TWL: Bad weather and safety at sea
About 20 years ago I served on a NAS committee on marine safety along with
USCG and MARAD officials. It was during this period that the USCG started
implementing its "seaworthyness" rule, turning back offshore passaging
pleasure craft that it judged to be unsafe. I tried to point out to my
colleagues that on an hourly exposure basis, coastal cruising was far more
dangerous than offshore passaging. Both experience and the statistics bear me
out here. It is unplanned contact with the land rather than being overwhelmed
by the elements that sinks small boats and causes loss of life. Although we
agreed as a committee, we were overruled by the top brass because the
publicity attendant on deep sea rescues was always greater than that devoted
to the ten times more frequent coastal rescues. The public demanded that the
"idiots" trying to cross an ocean in anything smaller than the QE II be
stopped. No one wanted to stop Joe Sixpack from an afternoon's fishing and
drinking pleasure in the Gulf Stream.
Most modern cruising sailboats and trawlers, especially if built to the
scantling recommendations of the classification societies (LLoyds, ABS etc.)
are capable of handling almost anything the sea can dish out. I'm not talking
about racing boats here with paper thin hulls and overstressed rigging. It is
usually the crew that breaks down, makes imprudent decisions, runs aground,
or abandons ship. We found small boats adrift in apparently good conditon
many days after the crew had abandoned them or had been rescued. It is
obvious that the ultimate survival procedure, given sufficient sea room,
would have been to tie everything down, go below, and wait out the storm.
Because of the proximity of land, coastal cruisers that venture more than
half a day's sail from familiar harbors have to be MORE seaworthy than ocean
going craft. They should have adequate engine power, enough to enable them to
navigate in 40kt. winds and breaking seas. They need to be prepared for fog
and alert to the danger of collision in congested coastal waters. The crews
also need to be better at boat handling in adverse conditions. Trying to run
an unfamiliar inlet in a storm is the single most dangerous activity a
recreational boater can undertake. It's no accident that experienced sailors
try to get as much sea room as possible if they can't make it to a safe
harbor BEFORE the bad weather hits.
Sorry for the diatribe. I just want everyone to remember that it is
groundings and collisions that sink small boats and kill people and those
occur on the coasts.
Larry Zeitlin
snip the diatribe
Sorry for the diatribe. I just want everyone to remember that it is
groundings and collisions that sink small boats and kill people and those
occur on the coasts.
Larry Zeitlin
Not to disagree with the point and as an adjunct that there are exceptions,
I offer this that many of the listers in the Pacific NW will remember. About
10 years ago, in May, the opening day of boating season(a PNW ritual); the
day started off beautifully, not a breath of wind nor a cloud in the sky,
just like the day before. Many boats of all sizes were out in the Strait of
Juan de Fuca. About noon the wind picked up out of the west and built within
a half hour to 60 kts, creating seas of 30 feet (+ or -) with breaking
crests. No one out that day is likely to forget it. Three small boats with
five fishermen that had launched from Sequim/Dungeness or Port Angeles did
not return. They found the bodies of the ones who had life vests on, the
rest were never seen again.
Sadly, the marine weather service, Canadian CG Victoria, had predicted this
before dawn, but most everyone was lulled by the perfect conditions and
didn't tune in, or the little guys didn't have vhfs. The ocean can kill
people in many ways. Once it even employed a halibut. I know of a guy who
was almost killed by a salmon.
Zeke Anderson
PT 38 Texas Cookin'
Rockport TX
Also, what about roll overs? Not sure if it is true,
but I hear stories about enter/exit the Golden Gate
here in SF Bay. The current and wind can combine
forces in such a way as to roll ones boat over, not
easily but apparently some days this does happen.
Though this is not grounding or collision, it is close
to shore. Though I have no stats on this, or any
firsthand knowledge to back this up so this may be
bunk. But having seen the waves here, I would bet
there is some truth to it.
Dan
37 Roughwater
"Wen I Dream"
--- Zeke Anderson zeekstah@ktc.com wrote:
snip the diatribe
Sorry for the diatribe. I just want everyone to
remember that it is
groundings and collisions that sink small boats
and kill people and those
occur on the coasts.
Larry Zeitlin
Not to disagree with the point and as an adjunct
that there are exceptions,
I offer this that many of the listers in the Pacific
NW will remember. About
10 years ago, in May, the opening day of boating
season(a PNW ritual); the
day started off beautifully, not a breath of wind
nor a cloud in the sky,
just like the day before. Many boats of all sizes
were out in the Strait of
Juan de Fuca. About noon the wind picked up out of
the west and built within
a half hour to 60 kts, creating seas of 30 feet (+
or -) with breaking
crests. No one out that day is likely to forget it.
Three small boats with
five fishermen that had launched from
Sequim/Dungeness or Port Angeles did
not return. They found the bodies of the ones who
had life vests on, the
rest were never seen again.
Sadly, the marine weather service, Canadian CG
Victoria, had predicted this
before dawn, but most everyone was lulled by the
perfect conditions and
didn't tune in, or the little guys didn't have vhfs.
The ocean can kill
people in many ways. Once it even employed a
halibut. I know of a guy who
was almost killed by a salmon.
Zeke Anderson
PT 38 Texas Cookin'
Rockport TX
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Dan,
Bunk it ain't. The waters just outside the Golden Gate are very
treacherous at times. On good clear days, too, when you least expect
it. In the summer, it blows a gale through the Gate nearly as many
days as not once the sea breeze kicks in. In the winter, you get big
swell from the storms rolling through to the northwest. The ebb runs
west against near-constant westerlies. It's short and steep a lot out
there, so you have to choose your times carefully. It'll fool you too,
because it looks big and deep and open. But the water shoals suddenly
from over a thousand feet to as little as 24 feet on Fourfathom Bank
(aka, the Potato Patch), and the San Francisco Bar stretches for mile
after invisible mile in a semicircle that arcs 10 miles out at the Sea
Buoy, leaving only one safe way in and out, and that's the ship
channel. On a really bad day, even the ship channel's not such a great
idea.
Every couple of years somebody gets killed out there. We've had a
fatality each year for two years running, both very experienced
sailors. One was a racer double-handing to the Farallons. He got
thrown out of the boat in a knockdown and dragged behind at the end of
his tether. His crewmate couldn't retrieve him. The same day several
other boats were driven aground after dramatic nick-of-time crew
evacuations with the help of fellow racers. The other was the bassist
from the rock band Loverboy, a veteran voyager, shortcutting across the
Bar to the south in his sailboat on a bad day. He was out standing solo
watch at the helm with his crew below when the boat was knocked down. I
don't recall all the details, but when the boat righted itself, he was
missing along with the wheel and pedestal (to which he was tethered). I
don't think they ever found him. It was so bad that day that the Coast
Guard had to stand down from the rescue until conditions abated. Takes
a lot to make the Coasties wait it out.
When heading south to Half Moon Bay and beyond, you don't turn left
until you've hit the Sea Buoy, and that's 10 miles out. I read
recently, on this list, a recommendation that you don't let yourself get
more than 2 or 3 miles offshore if you can help it. Following that
advice can be fatal just outside the Golden Gate.
Doug Hoople
M/V Bomar
1963 Stephens Bros. 50 FDMY
Sausalito, CA
Also, what about roll overs? Not sure if it is true,
but I hear stories about enter/exit the Golden Gate
here in SF Bay. The current and wind can combine
forces in such a way as to roll ones boat over, not
easily but apparently some days this does happen.
Though this is not grounding or collision, it is close
to shore. Though I have no stats on this, or any
firsthand knowledge to back this up so this may be
bunk. But having seen the waves here, I would bet
there is some truth to it.
Dan
37 Roughwater
"Wen I Dream"
Dan Symula wrote:
Also, what about roll overs? Not sure if it is true,
but I hear stories about enter/exit the Golden Gate
here in SF Bay.
Its very true. March 27, 1974 my 40 foot converted navy shore boat was
completely destroyed by a big breaker on the south bar. I estimate that it
was 20 feet high, but it sure looked higher. I reached shore five hours
later. The water was 55 degrees.
My advice, stay in the marked ship channel if the tide is ebbing and there
is ANY sea swell.
Bill and Stella Kimley
Seahorse Marine, Zhuhai China
Tel# 86-756-550-2145
Fax# 86-756-333-5901
www.SeahorseYachts.com
And in the Pacific NorthWest. As recently as a few weeks ago I had planned
on a passage from Friday Harbor to Port Townsend crossing the Straits of
Juan de Fuca. At Friday Harbor the night before, I carefully listened to
the weather reports which left me with the impression that the passage would
be comfortable with light winds. Leaving early next morn I did not bother
to listen to current weather conditions. The waters and wind between Lopez
and San Juan Island were light and comfortable. But, once thru the San Juan
Channel the situation changed rapidly.
Me bad. Me stoopid. As they often do in the PacNW, conditions had changed
overnight. On entering the Straits I immediately encountered strong wind
and waves from the west. Fortunately I have a sturdy, seaworthy boat, and
was able to scurry thru Deception pass into protected waters. In the future
I will always keep up on CURRENT weather conditions.
I've posted this incident before, but my lesson bears repeating. Always
listen for current weather conditions.
Jerry Schroeder
M/V Surprise
21' Ranger R21
Ballard WA
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com
[mailto:owner-trawler-world-list@samurai.com]On Behalf Of Doug Hoople
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 8:09 PM
To: trawler-world-list@samurai.com
Subject: Re: TWL: Re: Bad weather and safety at sea
Dan,
Bunk it ain't. The waters just outside the Golden Gate are very
treacherous at times. On good clear days, too, when you least expect
it. In the summer, it blows a gale through the Gate nearly as many
days as not once the sea breeze kicks in. In the winter, you get big
swell from the storms rolling through to the northwest.
At 04:09 AM 6/27/01 +0100, you wrote:
When heading south to Half Moon Bay and beyond, you don't turn left
until you've hit the Sea Buoy, and that's 10 miles out. I read
recently, on this list, a recommendation that you don't let yourself get
more than 2 or 3 miles offshore if you can help it. Following that
advice can be fatal just outside the Golden Gate.
Doug Hoople
M/V Bomar
1963 Stephens Bros. 50 FDMY
Sausalito, CA
I may be the source of the 2 or 3 mile comment. In regards to any of the
bigger entrances, like San Francisco or Columbia River, it should be 2 or 3
miles outside the danger area.
The danger area at San Francisco is inside the buoys 2 and 3, near the
termination of the ship channel. There is at least one other place which is
not a so called big entrance which is worth staying way off: Willapa Bay on
the So. Washington Coast.
Fact is all the entrances should be given a fairly wide berth, when they
are ebbing hard. And the danger line is about 60 feet of water, except
under exceptional conditons when I would be more comfortable with 90 to 120
feet of depth.
Capt. Mike Maurice
Near Portland Oregon.