Very well thank you very much. After fulfilling my Grandpa duties at the local skating rink, I put the boat in the water. The weather folks had been calling for this cold front to move through for the past three days without getting it right. The weather was cloudy with winds at 15-20 when I put her in. Within five minutes of casting off, the poop hit the fan and I saw the worst thunderstorms I've ever seen in WA state. The gust front was in excess of 40 knots and promply knock me down as I sheeted out. Hailstones up to an inch in diameter started falling making waterspouts over three feet tall and progressed up to near whitout conditions while turning the water into froth. I brought her into the wind after getting pushed sideways for a bit and planted her on starboard about 15* off the wind while backwinding the jib. This enabled me to stay upright at a leasurely pace of maybe 3 knots while getting pounded by the ice and having lightning strike all around the lake. I managed to sail her to within six feet of the shore to escape the wind and planted the swing keel in the mud. The wind shifted, she spun around and stayed as if at anchor while lightning flashed all around. I left everything where it was and retired to the cabin for a smoke and to get out of the crap and possibly the path of a stray strike considering I was the only 27 foot tall lightning rod on the lake. After about twenty minutes, the lightning stopped, the hail stopped and the rain started. I was sitting there, warming back up while looking out the window when the dock started moving. Yep, she figured the worst was over and started sailing back out into the lake. Not being in the mood to argue, I went back out and started shoveling the nearly three inches of ice into the cockpit drain while she happily sailed herself down the lake. Once I got most of the ice off, I called it a day and sailed her in. All in all, a decent lesson on foul weather sailing and just how quickly things can change. Oh, another lesson, wear those sailing gloves. They make a BIG difference in a hail storm as the most painful thing was having them (my hands) pounded by the ice because I didn't have them on.
How do V-21's handle really bad weather?
- Thread starter CharlieCobra
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Mac 26 D
Glad your V21 did so well. My 1989 26D came as a fractional rig. And you really should quit smoking. LOL
Glad your V21 did so well. My 1989 26D came as a fractional rig. And you really should quit smoking. LOL
Yeah after 32 years of it you'd think I'd
get the hint. The boat impressed me and I think it handled things better than I did. All that lightning made me nervous, what with having the only 25' lightning rod on the lake. This storm was unlike anything I've seen since I left Texas.
get the hint. The boat impressed me and I think it handled things better than I did. All that lightning made me nervous, what with having the only 25' lightning rod on the lake. This storm was unlike anything I've seen since I left Texas.
Handled it well
From what you have written it sounds to me like you know what you are doing out there, and it is a good thing you have the knowledge you do. No one can predict with much accuracy what they will do under a difficult situation, until they actually encounter it. Just hope they have the skills and knowledge to take appropriate action and survive. Sounds like you have these skills and knowledge. It may not be a fun thing to have to experienced, but there is certainly a lot of personal satisfaction in knowing you can and have done it. A tip of the hat to you.
From what you have written it sounds to me like you know what you are doing out there, and it is a good thing you have the knowledge you do. No one can predict with much accuracy what they will do under a difficult situation, until they actually encounter it. Just hope they have the skills and knowledge to take appropriate action and survive. Sounds like you have these skills and knowledge. It may not be a fun thing to have to experienced, but there is certainly a lot of personal satisfaction in knowing you can and have done it. A tip of the hat to you.
Thanks
I watched the news later and those cells were dark red and purple on the radar when they passed over. I'm not even sure that hiding in the cabin was useful since I was sitting within two feet of the chainplates.
I watched the news later and those cells were dark red and purple on the radar when they passed over. I'm not even sure that hiding in the cabin was useful since I was sitting within two feet of the chainplates.
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