Driven on shore in thunderstorm
- Thread starter PotomacDaysailer
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Read "Wake of the Green Storm: A Survivor's Tale" by Marlin Bree.
When this storm came through on the 4th. of July, 1999, we were canoeing in the Quetico. The BWCA south of us in Northern Minnesota experienced incredible damage. This 4th of July storm hit Lake Superior next and then blew all the way to the east coast.
Marlin Bree's account of surviving this derecho in Lake Superior is incredible, makes for a great read!
When this storm came through on the 4th. of July, 1999, we were canoeing in the Quetico. The BWCA south of us in Northern Minnesota experienced incredible damage. This 4th of July storm hit Lake Superior next and then blew all the way to the east coast.
Marlin Bree's account of surviving this derecho in Lake Superior is incredible, makes for a great read!
Thanks for posting this. I had a very similar experience with a derecho storm in the Upper Chesapeake four years ago that ultimately resulted in me slashing the filled mainsail in order to save the boat from being driven into a lee shore. I posted about it on this forum back then. http://forums.sailboatowners.com/index.php?threads/cutting-a-sail-free-in-a-surprise-squall.142962/
Scary stuff. Glad you made it out uninjured and hope the repairs your boat needs will be economically feasible to make.
Scary stuff. Glad you made it out uninjured and hope the repairs your boat needs will be economically feasible to make.
Wow - great story! As someone said, you should get it published. I can't see anything you could have done differently: all the "usual solutions" like lying to a sea anchor or run bare-poles trailing warps don't work on a lake when you're less than a mile from a lee shore. I've been in situations where ALL my motor couldn't get the boat pointed upwind (even with NO sails set!) so I can understand.
Just goes to show sailing on a lake can be dangerous too! Glad you made it out alive with a still-floating boat! (one thing I learned from almost sinking once: battery-operated bilge pumps are CHEAP, and you should have at least one as well as a working manual one available. I even have a "portable" one with about 20 ft of hose and 20 ft of wire that can be put anywhere and connected to a convenient battery.)
Just goes to show sailing on a lake can be dangerous too! Glad you made it out alive with a still-floating boat! (one thing I learned from almost sinking once: battery-operated bilge pumps are CHEAP, and you should have at least one as well as a working manual one available. I even have a "portable" one with about 20 ft of hose and 20 ft of wire that can be put anywhere and connected to a convenient battery.)
I had a very similar thing my best friend and I were sailing from Seattle to my new Home on Sandy Point in Ferndale WA. Some of the Locals in my neck of the woods my just remember the daytime. It was Oct. 19th 2014. We were just entering the Ditch as most of us call it Swnomish Chanell at LaConner. Winds were already at about 40nt we had long before lowered our sails about Peen Cove and we're going to motor. As we entered the channel we had a Dredger pull out in front of us we were at 8knots on an incoming tide. As I throttled down a Rouge Wave came up and over the Stern filling the cockpit with water. Thank God I have excellent drains it emptied in a mere matters of minutes. The only problem is the engine sucked up some of that water and we were dead in the water she wouldn't start. A motor cruiser was directly behind but with no ability to tow from her stern she was only able to try to side tie us. Witch was hard in such strong winds at this time they had increased. To more than 60 knots waves were in the range of. Close to 15 to 25 high now. After trying and not being able to sucre the boat safely. I cut the lines the face my friend made at that time knowing we had no engine and Drifting towards the rocks I did what the only thing I. Could have done was I very slowly unfurled the headsail till I had just enough to get us moving we had about 2500 feet to get back into the channel. At this time I was on the radio to CG and gave my position and said I was heading to hope Island a great name especially when we needed hope. After sailing across wind the easy part I had to head strait down wind about 2nm to get to the backside where I knew there were Mooring Balls. CG had my fix and said since this was an uncalled storm others were in more danger than I was and would get there as soon as they could. The down wind trip was quite scary now with gust to 80 knots it took every thing I had in me just to keep the headsail from getting away from me my friend was holding the rudder firmly with all he had. We reached the Island I rolled the sail back in it place tied it off and we coasted to the Balls grabbed it the first try. Now we were wet cold and safe I changed clothes and cleaned the floor from all my gear from the locker at last Marina and. I radioed CG told them we were safe they showed up about 9 hrs. Later I was sleeping when they showed up. I had to lock up the boat and arrange a tow to get the boat to LaConner and dock her so I could look into the the engine to finish the trip North. I have to say though in condishion of these sorts you must. Stay clam even as scary as it was I stayed clam and made it out alive in most cases the fear is what would kill you so Always in any Emerengcy Stay Calm and rely on your knowledge and most of all wear your PFD and if you have it strap your self in with your safety harness so yo don't get away from the boat. I'm so glad my training and knowing what to do saved our lives that day
On the last weekend in April 2015 the Dauphin Island race, Mobile Bay, Al began in winds about 20 knts and a sunny day. This race is the largest on the Gulf Coast sometimes seeing up to 250 boats on the 5 class start. About 3pm my son called me from Waveland Ms. some 80 miles away to say that a violent storm had gone though and not to go sailing. Luckily for me my boat was having repairs. The race fleet was caught around mid-bay with no place to hide by a sudden 70 knt straight line wind. That storm had gone 80 miles in less than 30 min. It capsized many boats, 10 were sunk and 6 people lost their lives. Visibility went to zero, and waves to 10 feet in a bay that has a controlling depth of only 10 feet. It lasted for several hours and my friend John lost his boat, spent 3 hours in the water until he was spotted by another boat. He and his two crew were rescued.
As a youngster sailing downwind on Skaneateles Lake in a Comet I was knocked over by an accidental jibe due to a sudden wind shift ahead of the storm I was trying to outrun. Years later I took sailing lessons on the Charles R and learned that I should have had the centerboard up when sailing downwind. Who knew?
What a harrowing night that was! I know (now) what you mean about a "wall of wind". In daylight I saw it coming with just incredible speed, as someone mentioned like an 18-wheeler barreling down the Interstate. But it sounds like your situation was worse than what I experienced. Glad you made it.
I wonder if a sea anchor or drogue would have at least slowed you down. I have one that I have never had to use but is for 'just in case'. I bought an inexpensive trolling sock that fisherman use. I have tested it in rough conditions and it at least slows you down and keeps the bow in the wind. May have bought some time. Glad you are safe.
what an excellent recitation, this article belongs in a sailing mag for sure. besides our 2 wired bilge pumps, we carry 2 other emergency pumps on our boat. one is an electric 120v Red Lion with a discharge port that attaches to a garden hose. start the engine , plug in to 120v electric from the inverter, and it will pump 2500 GPH indefinitely. the other is a spare 12v Rule 2000, which would need hooked in to the 3 way manual/auto switch as the boat is sinking....
I live in Brevard county right across the river from Cape Kennedy launch complex.And out on the Indian river things can happen really fast. Basically the river consists of a channel and oyster beds on both sides. There are numerous boats wrecked on the shallows .during the summer the storms that blow through are really rough at times .Ive been caught out a couple of times and it was all I could was to hold position and pray.Ive got a merc.9.9 four stroke on my venture 2-24 and seems to do the job. So far .Weve been wanting to take a trip down the coast and do the Bimini run any info from anyone that has made the trip would be helpful. Ive got 30 yrs. sailing experience on several types of boats .grew up on the gulf coast around the Ft.Myers ,Sanibel,Captiva area.Thanks
The important point about this experience is you're alive! Sounds like the classic squall that we get here in New England. I was out a number of years ago at low tide in Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth MA in my former boat, a home built, Glen-L designed catamaran. Dark clouds and then a subsequent squall hit us hard and we ran in to a mussel bed digging one of our dagger boards into the mud. This caused a great deal of stress on the mast which ultimately caused it to fall after a snapped shroud. Since this was a 16' daysailer it had no motor however the harbormaster was on the job and towed us in. What I learned from this which is sometimes unpreventable, reduce your sails!
Just got back....planning on going again in about a week. Offline skisalot2@gmail.com I'll give you my $0.02