Can you expain this?

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dscribner

dscribner

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Nov 9, 2008
1,338
Pearson-O'Day 290 Portland Maine
Can somebody explain to me what happened. I figure there's somebody out there with a similar experience.

We were close hauled about 100 yards off shore in light air, doing a casual 2 1/2 knots. The charts said 15 feet-ish and we draft less than 3. With no warning, the sail tightened slightly. My son who was at the helm, had time to look at me with a "Does that seem right?" look in his eye. Then she heeled to leward so he steered hard windward to dump the sails. After a half a second the wind picked up a little. He looked at me and said "That was random."

So, I came up with two possible conclusions.

1) The wind gusted 30 feet up with no apparent change down by the water.

2) Although there were no lobster bouys near by, there might have been a stray pot nearer to shore and our keel got hooked.

This was November 14, 2009 on Caso Bay Maine. Except for a couple of dead spots, what a DAY!

Don

Biddeford, Maine
 
Roger Long

Roger Long

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Nov 22, 2008
3,562
Endeavour 32 Portland, Maine
dscribner said:
1) The wind gusted 30 feet up with no apparent change down by the water.
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Gust are not the wind speeding up but the flow of faster moving air higher up dipping down to the surface. If the gust didn't make it all the way down, that could happen.
 
Tim R.

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
If you were near the eastern prom, it could easily have been an upper level gust. I race near there every Wed. night and you can be ghosting along at 4 knots with the water like glass all around the boat. The smaller boats often miss them and have to stay further out in the channel.

If it was a strong ebb or flow tide the current often submerges lobster buoys.

There is also a submerged 2 masted wreck near Fort Gorges. Your keel could have hit a mast.

Exactly where in Casco bay were you?
 
dscribner

dscribner

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Nov 9, 2008
1,338
Pearson-O'Day 290 Portland Maine
Tim,

I think we were east of Great Diamond. We launch at Spring Point so we were on our way back. It was an amazing day but there were period as much as half and hour that the wind died. Time for lunch or snoozing.
 

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Tim R.

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
The NE side of Great Diamond does have a bluff that could have caused this. That looks like LI in the background.

I was out that same weekend up at the Gosslings with a fellow Ericson sailor.
 
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