How to weather a sudden storm?

[Ward H]

OK, newbie question time.
Last summer I narrowly missed getting hit by a fast moving T Storm. It blew through minutes after I got backed into the slip and tied up. Being lucky that day I wondered what I would do if I had got caught in it.
I know one way to ride out a storm is to anchor but is it an option to motor head on into the storm? I started thinking about this after reading a discussion about what size OB is needed for a 25' boat. I have a 9.9 high thrust and have motored head on into 20+ winds and 3' chop and making hull speed at half throttle or less. I figured i should be able to motor into worse conditions but if caught out is motoring through it as safe an option as anchoring?

 

[Rich Stidger]

Lots of people will probably have opinions on this topic. Here is what I do: First, I check the weather forecast before I go out. Second I make sure that the local WX station in my area is on my VHF scan list so that if a weather alert occurs I will hear it.

Then I watch the weather conditions during my sail. If the sky becomes threatening, or even looks like it might be threatening, I punch up my radar to the 48nm range and look for thunderstorm cells or rain. You may not have that option on your 25' boat, although I am sure that some people do have radar on boats that size. Anyway, I can easily see rain and storm conditions on the radar long before they get to me. And on the radar I can see location, direction, and speed of the storms. I will know if I am to be hit or likely miss from the radar.

Most importantly, get the sails down BEFORE the storm hits. Tie down anything that could get loose. If you are towing a dinghy, get it on deck and lashed down tight. It's better to motor for an hour waiting for the T/S than to be caught with sails up. DON'T wait until the storm is almost upon you. These things can move at impressive speeds.

When the storm hits, I have sails down, rain gear on, everyone has PDFs on, and I just motor in the direction that is most comfortable.

It is important to position yourself with some sea room because when the rain and wind hit, visibility can drop to zero. You don't want to be around anything that you might hit- other boats or land. 50+ mph winds can push you quite a ways, so be sure that you have LOTS of room.

It's not fun.

 

[thinwater]

Waves will be the issue.

A transom mounted outboard can be pretty useless in steep chop, since the engine will be moving vertically and coming out of the water. Sail in progressively rougher conditions and get a feel for this. It is enough HP... if the prop is in the water.

Anchoring in an exposed location can be very bad. By the time you get near enough to shore to ge the hook down, you may be so close as to risk blowing ashore or getting caught in the impact zone.

So many thing to consider. Every time is different.

 

[higgs]

I usually get my sails down and fire up the engine and keep going towards my destination. I try not to touch anything metal. As long as you are not getting pushed onto a lee shore you should be fine. Lightning, of course, is the big danger, but your chances of getting hit are slim If the boat is not grounded some people will clamp a jumper cable to a shroud and throw the other end overboard. If winds get real strong, sometimes it is easier and more comfortable to run with the wind as long as you have room.

The problem I can see with anchoring is that you will have to be in close to shore and if the wind should shift during the storm and you were to drag, you could end up aground. I think if you have the sea room you are better off powering through the storm.

 

[Joe]

Reef, close the hatch, put on your foulies, secure everything, reef.

 

[Sailm8]

Beside everything being suggested, I take a compass bearing for a safe direction and I put on my dive mask. Here in Florida the rain will come down so hard you can hardly breath much less see.

 

[higgs]

Noting compass heading is a good idea.

 

[bugaloo]

The wind will change directions in a thunder storm and you are better off with your sails down and the motor running than take the chance of waiting to see what direction the wind is coming from to decide what to do. reefing is fine in a storm but not so good in a thunder storm that only last for a short while. the wind in any thunder storm can be more than you want to deal with at any time in your whole life not counting the electricity in the air around you. I was hit with lightning 60 miles east of Charleston SC and it made a 2 inch hole in the bottom of my boat where a thru hull was. beer can and t shirt got me to safety Try to avoid thunder storms when ever possible but never under estimate the power of one.

 

[justsomeguy]

snip- beer can and t shirt got me to safety.

Nice job.

 

[MrUnix]

Every situation is different, so it's hard to say. If it looks like a pretty nasty one coming and no chance to get to cover, I'd throw out the anchor and go below to weather it out. Last time I got caught in a nasty storm was at night, sailing from the Florida Keys up to Key Biscayne. We just stripped down to our shorts, reefed and kept going. Wasn't a problem until we wound up on a sand bar that went out way further than indicated on the charts

Cheers,
Brad

 

[Ward H]

Well, I am really glad I asked. I thought anchoring was the way to ride it out since the BB is shallow enough to allow anchoring about anywhere. From the responses here I think I will plan on dropping sails, batten down the hatches, tether in and punch through it.

On the day I almost got caught out, I had an ASA Instructor with me who has lots of experience on the Barnegat Bay. While storms were not predicted we noticed some rain clouds on the horizon after we had been out for a couple of hours. We decided to drop sail and motor in so we wouldn't get wet. One problem. The motor would not start. Since it looked like rain was coming we called for a tow. Even as we were pushed into the slip there was no sign of a storm. Then it hit fast.
While I plan to take all the precautions noted here to try not getting caught in a storm, I know it can happen.

As it was our first full sailing season, we did sail in increasingly stronger winds. I think the strongest we sailed in was around 20 with some higher gusts. That was the day Seaside Park boardwalk burned and they reported the fire was pushed by something like 30mph winds?
Actually, I am more afraid of getting out of and back into the slip in high winds than being on the water practice is taking care of that.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Ward, I sail a San Juan 23 and have been caught in that type event. We have violent thunder storms that pop over the mountian and only leave about 10 minutes notice before the BIG blow. The first thing we do is the foulies with the inflatables over them. We wear the inflatables at all times and the foul weather gear is just inside the cabin so this takes about 2 minutes. Drop all sails and strap down with bungees. 2 to 3 minutes.
We drop the Honda 9.9 long shafts into the water and warm up.
If my wife is with me she smiles and waves through the lexan hatch boards while I station keep headed into the wind and wave.
Anchoring is not an option as the depth is too great. I would rather remain off shore instead of some of the reachable bays because they leave no options if anything fails.
These storms usually last less than 30 minutes. The motor coming out of the water is not a problem on my boat and with the tiller extension I can remain far enough forward in the cockpit so I can see and steer around any large waves.
Do not let the boat run down wind as you will get pooped for sure and most small boat cockpits do not drain very fast.
The compass use is a good idea. Something new to use if you do get caught in tight places.
Be sure to install your hatch boards. All of them.
Ray

 

[Albanach]

Waves will be the issue.

A transom mounted outboard can be pretty useless in steep chop, since the engine will be moving vertically and coming out of the water. Sail in progressively rougher conditions and get a feel for this. It is enough HP... if the prop is in the water.

Anchoring in an exposed location can be very bad. By the time you get near enough to shore to ge the hook down, you may be so close as to risk blowing ashore or getting caught in the impact zone.

So many thing to consider. Every time is different.

Agree entirely with ‘thinwater’. I used to sail a 23ft with transom mounted 8 hp O/B. Whilst too powerful normally, it was useless in any waves over 2-3ft. If persisting in those conditions, you also risk overheating. If your O/B is mounted from inside the cockpit, you probably have another 1-2 ft leeway in wave height. I found handkerchief sailing and allowing another hour or two or three for ETA the best way.

 

[njsail]

Barnegat Bay is our home base as well. After many decades of living on that body of water we have had a number of weather surprises. Most events are forecast with ample warning and as long as we are relatively in tune they can be avoided. The ones that come up fast and hard are the ones that can have consequences. A number of years ago we had taken a number of friends to Tices shoals for a day at the beach. While you're on the beach the dunes and trees block the view of the bay and the eastern horizon. It was a perfectly sunny day not a cloud in the sky and everyone was having a wonderful time. I noticed people starting to leave early...so I asked and was told there was a big storm that was about to hit. I'm really glad I asked. by the time I gathered all of our guests and walked back to the dingy all I could see is a massive fast moving green/black cloud wall almost on top of us. We just got everyone on the boat when all hell broke loose. The winds were in the 35kt range. Luckily Barnegat bay has very few underwater rocks - mostly all sand. The bad part is most of the bay is between 6-9 feet. I draw just about 6. The chop was so bad...I could feel the boat bottoming out. I knew if I pulled the anchor in that kind of wind I could chance being blown aground. I had a buddy use hand signals (worked great) to point to where the anchor was and I would motor while he pulled in the windlass. We got the anchor up and started motoring hard into the wind. I have full enclosure and that helped immensely keep things calm in the cockpit. I flipped on radar and tuned out as much noise as I could. I know I have miles of open water to motor in until the front past but it is easy to hit other boats. The irony is I have Sirius weather integrated with the chart plotter and when I turned the instruments on there was a severe weather warning from Sirius popped up on the screen screaming at me to take cover. Channel 16 was lit up with weather warnings being broadcast. I felt like I was caught with my pants down that day but it was an experience that I learned from.

On a separate preparation note (someone above suggested this as well) I have been intentionally going out in progressively bad weather conditions to learn how the boat handles and how I deal with weather. I've also unfortunately learned when I do that the open water is one learning experience and docking under high cross winds is another (surprise). ex: When hurricane Earl was coming up the coast many of us went down to prepare our boats for the storm. A buddy stopped by (how many stories start like that for sailors?) and next thing I know we look at each other and said...let's go sailing. I hadn't been out in weather with our new to us boat at the time. The wind was in the 35kt range if I remember. We laughed like school kids for hours sailing in that slop. I even tried sailing under bare poles to see how the boat reacted. So we even had lunch while under bare poles and the autopilot steering a relative course. I wish I would have tried heaving to but never got to it.

After the fun we realized docking would not be fun but we had enough wind break to get it in the slip and tied up. The boat was covered in seaweed being windblown but I learned a lot about the new boat by doing that. It isn't always the brightest thing to go out during a small craft advisory but in this case I felt we had the boat and the skill to do it safely. Mind you we were in a 40ft sailboat. I would decide based on boat and crew experience what is safe. All in good fun.

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Ward,

Rich offered some GOOD advice for storm prep.
I got a kick out of his PFD vs. PDF.

Thin hit on the head with wave conditions. I have an inboard but have been at sea with short wave timing & the prop was useless & out of the water on the backside of waves. Then you have to use sail.

For lightning, Higgs does what I do. Wear sailing gloves if wheel steering & have everyone sit & not touch anything metal. If possible RUN before the storm, or angle off away from it, you can't outrun em. If coming to a tight channel, wait it out in open water with maneuver room if possible. Things can get ugly quick in channels.

I think a lot of us do what Joe does, close any hatches & portals. Make sure everything below is secured. Have those companionway slats ready. Secure objects in the cockpit that can fall or fly, as an injury or fall is not what you want.

Sail uses a dive mask, as he knows we here in FL. get some ferocious thunderheads that come on you quick. Winds here can get up to 40 mph in these storms, so seeing can be a problem. I don't use a mask. but I usually have someone stand facing me in front of the binnacle. This way I can bear off both left & right to look past them on the lee sides to see forward. Works great in open water.

Remember, If when watching an upcoming T-storm & trying to see if you can tell where it is headed, & a thought pops into your head, "Should I take my sails down & start my motor?" That's the time to do it. Don't wait.

CR

 

[Doug4bass]

Doesnt anyone heave-to anymore??

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Doug,

I have a question for you pal.

Don't one usually exhaust sail/power/exhaustion measures first before heaving to?
Given you have plenty of sea room?

CR

 

[John T1594]

White Squall

We got hit by one fast moving white squall last summer on the bay. 70 mph winds for ten minutes. Sails down and just kept motoring directly into the winds.
Read about it at: http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1053664&highlight=White Squall

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Specific to Barnegat Bay ....

Ward, as you know, BB has some very site-specific characteristics that you should consider when deciding on your strategy. Since the bay is longest in the north-south direction and far narrower in the east-west direction, wave heights are only a concern basically in the center as they roll in a northerly or southerly direction. At that, I'd be surprised if they get any higher than 2'-3', but they can keep coming very fast so that's always a problem in the center/west side of the bay. The east side tends to flatten out due to the extremely shallow depth. Considering the chance of running aground on the east side of the bay, I would avoid that side if you are able, besides it will generally be the lee shore, which is where you won't want to be.

After a decade (plus) actively windsurfing on BB, I can't think of a time when thunderstorms ever came from any direction other than SW (maybe the south). The western shoreline is always going to be your windward shore since the wind will have a westerly component to it so I think that you are best served heading for the western shore and I see no reason for not anchoring. The bottom is mud with generally good holding and it is shallow enough. It also seems to me that it is deep enough (the navigation channel hugs the western shore) that you won't have a problem bottoming, but the wave action is likely to be relatively flat if you hug the shoreline closely enough.

Be ready to deploy a jib and have your outboard running in case the wind does something weird and/or you break free. If you need to run, have a plan in mind which direction you want to run, either to run north or south away from the storm, or to avoid the bridges if you happen to be anywhere near either the one at Seaside Park or the one at LBI. Since they are 20+ miles apart, they should be easy to avoid.

If you happen to get caught outside, you won't want to deal with any inlets, so I think it would be best to first decide if you want to run north or south away from the storm, and I think it doesn't hurt to get closer to shore if the waves aren't breaking (and obviously stay well outside shore-breaking waves). Again, these storms tend to come from the SW or S, so calmer water could be closer to the shoreline, and you are likely to be blown offshore if you can't motor away from the storm.

With the flat terrain of Jersey Shore area, you can't find much refuge from the wind, so I think it is best to find refuge from the areas where the waves are going to be the most troublesome. I know how storms can sneak up on you from over the pine barrens as they do.

 

[caguy]

Lifes Saving Viedo on Storm Tactica and Sea Anchors

Here is a must see treatise on Storm Tactics that may save your life.