15 minutes, until the squall passed.
The Triton righted herself, we put up full sail up and finished the race... We were the smallest boat in a fleet of 20 or so, different, cruising sailboats, no one designs, most were 34 -38 ft. A few people motored back to the club, most of the fleet, chose to finish the race.
I remember some torn sails, lot's of wind strewn, rigging, but no one swamped or had any serious injuries.
That day I learned a lesson -> the sudden, incredible power, of Mother Nature.
Gearbuster aka John Peets
Posted 5 years ago # -
fusioneng
MemberWe live in south Florida and the Keys, in the summer thunderstorms can develop very quickly from nothing with almost no forecast or warning at times on any given afternoon (just FYI for those that don't live here). Combine that with the strong currents all around KW, random shallow coral heads everywhere off KW, and the fact that the island is a tiny dot in a big ocean, I understand why I see darned few small sailboats down there. The most sailing unfriendly place I know of for small boats (LOL), if we weren't avid divers, and just happen to have a house there, I would stay away (I'm just sayin).
We have been caught out in some of those storms (never on purpose, and nothing close to what hit Mobile bay), it is no fun on our TI, and hour later it's sunny and dry, life in Florida in a nutshell.....
FE
Posted 5 years ago # -
ShakyRudder
MemberLiving in the keys is great. I will agree with fusioneng about the dangers of sailing in the keys. However I would have it no other way. A chance of having your daggerboard or rudder sheared off by a coral head just adds a little more challenge to the sailing experience. I sail in the keys year round and a passing squall line with winds gusting to 40kts or a few random waterspouts will keep you on your toes from time to time in the summer. The clear water and wonderful weather that we have most of the time is what makes sailing the keys so great. I have talked to many people who are a little nervous about sailing small boats in the keys but it is no different than any other area in florida. The islands of the keys offer much more protection than areas like between everglades city and flamingo. If the weather kicks up just head from the ocean to the bay or they other way around depending on the wind direction. Going from key west to the marquesas is another story.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Up here in Washington at the Oyster Messabout last week, the rain line was moving in, and I started the outboard and ran for the dock at the state park, about half way there we started getting lighting and thunder which was the first I'd seen since moving from Georgia. The problem with the Hood Canal/Puget Sound is that a rain storm can come very unexpected around a bend, and you might not have a clue. In this case we had about 15 minutes warning as I watched the wall approaching.
The Belhaven 19 ahead of me definetly beat me and the lighting to the dock, Randy started his motor the moment he saw the rain coming, I headed back initially under sail.
The photo is undersail before I started the motor, I had a little ways to go to the dock.
Posted 5 years ago #
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