Sorry for the typing errors. This arthritis is a pain and there is no spell check. I just finished ALBATROSS by Deborah Scaling. Two out of five died. They seemed to be totally unprepared and ended up sailing into a hurricane, of all things. That in itself is bad planning, but then they had to abandon ship and had virtually nothing. I sailed that same area and at night and each of us wore (at my insistance) safety harnesses with quick clip safety lines to attach to the main safety line running down the length of the boat. We had on self inflatable lifejackets, LED flashlights attached to our vests, one snap chemical light in a pocket, a 2 inch or longer stainless knife with serated teeth for 1 inch of the blade, and a handheld in a waterproof bag in a pocket. The man on deck had a GPS in his pocket too when it wasn't being used. We also kept a 12 pack of beer in a floatable cooler nearby. With a chocolate bar in it too. Does this sound crazy? We even thought of wearing wetsuits when the waves and wind kicked up, but the wind died down rather quickly. The boat (a 43' Palmer Johnson racing sailboat) was new to both of us, so we thought it prudent to be prepared. In the book, their boat sunk in 5 minutes or so when a fixed salon window blew in, so there was little time to get ready. I assume everyone sails like us, right?
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No apologies needed
The fact that they sailed into a major storm is a measure of a lack of awareness on their part. The swells from a large storm arrive several days before the storm and always radiate from the storm center like ripples from a pebble tossed into a pond. Depending on what ocean you are in storms are somewhat predictable in terms of their general direction of travel. If the swells are on your beam then the storm is off to the side on your bow then it is in front of you and if they over take the stern it is behind you. The size of the swells will give an indication of the proximity and intensity of the storm. The barometer is very much essential and an eye to the sky must be trained to know what it sees.
The fact that they sailed into a major storm is a measure of a lack of awareness on their part. The swells from a large storm arrive several days before the storm and always radiate from the storm center like ripples from a pebble tossed into a pond. Depending on what ocean you are in storms are somewhat predictable in terms of their general direction of travel. If the swells are on your beam then the storm is off to the side on your bow then it is in front of you and if they over take the stern it is behind you. The size of the swells will give an indication of the proximity and intensity of the storm. The barometer is very much essential and an eye to the sky must be trained to know what it sees.
Carry what you find makes you happy
I guess that I tend to travel on the light side of safety. Life is dangerous and it is impossible to prepare for every possibility. You have to carry enough to feel safe to be happy. I hike where there are bears, boars and poisonus snakes. I don't usually carry a snakebite kit or a gun. I do usually carry a compass and a map of the area. But I am usually totally unprepared for the possibility of falling and breaking my leg!!!! No fire blanket in case of a forest fire. No lightening protection or helmet to protect myself in case of a storm. No GPS to keep from getting lost. No snowshoes in case of unexpected snow. No satelite telephone in cast the cell phone won't work. My approach to sailing is about the same. Radio ,charts, cell phone , life jackets and a dinghy. The required flares and extra food and water. I'm comfortable and happy. In short I try to be prepared for circumstances that I might reasonably face. But I am not prepared for anything that might happen.
I guess that I tend to travel on the light side of safety. Life is dangerous and it is impossible to prepare for every possibility. You have to carry enough to feel safe to be happy. I hike where there are bears, boars and poisonus snakes. I don't usually carry a snakebite kit or a gun. I do usually carry a compass and a map of the area. But I am usually totally unprepared for the possibility of falling and breaking my leg!!!! No fire blanket in case of a forest fire. No lightening protection or helmet to protect myself in case of a storm. No GPS to keep from getting lost. No snowshoes in case of unexpected snow. No satelite telephone in cast the cell phone won't work. My approach to sailing is about the same. Radio ,charts, cell phone , life jackets and a dinghy. The required flares and extra food and water. I'm comfortable and happy. In short I try to be prepared for circumstances that I might reasonably face. But I am not prepared for anything that might happen.
It's good to talk about other's problems at sea
it gives us an idea on what to look for and to think ahead of time (much easier to think of what to do when your sitting at a desk then when it happens out at sea). In this case, I think they could have saved the boat if they found a way to take a floorboard and strap it to the port hole, unless it was the skylight that gave way and that's why it's so important to have that sky light upgraded before any long trip at sea.
it gives us an idea on what to look for and to think ahead of time (much easier to think of what to do when your sitting at a desk then when it happens out at sea). In this case, I think they could have saved the boat if they found a way to take a floorboard and strap it to the port hole, unless it was the skylight that gave way and that's why it's so important to have that sky light upgraded before any long trip at sea.
Big windows have
no place on a sea going boat. Nothing too strong ever broke and the middle of a storm is the wrong place to start worrying about that neglected repair job. Too often manufacturers watch the bottom line more closely than the seaworthiness of their boats. If 1/4" Plexiglas is strong enough 95 % of the time then there is no reason to use 3/8".
no place on a sea going boat. Nothing too strong ever broke and the middle of a storm is the wrong place to start worrying about that neglected repair job. Too often manufacturers watch the bottom line more closely than the seaworthiness of their boats. If 1/4" Plexiglas is strong enough 95 % of the time then there is no reason to use 3/8".
Swells from a storm
don't always radiate from the storm center so be careful about using that one-size-fits-all formula. The swells will typically be created by wind direction which can change over time and often aren't radiating from the storm center. Example, last June we were pinned down in the Dry Tortugas by Arlene which ran northward about 150 miles to our west. Since we were in the northeast quadrant of the storm the worst winds and waves were coming from our east to southeast as they worked counterclockwise around the storm center. This particular storm materialized from a minor tropical disturbance in less than 24 hours and caught the park rangers (and us) by surprise. We have a decent barometer onboard which I didn't monitor closely enough and because we don't have SSB or weatherfax I certainly got spanked for not having enough info. I doubt we would have run for it even had we known earlier but certainly it pays to know the trends (or lack therof) of the patterns in your area.
don't always radiate from the storm center so be careful about using that one-size-fits-all formula. The swells will typically be created by wind direction which can change over time and often aren't radiating from the storm center. Example, last June we were pinned down in the Dry Tortugas by Arlene which ran northward about 150 miles to our west. Since we were in the northeast quadrant of the storm the worst winds and waves were coming from our east to southeast as they worked counterclockwise around the storm center. This particular storm materialized from a minor tropical disturbance in less than 24 hours and caught the park rangers (and us) by surprise. We have a decent barometer onboard which I didn't monitor closely enough and because we don't have SSB or weatherfax I certainly got spanked for not having enough info. I doubt we would have run for it even had we known earlier but certainly it pays to know the trends (or lack therof) of the patterns in your area.
Rick, you may be equating wind
waves present when the wind is blowing with the swells that can travel across an ocean. Quite often the swells that produce the surf in Hawaii on a clear day originate in the gulf of Alaska. A tropical storm off the coast of Mexico can generate surf on the California coast with no sign of the storm otherwise.
waves present when the wind is blowing with the swells that can travel across an ocean. Quite often the swells that produce the surf in Hawaii on a clear day originate in the gulf of Alaska. A tropical storm off the coast of Mexico can generate surf on the California coast with no sign of the storm otherwise.
Ross is right
Anytime there is a storm in the Gulf, we get nice surf here in Texas, even if it's going from the Caribbean to Florida. Rick is right in that when you are nearer the storm, or in it, the waves will follow the wind which circles around the eye and into it (for low pressure...high pressure the winds are pushing out of the storm). Rick's story is the exact reason I asked last year about what to do if one got caught. Everybody laught at me and said that's nuts. See...it does happen and you got to know what to do. Making the wrong decision can mean you end up getting sucked into the storm, like say you want to run with the wind the whole way. If you run the whole way, you will be sucked into the storm because that's where the wind goes. There was a great article written on what to do for major storms which I can't seem to find anymore, but the point of it is that each quadrant of the storm requires a different sailing techneque so you don't get sucked into it. Summary of what I remember: NE: Feather into the wind on a starboard tack of 30 degrees. You want to stay on the east side so you don't cross paths with the eye. NW: Run with the wind. Get as far west as you can while the storm passes by. SW: heave-to. Stay safe and let the storm pass by while you drift out of it. SE: heave-to or feather. Either drift a little in and stay safe while the storm passes by (it's going faster then you) or head into the wind and get as much south as you can (heading away from the storm). This is for Low pressure storms like hurricanes. High pressure storms you do the exact oppsite.
Anytime there is a storm in the Gulf, we get nice surf here in Texas, even if it's going from the Caribbean to Florida. Rick is right in that when you are nearer the storm, or in it, the waves will follow the wind which circles around the eye and into it (for low pressure...high pressure the winds are pushing out of the storm). Rick's story is the exact reason I asked last year about what to do if one got caught. Everybody laught at me and said that's nuts. See...it does happen and you got to know what to do. Making the wrong decision can mean you end up getting sucked into the storm, like say you want to run with the wind the whole way. If you run the whole way, you will be sucked into the storm because that's where the wind goes. There was a great article written on what to do for major storms which I can't seem to find anymore, but the point of it is that each quadrant of the storm requires a different sailing techneque so you don't get sucked into it. Summary of what I remember: NE: Feather into the wind on a starboard tack of 30 degrees. You want to stay on the east side so you don't cross paths with the eye. NW: Run with the wind. Get as far west as you can while the storm passes by. SW: heave-to. Stay safe and let the storm pass by while you drift out of it. SE: heave-to or feather. Either drift a little in and stay safe while the storm passes by (it's going faster then you) or head into the wind and get as much south as you can (heading away from the storm). This is for Low pressure storms like hurricanes. High pressure storms you do the exact oppsite.
Ross, I think Franklin's got it
right as far as the distance from the storm determining whether the waves you experience are generated by a distant system or winds from a nearby storm. There's no question the waves we were seeing were being generated by Arlene but I agree that waves can travel far from the effects of the winds that created them. I also agree that getting caught in it isn't when you want to be doubting the strength of your vessel or your own resolve to get through the ordeal. I'll also toss out that a good attitude under adversity is as valuable as good hardware in that it allows you to make good proactive decisions when faced with problems.
right as far as the distance from the storm determining whether the waves you experience are generated by a distant system or winds from a nearby storm. There's no question the waves we were seeing were being generated by Arlene but I agree that waves can travel far from the effects of the winds that created them. I also agree that getting caught in it isn't when you want to be doubting the strength of your vessel or your own resolve to get through the ordeal. I'll also toss out that a good attitude under adversity is as valuable as good hardware in that it allows you to make good proactive decisions when faced with problems.
Attitude is crucial
If you go into a storm with a " we're all gonna die attitude" you might. There will always be the chance that we find our selves at ground zero when a storm blossoms but more often we will be far enough away to read the signs of a coming storm and have time to steer away, IF we know how to read the signs. Rick, you were too close to that storm to take evasive efforts, I presume that you were in port and just had to hang on. If we are in the open and don't know how to read the weather signs then we run the risk of making decisions that will put us in danger.
If you go into a storm with a " we're all gonna die attitude" you might. There will always be the chance that we find our selves at ground zero when a storm blossoms but more often we will be far enough away to read the signs of a coming storm and have time to steer away, IF we know how to read the signs. Rick, you were too close to that storm to take evasive efforts, I presume that you were in port and just had to hang on. If we are in the open and don't know how to read the weather signs then we run the risk of making decisions that will put us in danger.
I haven't read the book, but...
...I've seen the documentary on National Geographic channel about what happen to the SV Trashman. The documentary critiqued what happen and what the crew could have done to survive. The captain was paid by the owner of SV Trashman to sail his boat north. The hired captain in the documentary didn't appear to have much sailing experience or just plain common sense; he hired three-crew members (a drunk and two sailors he knew) and his girlfriend to sail the boat north. The two who survived were the two sailors. You should be careful who you sail with offshore, it could cost you your life. If you have cable, National Geographic channel is going to rebroadcast the episode next month; it's called "Split Second: Tragedy at Sea". You can check your local listing for the show. Fair Winds, Clyde
...I've seen the documentary on National Geographic channel about what happen to the SV Trashman. The documentary critiqued what happen and what the crew could have done to survive. The captain was paid by the owner of SV Trashman to sail his boat north. The hired captain in the documentary didn't appear to have much sailing experience or just plain common sense; he hired three-crew members (a drunk and two sailors he knew) and his girlfriend to sail the boat north. The two who survived were the two sailors. You should be careful who you sail with offshore, it could cost you your life. If you have cable, National Geographic channel is going to rebroadcast the episode next month; it's called "Split Second: Tragedy at Sea". You can check your local listing for the show. Fair Winds, Clyde
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