While sailing along one nice day, you notice a changing cloud formation. Those big billowy bunches of cotton candy have begun to turn black and are taking on the characteristic anvil shape. Your pulse rises and a bead of sweat forms on your brow as you realize you are on a collision course with a thunderstorm. You've got about a half hour before the storm will be upon you. Thunderstorms are part of the normal experience of sailing, although not to be dismissed lightly. These squalls can pack winds in excess of 50 kts and some are accompanied by hail and water spouts. What to do? Do you head for your home port, or one nearby? Perhaps you are close enough to shallow water to put down a hook or two and wait it out? But what if those strategies are not viable options and you have to ride out the storm in open water? Do you shorten sail, or drop it all and crank up the engine? Do you point the bow into the storm? or do you ever present the stern, instead of the bow? Share your experience with thunderstorms then take the Quick Quiz on the homepage. (Discussion topic and quiz by Warren Milberg)
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Here on the Chesapeake
those storms blow in quite suddenly and the bay is big enough and shallow enough to kick up some nasty short waves. We get the sails down and hoist an iron jib, when we can't avoid it by sailing around it.
those storms blow in quite suddenly and the bay is big enough and shallow enough to kick up some nasty short waves. We get the sails down and hoist an iron jib, when we can't avoid it by sailing around it.
Can get exciting
Because it is not possible to know what kind of wind is involved with the leading edge of a squall line, I drop the sails and fire up the engine when seeing an on coming front. Being in a sailboat, unless very close to a harbor (not a typical sailing area) out runnung a storm line is about impossible. Have all put on PFD, go down into the cabin and (don't touch metal things) except for the captian, if wind and seas increase substantially point the bow into the wind. The wrost was a squall line with small 8' water spouts, 60mph wind , in a sunfish. It was insane. The line came thur PA & NJ in 1971 or 72, Sept or Oct last sail before pulling the boat. Many boating deaths when that one came thur. At least there was no lightening with the front, at least not that I recall but I was some what peoccupied with not dieing. I guess that would constitute an adventure.
Because it is not possible to know what kind of wind is involved with the leading edge of a squall line, I drop the sails and fire up the engine when seeing an on coming front. Being in a sailboat, unless very close to a harbor (not a typical sailing area) out runnung a storm line is about impossible. Have all put on PFD, go down into the cabin and (don't touch metal things) except for the captian, if wind and seas increase substantially point the bow into the wind. The wrost was a squall line with small 8' water spouts, 60mph wind , in a sunfish. It was insane. The line came thur PA & NJ in 1971 or 72, Sept or Oct last sail before pulling the boat. Many boating deaths when that one came thur. At least there was no lightening with the front, at least not that I recall but I was some what peoccupied with not dieing. I guess that would constitute an adventure.
Thunder storms...
I agree with Ross. Here on the Chesapeake, late afternoon thunderstorms in mid-summer are part of the sailing landscape. Yet they hardly ever hit without some warning. And they can be really powerful suckers with both high winds and steep waves. I mostly deal with them by dropping or furling the sails, getting the engine going, climbing into foulies, and buttoning up the boat. Most of the time, the worst only lasts 15-30 min. I once recall anchoring in my home cove (Rhode River) which is sort of a natural hurricane hole. I put out my biggest Danforth into that wonderful Chesapeake mud and about 150 feet of rode on 20 ft of chain. When the storm hit, I clocked 64 kts of wind with a hand held anemometer. The anchor line was like a banjo string and it was humming. But it held nicely. Now getting that anchor up out of the mud after the storm passed was the real challenge....
I agree with Ross. Here on the Chesapeake, late afternoon thunderstorms in mid-summer are part of the sailing landscape. Yet they hardly ever hit without some warning. And they can be really powerful suckers with both high winds and steep waves. I mostly deal with them by dropping or furling the sails, getting the engine going, climbing into foulies, and buttoning up the boat. Most of the time, the worst only lasts 15-30 min. I once recall anchoring in my home cove (Rhode River) which is sort of a natural hurricane hole. I put out my biggest Danforth into that wonderful Chesapeake mud and about 150 feet of rode on 20 ft of chain. When the storm hit, I clocked 64 kts of wind with a hand held anemometer. The anchor line was like a banjo string and it was humming. But it held nicely. Now getting that anchor up out of the mud after the storm passed was the real challenge....
Take the sails down and fire the beast.
We had been avoiding thunderstorms all day on a trip to the Dry Tortugas and just as we are getting close to Garden Key there is this monster of a storm and nowhere to go. The sky for 180 degrees in the horizon ahead of us got black and very dark. We crank the engine up and take the sails down and tie the main to the boom so it does not raise back up by itself. It hit with a vengeance packing winds of 45 knots, rain and lightning. We were in about 75 ft of water with not enough feet anchor rode on board to anchor down. The storm lasted for about an hour with the full intensity lasting a good 1/2 hour. The wind whipped up the sea into 10-12 ft waves and our 32 ft boat was burying its bow under the waves. We pointed the boat into the wind and waves just holding position and making very little headway. We could hear over the VHF that havock was being created on the island's anchorage. After the storm passed the winds dieyed down and the seas subsided. as we got to the anchorage the sun came out and the boats that had been pushed aground were being pulled off. If we had been closer to the island in shallower water perhaps our instincts would have been to run in front of the storm to deeper water and that would have been a big mistake which would have placed us in peril for hours to come. Sometimes the storms do not look menacing enough to take the sails down but you just can't tell what kind of winds are behind them. We were sailing towards the south end of Great Sale Cay on the Little Bahama Bank as this afternoon squall approached. We thought about taking sails down but decided against it. We had our bathing suits on and figured on taking a shower with the rain. The first gust of wind almost nocked us down. The wind at a sustained 35 knots was a lot stronger than we had anticipated. We rolled the headsail by putting the furling line to one of the winches not before tearing the UV protector to shreds on the sail. The main we reefed to its second point. This time we turned and ran in front of the storm as we were to close to a reef on the southern point of the Cay. The storm passed in 15 to 20 minutes and it took us over an hour to gain back the ground lost. We did get to shower in the rain though. Our biggest mistake on these two storms was that we never put our life jackets on risking a fatal MOB situation.
We had been avoiding thunderstorms all day on a trip to the Dry Tortugas and just as we are getting close to Garden Key there is this monster of a storm and nowhere to go. The sky for 180 degrees in the horizon ahead of us got black and very dark. We crank the engine up and take the sails down and tie the main to the boom so it does not raise back up by itself. It hit with a vengeance packing winds of 45 knots, rain and lightning. We were in about 75 ft of water with not enough feet anchor rode on board to anchor down. The storm lasted for about an hour with the full intensity lasting a good 1/2 hour. The wind whipped up the sea into 10-12 ft waves and our 32 ft boat was burying its bow under the waves. We pointed the boat into the wind and waves just holding position and making very little headway. We could hear over the VHF that havock was being created on the island's anchorage. After the storm passed the winds dieyed down and the seas subsided. as we got to the anchorage the sun came out and the boats that had been pushed aground were being pulled off. If we had been closer to the island in shallower water perhaps our instincts would have been to run in front of the storm to deeper water and that would have been a big mistake which would have placed us in peril for hours to come. Sometimes the storms do not look menacing enough to take the sails down but you just can't tell what kind of winds are behind them. We were sailing towards the south end of Great Sale Cay on the Little Bahama Bank as this afternoon squall approached. We thought about taking sails down but decided against it. We had our bathing suits on and figured on taking a shower with the rain. The first gust of wind almost nocked us down. The wind at a sustained 35 knots was a lot stronger than we had anticipated. We rolled the headsail by putting the furling line to one of the winches not before tearing the UV protector to shreds on the sail. The main we reefed to its second point. This time we turned and ran in front of the storm as we were to close to a reef on the southern point of the Cay. The storm passed in 15 to 20 minutes and it took us over an hour to gain back the ground lost. We did get to shower in the rain though. Our biggest mistake on these two storms was that we never put our life jackets on risking a fatal MOB situation.
still scared
Around here, the T-storms are nothing to mess with. I will not go out with more than prediction for isolated or if I see them building quickly before noon. I'm still scared from a near knock down from straight line winds from a cell 15-20 miles away. Also a night on the hook under a stalled front that produced T-storms, gail winds, lightning, and quick 4 - 6' rolling waves for hours. I'm very interested in reading all the comments here to be better prepared for encounters. Particularly whether to run from or head into the squall line. Seems you'd get through a squall faster going into it, but what about cells? In my 30', I don't think a 16 hp engine would make any headway.
Around here, the T-storms are nothing to mess with. I will not go out with more than prediction for isolated or if I see them building quickly before noon. I'm still scared from a near knock down from straight line winds from a cell 15-20 miles away. Also a night on the hook under a stalled front that produced T-storms, gail winds, lightning, and quick 4 - 6' rolling waves for hours. I'm very interested in reading all the comments here to be better prepared for encounters. Particularly whether to run from or head into the squall line. Seems you'd get through a squall faster going into it, but what about cells? In my 30', I don't think a 16 hp engine would make any headway.
Thunderstorm approach
Lots of good stuff has been said already. We have, in races, kept going in thunderstorms with double reef and inner staysail (cutter rig at that time) however this has led to a knock down with the boom in the water following a sudden change in wind direction together with a violent gust. The following are the rules we follow: - Get the life jackets on if they are not (we almost always wear ours). - Get the engine on, the genny furled and main down and tied - Head for safe deep water - Close up the boat including hatch boards as gusts can roll you to extremes and you want to preserve the bubble of air in your boat - Everyone without a harness on is below decks - Stay away from mast and anything attached to the mast - head into the wind and be prepared for significant changes in direction - if outside stay as low as possible (ie avoid being on deck) - oh and break out the foul weather gear if time. The abandon ship bag (and liferaft) is always readily available and it includes among other things a handheld VHF and GPS, flares etc. Some people disconnect electrics and VHF aerial - I don't as I like to listen to what is happening on the water and I have a back-up handheld VHF. I also may want to watch the chart plotter if close to hazards and like to see what the wind gusts to on the wind speed indicator...
Lots of good stuff has been said already. We have, in races, kept going in thunderstorms with double reef and inner staysail (cutter rig at that time) however this has led to a knock down with the boom in the water following a sudden change in wind direction together with a violent gust. The following are the rules we follow: - Get the life jackets on if they are not (we almost always wear ours). - Get the engine on, the genny furled and main down and tied - Head for safe deep water - Close up the boat including hatch boards as gusts can roll you to extremes and you want to preserve the bubble of air in your boat - Everyone without a harness on is below decks - Stay away from mast and anything attached to the mast - head into the wind and be prepared for significant changes in direction - if outside stay as low as possible (ie avoid being on deck) - oh and break out the foul weather gear if time. The abandon ship bag (and liferaft) is always readily available and it includes among other things a handheld VHF and GPS, flares etc. Some people disconnect electrics and VHF aerial - I don't as I like to listen to what is happening on the water and I have a back-up handheld VHF. I also may want to watch the chart plotter if close to hazards and like to see what the wind gusts to on the wind speed indicator...
Chesapeake
As everyone else has said, t-storms on the bay is an everyday event during the summer. We seem to have a special nack for getting caught out in them....lucky us. We listen to the VHF weatherband and CG warnings and if possible head in, which is rare. With a 18 hp inboard, we usually get that look on our face of "here we go again". We get the motor started, drop the sails and secure them and start the process of battening down the hatches including hatchboards. Kids get life jackets on but admiral and I haven't taken that extra precaution yet (I know, we should). We get our foulies on and we typically head to deep water and turn into the storm. I leave the electronics on too, I want to see our position on the GPS plus have the VHF and wind/depth and everything providing me as much information as possible until the t-storm passes.
As everyone else has said, t-storms on the bay is an everyday event during the summer. We seem to have a special nack for getting caught out in them....lucky us. We listen to the VHF weatherband and CG warnings and if possible head in, which is rare. With a 18 hp inboard, we usually get that look on our face of "here we go again". We get the motor started, drop the sails and secure them and start the process of battening down the hatches including hatchboards. Kids get life jackets on but admiral and I haven't taken that extra precaution yet (I know, we should). We get our foulies on and we typically head to deep water and turn into the storm. I leave the electronics on too, I want to see our position on the GPS plus have the VHF and wind/depth and everything providing me as much information as possible until the t-storm passes.
For Shippy
What is the sailing like around HdG? Do you always have to motor down that long channel past the Fishing Battery to get into deep water? Can you sail above the bridge rather than going south? I once went up to Tidewater and it seemed we had to motor from the tip of Aberdeen all the way up that long channel -- and then back on the return.
What is the sailing like around HdG? Do you always have to motor down that long channel past the Fishing Battery to get into deep water? Can you sail above the bridge rather than going south? I once went up to Tidewater and it seemed we had to motor from the tip of Aberdeen all the way up that long channel -- and then back on the return.
How about hove to?
We sail our 1985 Hunter 34 on Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. Last summer, when we were at least 7 miles from any safe harbor, a thunderstorm overtook us. Lots of lighning and thunder. The wind and waves were not the worst of it. We reduced sail and then went hove to. Immediately the boat settled and we slid sideways in our slick and our forward progress was less than a knot. We stayed on deck to monitor our progress and position and when the worst of it passed we continued on. Has anyone tried this? Is this a good tactic in storms?
We sail our 1985 Hunter 34 on Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. Last summer, when we were at least 7 miles from any safe harbor, a thunderstorm overtook us. Lots of lighning and thunder. The wind and waves were not the worst of it. We reduced sail and then went hove to. Immediately the boat settled and we slid sideways in our slick and our forward progress was less than a knot. We stayed on deck to monitor our progress and position and when the worst of it passed we continued on. Has anyone tried this? Is this a good tactic in storms?
Pete, if you are patient you can sail
the channel. If you don't stick up more that 48 feet you can clear the Amtrak bridge and sail about four miles to Port Deposit. Dobbs and I explored the edges of the channel last year sailing south in the channel with a ten knot south wind. We did the six miles in about two hours. Bietzpadlin draws 41/2 feet so we would tack when we got into 8 feet. Sometimes it shoals pretty fast and sometimes the slope is gentle. Don't attempt without a good depth sounder. You can often see pedestrians out on the "flats".
the channel. If you don't stick up more that 48 feet you can clear the Amtrak bridge and sail about four miles to Port Deposit. Dobbs and I explored the edges of the channel last year sailing south in the channel with a ten knot south wind. We did the six miles in about two hours. Bietzpadlin draws 41/2 feet so we would tack when we got into 8 feet. Sometimes it shoals pretty fast and sometimes the slope is gentle. Don't attempt without a good depth sounder. You can often see pedestrians out on the "flats".
Heave to
When you heave to, its also much easier to reef your sails. And this is all so much easier if you've practiced it before that thunderstorm is bearing down on you.
When you heave to, its also much easier to reef your sails. And this is all so much easier if you've practiced it before that thunderstorm is bearing down on you.
I Tuck and run But I'm a chicken
I've only been on the bay 3 times when the storms were rolling in, usually I'm off the water by 2pm. A friend of mine and I were out on a saturday afternoon and I looked out over the stern to see the nice anvil building up behind us. I pointed it out to him, we dropped sail and returned to the marina on the Rhode River. Within minutes the rain, thunder and lightning kicked up. At that time we were safely on dry land, sitting in the truck waiting the storm out. Guess we're newbies when it comes to storm sailing.
I've only been on the bay 3 times when the storms were rolling in, usually I'm off the water by 2pm. A friend of mine and I were out on a saturday afternoon and I looked out over the stern to see the nice anvil building up behind us. I pointed it out to him, we dropped sail and returned to the marina on the Rhode River. Within minutes the rain, thunder and lightning kicked up. At that time we were safely on dry land, sitting in the truck waiting the storm out. Guess we're newbies when it comes to storm sailing.
Lake Ontario
We have been in numerous storms, however there are 2 that stand out . The first occured the first year of my boat ownership when being newbies we found ourselves in a full blown storm.Hanging on for dear life to the mast I managed to bring in the main ( Jib was brought in earlier). We always wear Lifejackets but forgot to wear safety straps.I powered up the outboard and stayed in the wind as best I could. We made a promise that the next time the weather starts to close in we should immediately put on our foul weather gear and not try to put our pants on while the boat is rocking. The second storm was worse since we heard over the radio that there was a body in the water but no boat, It was a really wavy day with squalls coming through every 1/2 hour. I learnt the hard way that if the weather man says 25-35 mph winds that we stay in the marina until the next day. But being a sailor is always a learning experience isn't it? Best regards, Larry and Julie "Beshert" BOHM Ontario. Canada
We have been in numerous storms, however there are 2 that stand out . The first occured the first year of my boat ownership when being newbies we found ourselves in a full blown storm.Hanging on for dear life to the mast I managed to bring in the main ( Jib was brought in earlier). We always wear Lifejackets but forgot to wear safety straps.I powered up the outboard and stayed in the wind as best I could. We made a promise that the next time the weather starts to close in we should immediately put on our foul weather gear and not try to put our pants on while the boat is rocking. The second storm was worse since we heard over the radio that there was a body in the water but no boat, It was a really wavy day with squalls coming through every 1/2 hour. I learnt the hard way that if the weather man says 25-35 mph winds that we stay in the marina until the next day. But being a sailor is always a learning experience isn't it? Best regards, Larry and Julie "Beshert" BOHM Ontario. Canada
Practice before the storm is key!
And actually we had practiced going hove to in less challenging conditions. It really was a pretty comfortable way to ride out the storm. I would be curious to see what it would be like in heavier winds. I read in Lin and Larry Pardee's book that they have ridden out storms of 40mph plus while hove to.
And actually we had practiced going hove to in less challenging conditions. It really was a pretty comfortable way to ride out the storm. I would be curious to see what it would be like in heavier winds. I read in Lin and Larry Pardee's book that they have ridden out storms of 40mph plus while hove to.
Sail on!
I put on the foulies, batten down the hatches, secure all lines, maybe reef the main and cruise on! Isn't that part of being a sailor?
I put on the foulies, batten down the hatches, secure all lines, maybe reef the main and cruise on! Isn't that part of being a sailor?
Best sailing after a storm
My favorite time to sail is after a thunderstorm. In the summer, a line of storms usually offers relief from the heat and humidity. The water is calmer (I've heard falling rain actually flattens waves) and no one is on the water. At night, it is spectacular with the thunderstorm 5 or 10 miles away knowing that it is moving away from you.
My favorite time to sail is after a thunderstorm. In the summer, a line of storms usually offers relief from the heat and humidity. The water is calmer (I've heard falling rain actually flattens waves) and no one is on the water. At night, it is spectacular with the thunderstorm 5 or 10 miles away knowing that it is moving away from you.
high winds and hove to
I've hove to in winds well into 30's and 3-4 ft. swells and its really amazing how things calm down. Its especially nice after fighting my way upwind for a couple miles and I need to relax a bit before the downwind run back home.
I've hove to in winds well into 30's and 3-4 ft. swells and its really amazing how things calm down. Its especially nice after fighting my way upwind for a couple miles and I need to relax a bit before the downwind run back home.
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