Caught in a thunderstorm

[beene]

Like every summer, the weather forecast is usually a joke.
You can forget about looking at a 5 day..... LOL.... looks good next Saturday....

I went sailing on a day, like any other day, that was calling for a chance of rain, and a lessor chance to Thunderstorms....

If I never went sailing when there was a chance of weather, I would never sail

So I went

A few hours out, it started to rain, lightly...
No biggie
Under auto pilot, both sails up full, no worries
In about 10kts of wind

I figured, I would keep sailing, just go down below, keep a look out through the windows

Well, it got dark real fast
Started to rain very hard, then hail
Next thing I knew, it was blowing 60+mph and my wee M was on her ear...
Not good
I was in trouble

I opened up that hatch, got out in what felt like rocks being fired at me sideways from a machine gun, and tried to get the sails down without being blown overboard

Unable

Tried furling in the genny
Unable

All I could manage to do was let all the sheets loose and let the main halyard go

Then got back in the cabin for shelter

The TS lasted 20-30 min

In that time several boats came to check on me and others

Ch 16 was going non stop

Police calling on it saying 2 sailboats had been turned over and others were in need of assistance

After it was over, the sun came out as it always does

I put the sails away, what was left of them, and headed home

Back at the dock I took pics of my Genny



This is how it started out
http://youtu.be/H6cSjaG9_NE

This is how the headsail looks when sailing with damage
http://youtu.be/5GehSw8grAA

Lesson learned
When it starts to rain, take down the sails at the very least.

I will have my headsail repaired or replaced this fall as I am done sailing for the season now, no time left....

G

[mastreb]

Was your main blown out, or is it fine? What do you figure your maximum heel angle was? When you released the jibsheets and the halyard, did the boat right or were you still heeled over? Were you making any headway with the sales slacked?

Sorry for all the questions--just trying to learn from your experience!

[jschrade]

This represents valuable planing while sailing research wasted!

Good to hear you only had minor damage, it could have been much worse.

Jim

[DaveB]

Beene,
Same thing happen to me July 4th weekend but I got my sails down and was just anchoring when 60 mph winds hit me. I told about this in a earlier post. That rain and mixed hail felt like bb gun hitting me.
Even in SW florida in summer we can get hail the size of quarters in a major thunderstorm, I should hold up my glass of Margritas to get free Ice.
I always take down sails if it even looks like we are going to get hit.
I finally traded up to the Iphone 4 and now get radar and movement, worth the cost but I also got the charts and tidal with my current location and tracking. This small hand held does all the things my other instruments do except read depth and wind.
Just getting delayed 4 min. radar info helps a lot, beats Noaa 4 hr update. History 4 hrs to late.
Noaa is always 3 hrs late and after the fact.
Dave

Like every summer, the weather forecast is usually a joke.
You can forget about looking at a 5 day..... LOL.... looks good next Saturday....

I went sailing on a day, like any other day, that was calling for a chance of rain, and a lessor chance to Thunderstorms....

If I never went sailing when there was a chance of weather, I would never sail

So I went

A few hours out, it started to rain, lightly...
No biggie
Under auto pilot, both sails up full, no worries
In about 10kts of wind

I figured, I would keep sailing, just go down below, keep a look out through the windows

Well, it got dark real fast
Started to rain very hard, then hail
Next thing I knew, it was blowing 60+mph and my wee M was on her ear...
Not good
I was in trouble

I opened up that hatch, got out in what felt like rocks being fired at me sideways from a machine gun, and tried to get the sails down without being blown overboard

Unable

Tried furling in the genny
Unable

All I could manage to do was let all the sheets loose and let the main halyard go

Then got back in the cabin for shelter

The TS lasted 20-30 min

In that time several boats came to check on me and others

Ch 16 was going non stop

Police calling on it saying 2 sailboats had been turned over and others were in need of assistance

After it was over, the sun came out as it always does

I put the sails away, what was left of them, and headed home

Back at the dock I took pics of my Genny



This is how it started out
http://youtu.be/H6cSjaG9_NE

This is how the headsail looks when sailing with damage
http://youtu.be/5GehSw8grAA

Lesson learned
When it starts to rain, take down the sails at the very least.

I will have my headsail repaired or replaced this fall as I am done sailing for the season now, no time left....

G

[mastreb]

I finally traded up to the Iphone 4 and now get radar and movement, worth the cost but I also got the charts and tidal with my current location and tracking. This small hand held does all the things my other instruments do except read depth and wind.
Just getting delayed 4 min. radar info helps a lot, beats Noaa 4 hr update. History 4 hrs to late.
Noaa is always 3 hrs late and after the fact.
Dave

Which apps are you using?

[DaveB]

Charts, think it was a $14 upgrade. You can track your navigation and pin point you to location,built in compass has waypoints and local areas for food,marinas..and such. I am still new to this.
For weather I do Noaa and this covers Tamps-Miami radar and thats were most get info for Radar.Also have other sources.
There are underground weather and many more that tracks most of weather movements and info.
Dave

I finally traded up to the Iphone 4 and now get radar and movement, worth the cost but I also got the charts and tidal with my current location and tracking. This small hand held does all the things my other instruments do except read depth and wind.
Just getting delayed 4 min. radar info helps a lot, beats Noaa 4 hr update. History 4 hrs to late.
Noaa is always 3 hrs late and after the fact.
Dave

Which apps are you using?

[Russ]

Been there done that...except with sails down and a 34' boat.
Yikes!!!

And you sailed home. I can't imagine what that kind of wind would do with sails up. The noise must have been unbearable.

Glad you are okay.

[NiceAft]

Geoff,

No video of you standing on deck while holding the shrouds

Ray

[beene]

Was your main blown out, or is it fine? What do you figure your maximum heel angle was? When you released the jibsheets and the halyard, did the boat right or were you still heeled over? Were you making any headway with the sales slacked?

Sorry for all the questions--just trying to learn from your experience!

My main seems fine, fine enough anyways.

Max heel would have been quite extreme. Guessing 70 maybe.
I was inside when it hit and my starboard lower window was underwater.
When I got outside, it was very clear to me that I was in trouble and could not even think of being out there for long, and going fwd was out of the question.

Once the lines were let loose, the boat came back to about 45, but with the freeboard etc, she stayed at least that.

Was I making headway, just sideways from what I could tell.
But then again, I was on the floor beside the keel busy clicking my heels together.... there's no place like home......
Didn't work.

G

[beene]

This represents valuable planing while sailing research wasted!

Good to hear you only had minor damage, it could have been much worse.

Jim

Thanks Jim
Very true

There was a tornado that touched down a few miles away from the same system that went through.
Major damage done to that city from it.

G

[beene]

Beene,
Same thing happen to me July 4th weekend but I got my sails down and was just anchoring when 60 mph winds hit me. I told about this in a earlier post. That rain and mixed hail felt like bb gun hitting me.
Even in SW florida in summer we can get hail the size of quarters in a major thunderstorm, I should hold up my glass of Margritas to get free Ice.
I always take down sails if it even looks like we are going to get hit.
I finally traded up to the Iphone 4 and now get radar and movement, worth the cost but I also got the charts and tidal with my current location and tracking. This small hand held does all the things my other instruments do except read depth and wind.
Just getting delayed 4 min. radar info helps a lot, beats Noaa 4 hr update. History 4 hrs to late.
Noaa is always 3 hrs late and after the fact.
Dave

Hi Dave

I have a smart phone also.
My job is mostly about weather and watching like a hawk.
I have checked the radar before I headed out, and it was showing tops to FL220 only
Scattered at that
I was thinking.... aaaaaa, only rain at the worst.
Wrong again

Oh well

All the tools in the world cant hold a candle to what mother nature will throw at us.

G

[beene]

Been there done that...except with sails down and a 34' boat.
Yikes!!!

And you sailed home. I can't imagine what that kind of wind would do with sails up. The noise must have been unbearable.

Glad you are okay.

Na, I out the sails away and motored home.

The noise was one I will not soon forget.

Thanks for the well wishes

G

[beene]

Geoff,

No video of you standing on deck while holding the shrouds

Ray

Well, ya know......



G

[Fxwg80hd]

But then again, I was on the floor beside the keel busy clicking my heels together.... there's no place like home......
Didn't work.
G

Only works if you're wearing Ruby Red Slippers.

Got to admit, I was reading through your post and this line really made me laugh. Glad you are able to laugh at it now and that you made it through to tell us about it.

Chris

[Ixneigh]

Sorry to hear of your dreadful afternoon. Ive been through similar but on more substancial craft.
While i admire my new boats hi tech rigging, there is a lot to be said for older styles of sail. Ketches and yawls, while not as effiecient, offer a variety of sail options in bad weather. The lug and other old fashioned rigs have less attachment points to the spar and thus come down easily. On my old boat, the main comes right down no matter how the boat lies to the wind.
Once it was down, the jib and tiny mizzen would stay up and keep the boat moving slowly through a gail.
Looks like ive actually sold that boat now. I will truly miss her.
Who knows. Perhaps one day i will revisit the idea of a Unicorn Lug on a hull.
Maybe with a telecoping mast

Ixneigh