2023: biggest seas encountered this year?

[Sailor of Fortune]

"whats the difference between a sea story and a fairy tale".... One starts with "once upon a time"...and the other with "This ain't no ****".... sea sizes seem to grow as the story gets older.... But I'm still sticking by my 3' epic seas 2 miles offshore...

 

[Mambo42]

For those who are unfamiliar with the Aegean sea, here is a nice example how quickly things can turn bad in this area of the world. I lived in the Caribbean for a very long time, seas are always rough there, wind is always strong (around 25 kts), but we never go from 0 kts to 50 kts in a matter of minutes. Subsequently you can plan your trip safely, you know exactly what you are going to get. Same goes for many other parts of Europe, bad weather is announced well ahead of time.
The Aegean is a different story. This is a video of a group of people, with a charter sailing boat (bare boat charter) and they find themselves in a pleasant sailing trip, where everyone was happy, all of a sudden in a gale force wind, where the sails get ripped apart. Yes they made mistakes, but it is the speed at which the weather changes here in the Aegean and the lack of a reliable forecast that makes it terrifying.

same in this video, another group of sailors caught out in a sudden storm

and this was just a bit to the North of us, the storm which arrived 2 days late, it stretched from Ukraine to the West of Greece.

and this was the same storm, just a bit to the East of us.

Also here the forecast was 35 kts, however in reality it went far beyond 35 kts.

 

[mvweebles]

Interesting graphic by NWS showing coarse relationship between wave hieghts (meters) and period (seconds). To Mako's point about the Beaufort Scale not being universally applicable.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty useful representation. Others?

Peter

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

No big seas this year. But cruised my new toy (1968 31' Chris Craft Commander) down the MS river, Ohio, TN and TNTom from St Paul, MN to Columbus, MS. Was running a month behind schedule (prostate surgery got in the way - successful, PSA now 0.00), so didn't get started until late Oct. Was chasing marinas as they were closing - so pushed it one day when I should have stayed put - winds hit 35 kts and temps did not get above 43 degrees. Amazing how the waves can get up on the big river. And had two locks to go through also - and was single handing for a week - had friends most of the time. Did not see another 'pleasure craft', as lock masters call us, for the first 600 miles of the 1200 mile trip - just barges and tows. Once I got down to Grafton, IL we started to run into the last of the Loopers for this year - I was right at home there, as we did the Loop in '21-'22 on our 42' trawler, which we just sold.

 

[Bmarler]

Interesting graphic by NWS showing coarse relationship between wave hieghts (meters) and period (seconds). To Mako's point about the Beaufort Scale not being universally applicable.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty useful representation. Others?

Peter
View attachment 144261

At first glance I thought it was pretty conservative, then I saw the wave height is scaled in meters. I think it’s a pretty fair representation for boats in our class.
Typically, I’m not too concerned when the wave period is ten seconds or more. But, when I say not too concerned, it doesn’t mean not checking more thoroughly. Conditions change quickly sometimes.

 

[Pascall]

Mambo42,
Very impressive, I knew that in the Mediterranean there were such winds, called Mistrals, but these occur at appropriate times, so predictable.
But what you post here was unknown to me, valuable information!

Pascal.

 

[Rufus]

The huge blow on Lake Superior is over. A large segment of the "Laker" fleet (the largest over 1000 feet) has been sheltering in Whitefish Bay. A slug of them departed the anchorage behind Whitefish Point for Duluth this morning. The ice is coming, but the memory and lesson of the Edmund Fitzgerald won't be forgotten. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1221586927916381

 

[slowgoesit]

All that said, Scott's boat "Muirgen" is a perfect combination of cost Vs capability. What a fantastic boat!!!

Agreed. Here she is - I forget where we were.

Peter

We weren't looking for this boat when we found her. We'd never even heard of Robert Beebe, or his book "Voyaging Under Power", much less had any knowledge about Gardner engines, or Hundested CCP's, but we had a crash course in education before making an offer.

Our "Dream Boat" prior to our purchase was a DeFever 48 or 49 RPH trawler. '80's or early '90's model to be within our cash budget for purchase. Engines (for older model) would likely have been FL-120's or FL-135's for newer models within our price range. We looked a several, made an offer on one, which broker never forwarded to the Seller, we found out later, when we ran into the Seller, that they would have accepted or offer if the broker had forwarded it to them . . . . but that's another story.

The DeFever's are great boats, serious coastal cruisers, which can do long range coastal cruising with proper prep and Wx windows. Overall, we really like them!
We found our current boat, a Beebe Passagemaker 50 in PNW, which wasn't the plan, since we were looking at boats on the East Coast, or Gulf Coast, but our long range plan was always to head though the Canal and up the West Coast to PNW and trip to Alaska when we got dived out in the warmer waters of the Bahama's/Caribbean. So we just ended up doing it in reverse!

This boat is more capable than we are adventurous! It was built in Manila, Philippines, and came to the PNW on it's own bottom, up through the Sea of Japan, off the coast of Russia, to the Aleutians, and down the coast of Alaska, the inside passage of Canada, to the PNW.

This boat is way larger/more capable than anything we had been looking at, but we love the long range (4500nm at 6.5kts), the over built drive train, and the large fuel, fresh water, and holding tanks. Lots of room (did I mention that?), but with associated higher moorage rates, etc of a longer boat as well.

Game changers for us in the "Full Time", or "Long Range Cruising" columns, in no particular order are:

• Seawaterpro water maker (we added)
• 2,880 watts of solar (we added)
• 1,200 ah of LiFePO4 batteries (we added)
• Starlink (we added)
• room for lots and LOTS of spare parts (although never the right ones . . . . )
• overall accessibility/access to mechanical items on the boat.

Other nice to haves include:

• large freezer on aft deck
• ice maker
• washer/dryer
• multiple ways to charge batteries (5 as I count them)
• hydronic heat
• reverse cycle HVAC, when underway, on generator, or on shore power
• LOTS of interior space for inclement WX
• hyd bow thruster for those tight spaces
• paravane stabilizers (double as outriggers for fishing!

Would I trade her for a newer Nordhavn in the 50' ish range? Possibly, not sure.
Were we to "downsize", we would seriously consider a KK-42. We like the idea of a single engine, although we would like some sort of "get home" capability

But the bottom line, the BEST boat, is the one you currently own! You just need understand it strengths, and limitations, but most of all, you need to GET OUT ON THE WATER AND USE IT!

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

We weren't looking for this boat when we found her. We'd never even heard of Robert Beebe, or his book "Voyaging Under Power", much less had any knowledge about Gardner engines, or Hundested CCP's, but we had a crash course in education before making an offer.

Our "Dream Boat" prior to our purchase was a DeFever 48 or 49 RPH trawler. '80's or early '90's model to be within our cash budget for purchase. Engines (for older model) would likely have been FL-120's or FL-135's for newer models within our price range. We looked a several, made an offer on one, which broker never forwarded to the Seller, we found out later, when we ran into the Seller, that they would have accepted or offer if the broker had forwarded it to them . . . . but that's another story.

The DeFever's are great boats, serious coastal cruisers, which can do long range coastal cruising with proper prep and Wx windows. Overall, we really like them!
We found our current boat, a Beebe Passagemaker 50 in PNW, which wasn't the plan, since we were looking at boats on the East Coast, or Gulf Coast, but our long range plan was always to head though the Canal and up the West Coast to PNW and trip to Alaska when we got dived out in the warmer waters of the Bahama's/Caribbean. So we just ended up doing it in reverse!

This boat is more capable than we are adventurous! It was built in Manila, Philippines, and came to the PNW on it's own bottom, up through the Sea of Japan, off the coast of Russia, to the Aleutians, and down the coast of Alaska, the inside passage of Canada, to the PNW.

This boat is way larger/more capable than anything we had been looking at, but we love the long range (4500nm at 6.5kts), the over built drive train, and the large fuel, fresh water, and holding tanks. Lots of room (did I mention that?), but with associated higher moorage rates, etc of a longer boat as well.

Game changers for us in the "Full Time", or "Long Range Cruising" columns, in no particular order are:

• Seawaterpro water maker (we added)
• 2,880 watts of solar (we added)
• 1,200 ah of LiFePO4 batteries (we added)
• Starlink (we added)
• room for lots and LOTS of spare parts (although never the right ones . . . . )
• overall accessibility/access to mechanical items on the boat.

Other nice to haves include:

• large freezer on aft deck
• ice maker
• washer/dryer
• multiple ways to charge batteries (5 as I count them)
• hydronic heat
• reverse cycle HVAC, when underway, on generator, or on shore power
• LOTS of interior space for inclement WX
• hyd bow thruster for those tight spaces
• paravane stabilizers (double as outriggers for fishing!

Would I trade her for a newer Nordhavn in the 50' ish range? Possibly, not sure.
Were we to "downsize", we would seriously consider a KK-42. We like the idea of a single engine, although we would like some sort of "get home" capability

But the bottom line, the BEST boat, is the one you currently own! You just need understand it strengths, and limitations, but most of all, you need to GET OUT ON THE WATER AND USE IT!

a seriously capable cruising boat..Love it

 

[AlanT]

Warning, Not a Trawler story:
Korcula, Croatia: We left for a gentle 30 mile day-sail along the island to the other end. We anticipated three hours of idling along the coast while scoping out some good anchorages along the route. As we left harbour and shut off the engine we had 10 knots of wind astern and I opened the main and gently eased off at about 3 knots. Twenty minutes later the wind was 20 knots. Half an hour later it was 30 knots and we were creaming along at 8-9 knots through the water, 10 knots over the ground. I reefed the main down to its smallest size (about the size of a pup tent) as the wind hit 40 knots where it stayed with occasional gusts to 56 knots (62 miles per hour)- a new record for Moonstruck.

It was a hair-raising, exhilarating, downwind sail, perfect for excitement and thrills, but with the knowledge that a single mistake would spell disaster - an adrenalin rush for sure. It lasted 3 hours but the wheels came off when we rounded the point at the end of the island and had to motor 4 miles in the opposite direction into Vela Luka bay against 35 knots and large close waves. For a while we made only 0.5 knots forwards while leaping up and down about 10-20 feet every few seconds. Wind-driven spray made visibility practically zero. At this time we saw a French yacht BALOU in distress, he was tacking to and fro in the entrance to the bay. He called in a mayday. He was unable to make any progress, had unidentified other problems and his engine had failed. We were powerless to help him, and could barely make progress ourselves for an hour or so, then we managed to get to the comparative shelter of the hills where the seas moderated allowing us to crawl into harbor, synapses snapping, adrenalin rushing and with just a little bit of fear ebbing away.

This thread is about wave height. Wave height when we turned into the wind was 10' - 12'. Another boat in the same conditions lost its anchor and all chain while heading in to Vela Luka without even realizing it.

Eventually a Croatian rescue boat arrived to the aid of the BALOU and we could shut off the radio and relax. A couple of hours later the bedraggled BALOU arrived in tow of a policeboat. As I helped them tie up I looked into two very tired faces etched with fear.

 

[Mambo42]

Mambo42,
Very impressive, I knew that in the Mediterranean there were such winds, called Mistrals, but these occur at appropriate times, so predictable.
But what you post here was unknown to me, valuable information!

Pascal.

Every region in the Med has its own wind pattern and specifics. The Mistral is a well known one, but then we have the Bura (which is mainly winter, but is possible during the summer as well) and if that one happens you better be out of the way. 120 - 140 kts wind is normal, espcially in the area of Senj to the South.
Then we have the Jugo, which comes from the South East and can be ferocious, however that one builds up over a period of a couple of days. Is not a sudden wind.
Also the Medicane is pretty predictable, it is the equivalent of the hurricane, but also here you will know well in advance when it is going to hit. Windspeeds are like a normal hurricane and it has destroyed many villages and marinas, just like a hurricane does.

But it is the Meltemi that you have to be careful with, since there is no forecast. Absolutely terrifying to be caught in it.
The good part is that you have about 3 - 4 hours before the seas become too dangerous. Some people think the waves build up in a few minutes, but luckily that does not happen. From a calm sea to 10' waves will take some time and that is the time you have to seek shelter. After that it is literally playing with your life. I know there are fanatic sailors who think it is great to risk their life every time they go out, but we are not of them. We like it smooth, comfortable and relaxed.

 

[Mambo42]

Interesting graphic by NWS showing coarse relationship between wave hieghts (meters) and period (seconds). To Mako's point about the Beaufort Scale not being universally applicable.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty useful representation. Others?

Peter
View attachment 144261

You are absolutely right. A 3 mtr long swell is absolutely no problem, but a 3 mtr wave with a short period is a problem.
The one big mistake we found in apps like windy etc is that they work with this fixed table. 4 Bft means a certain wave height, 2 Bft as well, likewise 12 Bft. What these apps don't take into consideration is what the seastate was 1 or 2 hours before 2 Bft or even a day before that.
E.g. if you had a 5 day storm with 7 - 8 Bft it is very unlikely the sea is going to be calm in 1 hour after the wind dies down. That is just not going to happen. So although the wind may be 2 Bft, you still have the waves that belong with 4 Bft, however Windy will tell you the waves are 10 cm high. For that reason we usually wait until one day after the wind has died down. Unfortunately in the Aegean one storm goes, the next one already builds up again.

Here in the Med we usually have short wave periods, reason for that is that the Med is more or less an enclosed bit of water, the waves have difficulty to dissipate. The Atlantic, Pacific etc Oceans offer the waves space to dissipate.
I guess the Great Lakes have that same problem, the waves cannot go anywhere, so most likely short and high wave patterns there.

 

[Mambo42]

Warning, Not a Trawler story:
Korcula, Croatia: We left for a gentle 30 mile day-sail along the island to the other end. We anticipated three hours of idling along the coast while scoping out some good anchorages along the route. As we left harbour and shut off the engine we had 10 knots of wind astern and I opened the main and gently eased off at about 3 knots. Twenty minutes later the wind was 20 knots. Half an hour later it was 30 knots and we were creaming along at 8-9 knots through the water, 10 knots over the ground. I reefed the main down to its smallest size (about the size of a pup tent) as the wind hit 40 knots where it stayed with occasional gusts to 56 knots (62 miles per hour)- a new record for Moonstruck.

It was a hair-raising, exhilarating, downwind sail, perfect for excitement and thrills, but with the knowledge that a single mistake would spell disaster - an adrenalin rush for sure. It lasted 3 hours but the wheels came off when we rounded the point at the end of the island and had to motor 4 miles in the opposite direction into Vela Luka bay against 35 knots and large close waves. For a while we made only 0.5 knots forwards while leaping up and down about 10-20 feet every few seconds. Wind-driven spray made visibility practically zero. At this time we saw a French yacht BALOU in distress, he was tacking to and fro in the entrance to the bay. He called in a mayday. He was unable to make any progress, had unidentified other problems and his engine had failed. We were powerless to help him, and could barely make progress ourselves for an hour or so, then we managed to get to the comparative shelter of the hills where the seas moderated allowing us to crawl into harbor, synapses snapping, adrenalin rushing and with just a little bit of fear ebbing away.

This thread is about wave height. Wave height when we turned into the wind was 10' - 12'. Another boat in the same conditions lost its anchor and all chain while heading in to Vela Luka without even realizing it.

Eventually a Croatian rescue boat arrived to the aid of the BALOU and we could shut off the radio and relax. A couple of hours later the bedraggled BALOU arrived in tow of a policeboat. As I helped them tie up I looked into two very tired faces etched with fear.

Always thought the area of Korcula was a quiet area, but was told by locals that indeed, as you say, it can be hair raising there as well. In May next year we will be there, hope we are not going to experience that. We would like to see Korcula the way we know it from visiting by ferry........peaceful and a sea like a mirror.

 

[Delfin]

Recent threads on stability, CE Rating, and going from Maine to Alaska (including suitability of a GB42 for Caribbean) got me thinking about how often difficult seas are encountered by active boaters such as TFers.

For those who did some cruising this year, what was the worst conditions you encountered? I think the Beaufort scale remains a decent yardstick, albeit a bit rough.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

For 2023, we've done a couple hundred hours and around 1100-1200 nms or so from San Diego to Mazatlan via La Paz. Worst we've seen was around 25 kts, and maybe 4 foot chop over a 5-6 foot long period swell (no, that doesn't equate to 10 foot seas). Beaufort 4. Even that was relatively short duration - single digit hours. Vast majority was spent at Beaufort 2. Granted, we're weather wimps and this is a good time of year to be on the Pacific, but still, that's a lot of open water.

What did 2023 look like for others? Delfin, I recall you made Hawaii and back....Ksanders - La Paz to Ensenada and back. Slowgoesit - PNW to La Paz. AKDoug - holy moly, you did a crazy trip from La Paz to Alaska. I know there are others. What did you see?

Peter

View attachment 144225

Force 8, 15' a couple hundred miles west of Vancouver Island. The only time we had to physically steer her as opposed to just following an electronic course line.

 

[darkside]

We also found the Aegean pretty benign.
A couple of points on wind vs sea state. Building seas are way more comfortable than easing seas. The swell pattern is far less stable as the seas ease with echo waves from many directions.
Stay away from shallow water, even when well out to sea. The sea mounts north on NZ come up to 400m or so and are far rougher than the 2000m depths nearby. The effect is worse in areas of strong current. Continental shelves are a whole level worse. If in doubt, stay out.
Worst sea this year, Christmas Day, Doubtful Sound to Breaksea Sound. Only 25kn or so but breaking seas from astern making steering pretty interesting.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
I'm getting the "willies" just reading about these seas. I'm, for sure, a fair weather sailor. I've p*ssed off my admiral a few times when I thought it would be too "sporty" to leave the dock.

 

[Jeff F]

Amazing how the waves can get up on the big river.

I do lots of big river cruising, and have learned to be cautious when the forecast is for current against wind anywhere. My worst experiences with waves have always involved current.

 

[AlanT]

We also found the Aegean pretty benign.

We loved our two summers in the Aegean, but it was disconcerting how the swell would get into some of the harbors. I am thinking particularly of Ermoupolis (see video link, Our boat Moonstruck is the sailboat behind the motorboat in the foreground). The swell eventually got so dangerous that we had to head out of the harbor in fast deteriorating conditions and find an anchorage on the sheltered side of the Island. A departure that was complicated by another boat's anchor chain laid over ours.

Also Naxos where, although the harbor is OK, many boats are forced to med moor on outer harbor wall, which although protected by a distant breakwater, suffers from swell and frequently causes serious damage like to this cat.

Port pontoon has crashed into the harbor wall, this is an hour or so later after a pump was put on board.

 

[Cast Away]

SF to MDR couple of years ago

I usually don't get out "there" unless I know there's a good weather window and the boat is ready, but...
Owner needed his boat run from SF to MDR in 3 days for a sea trial. All weather reports stated 40+ knots of wind, with waves as high as 20', luckily from the North, so on the stern the whole way down the coast. He spoke with two captains before me, they both refused. I probably should have too, but it was a 50' "sport boat" with a great brand name, was making triple my usual rate, and he signed the damage waiver. Grabbed a crew member to help fuel up and the two of us were off. 12'-16' off the stern once we turned the corner at SF. I was VERY impressed with the boat's ability to power up a wave and run down the other side without stuffing the bow. This was at 25+ knots! Stopped at Monterey and Moro and once we turned the corner at Conception the sun came out and it was just long rollers all the way to MDR. Amazing, nothing broken but our spirits a bit.

 

[moparharn]

Biggest water I was in was on Lake Huron in my Kayak. With a large group for an October weekend in Port Austin, we were surfing the waves from the lighthouse into Pointe Aux Barques. Only two of us wanted to experience it. A duck hunting boat turned out to be the pilothouse of a salvaged 110 foot tugboat that broke loose from its tow and was sitting on the bottom in the bay. When we got back to the house I used a telescope to look out into the lake. Huge shoulders on the waves heading out of Saginaw bay into the open lake. I guessed they were at least 20 footers. To a man and woman I was laughed at as a poor judge of wave height. When we went into town for dinner I was able to get cellular service and check the weather buoys in Lake Huron. 22 Feet. He who laughs first. Height, period, rebounds, and breaking water all change the nature of the big wave experience. Lake Erie is hands down the worst water you will easily find in the Great Lakes, but Superior is vast, deep, cold, and holds more water than the other Great Lakes combined plus two more Lake Eries. When I was younger in my windsurfing days we did not even rig up until it was blowing a steady 25 mph. Windsurfing is simple, you are either in the water or on it. With the complexity of a trawler you can be fighting many battles all at one time. Good lessons in this thread. Be prepared (spare tiller), and treat the voyage as though you are going to encounter an issue (paravanes, cooking, sea sickness meds). You cannot prevent anything unless you stay at the dock, all else should be expected and trained for. Three rules in kayaking prevent 95% of all kayaking deaths. Always wear a pfd. Never paddle alone. Dress for prolonged immersion. Surprising how few boaters wear a pfd.

 

[proudsailor]

Love these threads- thanks Peter! Just bought our DeFever 44 and was on the inaugural cruise to get her north from Jax FL last month. Came out the Savannah River and at one point about 20mi offshore w/ a front we knew was coming. Made the decision to get closer in and glad I did. Winds 25kts w/ gusts into the 30s and waves 5-7 and confused w/ short periodicity at 2am. Glad I polished fuel before getting under way. If there was only a way to polish water!

Boat handled well, Niads performed admirably, and it was a good shakedown cruise. I learned that my rudder seals need to be replaced, a hydraulic leak on the flybridge steering station, and of course the galley cabinet that holds the glassware does not latch firmly! Other lesson learned- will not own a trawler without stabilizers. DF44 is a good solid boat- never felt unsafe, uncomfortable yes, unsafe no. My gripe is that she has a lot of windage and minimal hand holds on the flybridge. Once the punch list that grew significantly during the shakedown is addressed, she would be fine in worse weather. Not that I want to try it out....

 

[Slider70]

We spent four months last year and five months this year cruising the BC Coast on our Bayliner 3870. Previously, before retiring, I had commercial fished on my salmons trollers that ranged in size from 32 to 41 feet. I did this for 28 seasons mostly fishing the BC north coast.

During my commercial fishing days on heavy built vessels rigged for sever weather I have had a few occasions, even on these great sea boats, of wondering if I was going to get back into a safe harbour. This from both forecasted and non-forecasted storms.

Now, after seven years/ 23 months, of pleasure boating on this coast on a vessel NOT built for heavy weather I have zero stories to tell of fighting heavy weather while cruising. This is for good reasons. I do my best, being retired helps tremendously, to avoid travelling in crappy weather. I have done my best to not scare my wife (or me) by getting ourselves into that type of weather.

But in early April of 2022 we were anchored in Welsh Cove. The northern end of Desolation Sound area. Normally there would be a dozen or more boats anchored there but in April we were the only vessel. Further, one normally would anchor then stern tie in this cove as space is tight in the summer. As no boats were there we simply anchored in the centre of the cove with no stern tie needed.

Around 0200 I was woke with an extreme wind hitting us. I estimate it was around 60 knots, (and yes I had been in 50 to 60 knot winds numerous time while anchored in the north in my commercial fishing days). There really is no reliable weather forecast for this Welsh Cove area. So the wind was totally unexpected by me especially coming from directly north, which may even be more unusual? We normally have outflow or inflow winds in these inlets.

Before I could start the engines we started to drag anchor then were brought up short when the hook grabbed something solid. I started the engines in case we broke lose completely or had to jog if the wind continued to build. The seas were not large as the fetch was short. My main concerns was I would lose our canvas which covered the upper deck. Thankfully it held as the snaps were the locking type. The push closed ones would have seen the loss of the top.

So my take away from this one self inflicted glitch is I need to do a better job of picking my anchorages this early in the year. I had believed that this was a good anchorage as it is during the summer months. It wasn't!

So far I have not put my wife and I in travelling situations were we had to fight nasty weather. Where she, and potentially I, would be challenged. I love travelling this coast with her so do my best to have us enjoy the comfort of travelling in fair seas.

My take away from this is I need to select better anchorages in the off summer seasons.

As for travelling this coast going as far north as Alaska I have no concerns doing this in my Bayliner 3870. She is in good condition and importantly I understand her short comings. Yes I would rather have a Nordhaven, my dream boat, but my 3870 was what I could afford and got me on the water rather than saving for a future that may never come or I would come but I would miss years of boating enjoyment waiting for it.

One simply needs to pick your weather and not be forced to move unless you feel it is comfortable to do so.

John

 

[Nomad Willy]

Bigger than one story house.
Dixon Entrance between Dundas and Duke islands in Dixon Entrance.

Single engined 28’ OB self designed and built (1971).

 

[Mark Laurnen]

Like slowgoesit, Point Wilson also humbled me. With two partners aboard, we planned to travel from Everett WA to Sekiu WA for an annual fishing trip. Not surprisingly, we got off to a late start. We enthusiastically set off despite a 20 knot headwind coming down the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We timed it all to perfectly. As we rounded point Wilson the wind picked up to about 30 knots, and the tide was at full ebb. Between the outgoing tidal swell, and opposing wind, we suddenly found ourselves facing 12’ seas at about 10 seconds with periodic waves reaching 15’+ … in the dark. We rapidly abandoned the Sekiu aspiration and made our way to Port Angeles at markedly reduced speed. No major damage sustained aside from several unsecured cabinet doors … the weight of the unsupported doors, combined with the beating we took, was sufficient to pull out all of the screws affixing the piano hinges to the doors. What did I learn? Well, I won’t do that again.

 

[Turning Point]

I was off Cedros a little over thirty years ago slugging North in the middle of the night as a cruise ship slipped past me, all lit up and looking so serene.

 

[Don L]

In boating wind and waves are like fish.

This year I regularly sailed in 100+ knots of wind with 50 foot waves every 10 seconds.

And laughed.

 

[captmikem]

Was sailing south along the west coast of Washington state.

After rounding Cape Flattery, the wind started picking up a bit. (photo). Later that night it picked up around Force 9, here are a couple of shots of the anemometer. The left number is the current wind speed, the right is the maximum in the past hour. Not sure of the wave height as it was dark, and the numbers on the radio were a bit optimistic, but it was a pretty good sized sea making up out there.

Laid down a bit as we made Cape Disappointment in the morning, once we got across the bar into the Columbia river things got amazingly calm again.

M

 

[proudsailor]

In boating wind and waves are like fish.

This year I regularly sailed in 100+ knots of wind with 50 foot waves every 10 seconds.

And laughed.

Not just wind or waves..:lol:

 

[Mako]

Was sailing south along the west coast of Washington state.

After rounding Cape Flattery, the wind started picking up a bit. (photo). Later that night it picked up around Force 9, here are a couple of shots of the anemometer. The left number is the current wind speed, the right is the maximum in the past hour. Not sure of the wave height as it was dark, and the numbers on the radio were a bit optimistic, but it was a pretty good sized sea making up out there.

Laid down a bit as we made Cape Disappointment in the morning, once we got across the bar into the Columbia river things got amazingly calm again.

M

What month was that?

 

[Hippocampus]

Honored to share this thread with you. But note the focus has been on the boat not the crew. Have been in multiple gales, some storms and too many line squalls to count but believe the difference is prep and crew not the boat. Prep isn’t just spending host of money on safety gear and spares but rather playing the “what ifs”. Then buying what’s necessary to deal with those “what ifs”. However that’s useless if you don’t train and modify your plan to execute well. That means you AND CREW. The stories I hear of real troubles always seem to boil down to failures of prep and training. They always seem to involve folks who haven’t gone though the long progression of gradually increasing the size of the boat and severity of the conditions.
Sure you can experience a knock down from a rogue (happened once) or a microburst (once as well) but for me in the survival situations the main enemy has been simple fatigue. Not only physical but mental. When just going through the needed ADLs (activities of daily living) seemed to much trouble. Changing clothes to stay warm and dry. Prepping a meal. Taking the time to stay hydrated. Going potty. Sure when it’s bumpy for a week it’s a drag but just 2/3 days of getting bruised moving around is sometimes enough to really get you down. Add in stress, calming folks down, and poor if any sleep and it’s wearing.
I prefer blue water. Other than the rare rogue or micro burst you know what’s coming. It’s rare you even need outside data. Your experience, eyes, recording barometer, and body rarely mislead you. But coastal that hyperlocal event can catch you with your pants down. Tstorms coming over a headland, funnel effects on the wind, local reflection/refraction of wave trains, hyperlocal breaking waves, hyperlocal wind against water and such. A whole different set of concerns to think about than when truly off the shelf.
To answer Peter’s question directly. Unlike the Beaufort 8-9 of the past in the last year the worse was a minor local occurrence . After running all day in the inter coastal going north in very mild conditions we just entered Albemarle sound. In 10-15kts and 2-3’ short period chop. Tstorm prediction was <10%. Wind was east and the sound shallow so moderately bumpy. With SeaKeeper running had no real discomfort. Then a O ring failed and oil pressure crashed. Think the SeaKeeper did great with roll but heave meant a fair amount of up and down. So before temps climbed more than a small amount (still with in normal) shut the engine. Dropped the Vulcan at 7:1 in 15’ and called for a tow. no sooner than that was done a Tstorm came through. Green water over the bow would fill the aft cockpit some inches as the NTs have good scuppers. Still opened the transom door. Waited for the tow but he wouldn’t commence approaching for setting up tow until things quieted down. Just a few hours or so later on our way to Bellhaven River Forest Ship yard. 48h to have wrench go through the engine. Left with new oil/filters several new o rings as I couldn’t determine age of some others. No harm no foul. Trivial event.
Prep-replaced the lunch hook that came with the boat with a “real” anchor. Replaced the bilge pump and float switch for the small non functioning pump in the lazerette.
Training - wife and I knew exactly what to do and did it quickly with little conversation or discussion.
If on a Nordie or Northern it wouldn’t matter. By the time the get home system was deployed we’d be grounded in all likelihood. Twins might have helped but would probably still ask for assistance as getting into Forest River for the first time on one engine would be a tight sphincter event
Post this minor event asking the reader to play the what if game. I’ve changed my weather windows thinking being on a B boat. Same attitude as when voyaging. I continue to train and prep myself and the admiral with that in mind. I’d rather be on a well found B boat than a neglected A. I’ve come to think coastal is every bit as dangerous as blue water. Just look at the thread about grounding in Plymouth or the autopsy of the coastal sinking of a common production trawler recently discussed on this site. Poor prep and training.