Thunderstorms

[Dguy]

Although I am sure this has been discussed before, I have been wondering as a recent MacGregor26X owner on what you do when caught in a thunderstorm (in regard to lightning) and unable to make it to shore? And same question when overnighting on the boat in a marina? Any personal experiences?

[NiceAft]

First order of business is to pray

If you are at anchor, stay below, and locate yourself far from any metal. In our boats that's not easy

If you are sailing/motoring, and you can, drop anchor and see above

If you can't drop anchor, pray some more

If you are at a marina, and you can, get the heck off the boat and into a building.

I was caught in a severe storm while on Lake George a few years back. I was able to get behind some islands to block some of the wind. I dropped the hook and slid the hatch closed. The Admiral and I then played Scrable on the dinette table until the all clear. That was about ten minutes.

Ray

[March]

The marina would be the safest bet. There are bound to be masts higher than the Mac's in the area, if lightning is a major concern.

In open waters, that depends. If a storm breaks on the local lake, I usually pull closer to the shore, making sure that the ground is soft and muddy, just in case. At the Apostle Islands, we did like Ray suggested: find protection from the wind, hiding behind an islet, drop both anchors, batten the hatches, keep the engine down and the fins up, and ride it out below deck. Watch out for anchor dragging. In most cases, such a thunderous outburst doesn't last long.

The worst storm we caught was in the Bahamas. It took us by surprise, though the tell-tale signs should have been obvious. We were able to ride it out, under engine power, staying away from the shore which was ominously rocky. It lasted for an hour (at most) ant by the time we found a protected cove to drop anchor, the show was over. The worst thing was keeping the light dinghy down in the water.

[Highlander]

Just keep drinking Scotch until u run out or pass out which ever comes first , still awake then hit wine bottles , next the beer stock , if storm still blowing then stagger head first to the nearest Liq store
works for me !!!

J

[NiceAft]

How do you even remember it John

Ray

[Highlander]

How do you even remember it John

Ray

Easy cause the next morning Thunderstorm has moved on into my pounding head & the boat in no longer swaying but I am !!!

J

[NiceAft]

Someday we're going to share a bottle John. The trouble is I like Islay, and no one else does

Ray

[mastreb]

If you're caught in a storm and you can't reach shore, the right thing to do is to hove-to. Accident records from numerous sailing race storm disasters have shown that heaving-to is the safest thing a boater can possibly do, and it's safer than lying a-hull or attempting to sail close-hauled into the waves. You're also safer by being able to be in the cabin rather than on deck where you could be swept overboard.

Now, I'm recommending this only under the assumption that you cannot safely return to harbor--you're always best-off on a MacGregor running between the waves to shore, whichever shore it is. I've been in 4' runners going so fast (15 knots) that it was everything the boat could do to stay in the wave troughs, but running to shore between the waves is by far the safest bet. You'll need plenty of gas however, because it's not efficient. But it's a tactic unique to MacGregors and you should use it.

Lying-ahull means to simply furl all sails and bob around in the storm. It's a tactic that is often used because it doesn't require any skill and because it preserves the sails. However, generally the boat will rotate beam-to-wind, and you'll be taking the waves abeam, which will turtle a MacGregor (and many other boats).

How to Hove-To a Macgregor:

Note that this version of a hove-to is customized for the Mac and includes tactics keelboats cannot do, so don't be surprised that it's not a "typical" hove-to.

The best storm tactic if you can't run is to keep the boat pointed directly at the waves at all times, so that you're taking the waves bow-to. In this direction, a boat can withstand non-breaking waves up to its waterline-length, or 23 feet for a MacGregor. Beam-to or stern-to, the boat can be rolled by waves only 1/3rd the waterline length, or 8 feet (which is a wave you can reasonably expect in any ocean storm).

With Macs you can effectively hove-to without using the jib at all. Loft the mainsail with two reefs in so you have the minimum amount of mainsail hoisted. Furl the jib completely. Harden up the mainsheet right on the centerline--best bet is to harden up the mainsheet as much as possible and then tie the mainsheet boom-hound to both cabin-top aft stanchions with a trucker's knot to center the mainsheet between the two cabin-top aft stanchions, and harden it down as tight as the mainsheet will take. You want as little boom movement as possible and the mainsheet directly on the centerline, and you want the mainsail absolutely flat.

Put the centerboard/daggerboard all the way down, and pull the rudders and motor all the way up. Other sailboats cannot retract their rudders or prop, but by doing so you're allowing the boat to rotate to wind much faster, and you're preserving your rudders which are otherwise likely to break off. Be sure to tie the helm off with the motor all the way to port so the engine isn't flopping around in the storm and beating itself to death.

If you have a drogue, deploy it. If you have an inflatable dinghy with a long painter, take the motor off and deploy it off your stern cleats with a bridle that keeps it centered. The dinghy will act as additional drag on the stern to keep the boat pointed to wind, and an inflatable won't harm the boat if it hits it.

Now the boat will tend to rotate on the daggerboard. Because most of the mainsail is behind the board, the wind will force the boat to face into the wind at all times.

Put the crew and supplies aft of the daggerboard in the boat so as much weight as possible is in the stern. Keeping the bow light/empty will help to keep it pointed upwind.

With the wind and waves coming from the same direction, the boat is now primed for maximum survival of wave-heights, and you have a much more tolerable wave action for the occupants.

I've tested this version of hoving-to in moderate winds and it works well--the boat stays pointed to the wind and very positionally stable in the water. I'm convinced its the best-bet for riding out a storm in a Mac.

[Chinook]

Thanks Mastreb. I've read a lot about hoving to, but have never tried practicing it. What you describe makes good sense. I'll keep this technique in mind, in the event that we ever need to employ it.

[Herschel]

I really like the instructions on the Mac specific "heaving to". I will experiment with that myself. But, I think having all the data available that you can, particularly regarding lightening is very valuable in making good decisions in and around thunderstorms. We had a lively discussion about avoiding lightening several months ago. Do a search on 'lightening" on this forum, and you will get some interesting analysis. I am very impressed with the new NOAA app for our phones that gives real time info about lightening strikes. I have been using it since I got it several months ago. I think it is invaluable. I'll post the BoatUS article that drew our attention to it and a quote from that article.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazin ... g-odds.asp


"NOAA has made real-time lightning strike data available, and a number of app developers have integrated it into high-definition weather radar apps for both the iPhone and Android. Google "lightning app NOAA" and you'll find a selection. In addition to keeping you informed of storm activity and movement, these can give you a heads up when lightning is in your area, and allow you to see if it is moving toward you. If you are not too far offshore, they can provide adequate warning to get off the water and to safety before you even get wet."

[kadet]

Only problem with a hove to is you need a lot of sea room, the few times I have tested it to practice storm tactics the drifts down wind at 2 to 3 knots they have too much windage and not enough weight. The best tactic for these boats is the same as for a pure power boat, run to a safe spot and anchor up or if you can't run motor slowly into the wind with no sails up or worst case motor slowly away from the wind with a drogue out. We are not going to be out at sea in a severe storm for days on end. We get thunderstorms all the time here you can see them coming for miles so have plenty of time to maneuver around them or get to shelter. Thunderstorms don' last long and generally don't have time to build any significant wave action and the wind is your biggest enemy. A micro burst in a TS is far stronger than a Tropical Cyclone (Hurricane). As for lightning not much you can do, it is a pretty rare event for it to hit a sailboat but if it does then it does. It is a hazard of our sport just as it is for golfers, you either take the risk or you don't.

Dewey Ives, a surveyor in Florida and member of the BoatUS Catastrophe Team who has seen his share of lightning damaged boats, says that lightning is unpredictable. "I've seen a small sailboat docked between two larger ones get hit and sometimes a powerboat in the middle of a marina filled with sailboats gets it. If lightning wants your boat, there's not much you can do about it."

[BOAT]

I recommend moving to Southern California.

[Catigale]

No thanks. Too many sharks in tornados.

[lbaldwin]

Although I am sure this has been discussed before, I have been wondering as a recent MacGregor26X owner on what you do when caught in a thunderstorm (in regard to lightning) and unable to make it to shore? And same question when overnighting on the boat in a marina? Any personal experiences?

We got caught out NYE on the Gold Coast Queensland Australia. The family and i went to sleep after the fireworks and by 1.30am, were hit by a massive storm that hung around for hours. Unknown to us, we dragged our anchor and ended up next to a 50 foot cat. Luckily for us, the owner, whenever it storms, stays up watching for idiots like us dragging.

The moral to the story is if it storms, stay up and sit at the helm. This way you can see if you or anyone else is dragging.

[mastreb]

If you have a trustworthy anchor alarm, you could rely on that. My chartplotter has an anchor alarm that is loud enough to hear IF you're in the rear berth, essentially directly below it. I've only used it a few times, and never actually had it go off because I have yet to drag an anchor, but it's there.

I'm not a huge fan of being topside in storms unless you've got a harness-rated PFD and you've tethered yourself to the boat.