Family was freaking out on the boat in a thunderstorm

[Wood]

I was caught in a 40 minute micro burst July 31st off Marblehead, MA with my son and 7 grand nieces and nephews on board. Only my son has experience.



I told them to put their phones in the microwave and enjoy the ride.


They laid back in the saloon playing cribbage and cranked some tunes. And ate my cookies.


Méi wèntí

 

[Bacchus]

Took boat out on the river within a mile of our slip, a storm started brewing up, no waves, or wind, mostly lightening and dark skies. This did not worry me, but wife daughter and then 5 and 6 yr old grandkids, perhaps reacting to them, insisted the boat was going to be hit by lightening and had to get back to the dock.

So we did and sat at the dock in pouring rain and thunder for about 30 minutes.

It did not help to see multiple boats racing back in passing us.

I felt like I was surrounded by drama queens.

You make no mention of anyone / everyone donning PFDs
I have seen many instances where boaters, skippers, crew & guests came into the marina noticeably shaken and scared by the potential of a serious situation...
But rarely did anyone have a PFD on.
My feeling is that should be step #1 if the potential for a serious situation presents itself... especially if anyone expresses concerns - take action, don PFDs, get below deck, away from metal rails, guys, chain plates, etc.
Grab a handheld VHF, cell phone, emergency beacon, flashlight, etc as second step. Formulate and communicate a plan in case a worst case happens.
Focus everyone on what they can / should do vs just being afraid!

 

[SailorGreg]

I forgot you have a metal hull.
What does your local electrician say?

Too much testosterone and not enough seamanship for me in this thread. Lightning kills people all the time. In risk management parlance, getting hit by lightning is a very low probability but high consequence event. Makes it a moderate risk to be managed down to low risk through avoidance. That is our responsibility as captains.
I have plenty offshore sea miles and have weathered plenty of storms, but that comes with the territory. And my crew and I understand and accept the risks.
There is no good reason to take on the risk to me, my boat and especially my passengers for an afternoon joy ride. With all the weather and radar apps available today, there is ample opportunity to see and avoid thunderstorms.
That said, occasionally we all get surprised by the weather, and while it may turn out that once in a storm it is better to weather in place than try and run and hide, it should be recognized that there was an error in the initial weather planning that put the boat at risk unnecessarily in the first place.

 

[OldDan1943]

The US Navy firmly believes ships belong at sea and have a better survival rate than being tied to a dock. Of course, the definition of "survival" is a point of discussion, based upon my own experience. SMIRK
When I was on an ancient destroyer, the Captain was surprised to see me come up from the engine room, to the bridge. It was exciting to see the green water hitting the fwd windshield as the destroyer went into a trough, burying the bow into the next wave.
When I was on a FBM nuc sub. evening meal time, patrol depth, hurricane ..... rolled the sub w/o warning to the starboard side. Wiped out LOTS of plates and bowls with food. After a quick cleanup out came the wet towels, spread on the tables to keep the plates and bowls from sliding.

 

[Simi 60]

.
With all the weather and radar apps available today, there is ample opportunity to see and avoid thunderstorms.

All good if you have mobile reception.

That said, occasionally we all get surprised by the weather, and while it may turn out that once in a storm it is better to weather in place than try and run and hide, it should be recognized that there was an error in the initial weather planning that put the boat at risk unnecessarily in the first place.

In this part of the world, which I am sure is no different to many other parts, weather wise, we can have a perfectly sunny and pleasant afternoon yet within a couple of hours have rain, hail and 50+ knots.
We do get to see cloud building on the horizon but that doesn't tell you "where" it will strike and most days, for several months of the year, you will have that cloud buildup, doesn't always mean storms are coming.
These storms can and do change direction and they can fizz out fast as well.
I have seen vessels leave sunny secure anchorages to avoid the storm that was going to hit only to be smacked themselves while trying to avoid the very thing they were running from whereas half a mile away we got a light shower, sunshine and rainbows.

As for weather planning, we are out here 24/7/365 so no opportunity to "magic" ourselves away but we do make sure we are battened down and securely anchored.

 

[Billr2019]

The wooden hulled minesweeper I was on during Vietnam, rolled like a bathtub with its round bottom.
Eating meals was one hand to hold the tray down and eat with the other.
Even the fiddle boards on the edges of the mess tables were not enough to stop them from sliding off.
would I do it again?
You bet in a hear beat!

 

[menzies]

Folks, all these stories of what storms you have experienced, and the effects of lightning on a vessel....

Getting back to the topic being discussed.

If you are out with the wife, kids and friends, and they are concerned or even afraid, go back. It is not a question of being safer at sea or at the dock, go back to the marina. Tie off, put them in the car and take them for an ice cream.

You'll be a better husband, father, friend, and man, for it.

 

[BandB]

Folks, all these stories of what storms you have experienced, and the effects of lightning on a vessel....

Getting back to the topic being discussed.

If you are out with the wife, kids and friends, and they are concerned or even afraid, go back. It is not a question of being safer at sea or at the dock, go back to the marina. Tie off, put them in the car and take them for an ice cream.

You'll be a better husband, father, friend, and man, for it.

Wifey B: You mean it's not about a Minesweeper nearly 50 years ago or a destroyer or sub even longer ago. This isn't the military, it's your family.

 

[Simi 60]

If you are out with the wife, kids and friends, and they are concerned or even afraid, go back. It is not a question of being safer at sea or at the dock, go back to the marina. Tie off, put them in the car and take them for an ice cream.

You'll be a better husband, father, friend, and man, for it.

It should be.
It can be more dangerous for everyone trying to navigate amongst rock walls, concrete pylons and pontoons and other boats also running back to perceived safety if that weather hits while you are doing it.
Imagine how scared they will be if you actually start crashing into things.

 

[menzies]

It should be.
It can be more dangerous for everyone trying to navigate amongst rock walls, concrete pylons and pontoons and other boats also running back to perceived safety if that weather hits while you are doing it.
Imagine how scared they will be if you actually start crashing into things.

You see, this is what happens when people ignore what was written in the original post and start to broaden their response to include Chapman's and beyond.

Here is the OP:

Took boat out on the river within a mile of our slip, a storm started brewing up, no waves, or wind, mostly lightening and dark skies. This did not worry me, but wife daughter and then 5 and 6 yr old grandkids, perhaps reacting to them, insisted the boat was going to be hit by lightening and had to get back to the dock.

So we did and sat at the dock in pouring rain and thunder for about 30 minutes.

It did not help to see multiple boats racing back in passing us.

I felt like I was surrounded by drama queens.

Now read my response in light of this post.

If there is nothing stopping you from going back to your slip and going to get some ices - do it.

 

[cardude01]

But you do have the lightining attractor sticking up in the middle of your boat...

Yeah, that doesn’t help with her anxiety. [emoji30]

 

[Billr2019]

The marina may NOT be the safest place in a severe storm.
Everyone and his brother is trying to beat the storm in and that in itself can be more dangerous.
Limited channel width, limited free dock space, and the inexperienced boater.
I have witnessed all these.
Sometimes it is safer to ride it out in the open water than trying to get in.
We have storms on our inland lakes that can whip up 12 ft waves in short order.
But I do understand the point you were making.

 

[menzies]

It seems to me that certain people here tend to give advice based on the 1% probability rather than the 99% percent probability.

Or am I being too cynical?

 

[psneeld]

Having been the guy that headed out in that weather to help those who couldn't keep it together...


There is no right or wrong answer. Have seen the aftermath of both approaches. And observing husbanding and parenting skills....even been that guy too....



Takes some big ones to think you know best for everyone in every situation.

 

[menzies]

Takes some big ones to think you know best for everyone in every situation.

Again, read the OP.

 

[Billr2019]

36 years as a Coast Guard Auxiliary member and many, many hours on the water, I have been out in some nasty lake storms. But like psneeld said, "there is no right or wrong answer".

 

[menzies]

36 years as a Coast Guard Auxiliary member and many, many hours on the water, I have been out in some nasty lake storms. But like psneeld said, "there is no right or wrong answer".

Again, read the OP. He was pretty clear on the conditions, and on the concerns of those on board.

He made the decision to return to the slip.

I agree with that decision, given what he posted.

I don't much feel inclined to opine on what he didn't post.

 

[sbu22]

You did the right thing. I never want anyone to be uncomfortable or anxious.

For me, lightening is a golden BB - you're going to get hit or you're not.

My wife and I like a bit of weather - she thinks it's fun, within reason.

With pax, my weather tolerance varies with my assessment of their experience, age, etc.

 

[wkearney99]

I felt like I was surrounded by drama queens.

Well, look at it this way, "Grandpa saved us" is something you can work with. Milk it for all it's worth. Better that than have them terrified to come back on the boat again in the future. That and if there's weather the next time, play up the "not as bad as that one time..." angle.

That or...

 

[markpierce]

In 1963 my father took delivery of a 28.5' sloop in Tiburon, California, taking it to Jack London Square in Oakland, crossing San Francisco Bay. Took the entire family: Dad's wife, two sons, and two daughters. In the bay, the youngest, 10-years old, daughter, with no understanding that mono-hull sailboats lean, had a fit on the cabin sole screaming sailor curses when the boat departed from vertical. ... When nearly five decades later to attend the blessing of my boat, she refused to attend.

People can be scarred for life.

 

[psneeld]

Again, read the OP.

By the time I posted, I wasn't referring to the OP.....heck I was barely thinking about its specifics...it had been long since drowned out.

 

[Simi 60]

You see, this is what happens when people ignore what was written in the original post .

I was replying to the comment in your post.

 

[sdowney717]

Again, read the OP. He was pretty clear on the conditions, and on the concerns of those on board.

He made the decision to return to the slip.

I agree with that decision, given what he posted.

I don't much feel inclined to opine on what he didn't post.

Yes, surprising lack of big wind, no waves, calm except for the lightening, thunder, and the rain which hit the hardest as we entered the marina. We were not that far out. It rained so heavy I could just tie up the stern, and did not want to risk plugging in power, so we left the AC running on the generator.
My daughter and her kids decided they wanted to take boat out with no prior plan, so we did. Things looked good weathwise. The thunderstorm just sort of happened fast. I turned on the marine weather station, and it came back with an immediate danger alert, severe conditions, it hit all the trigger points as its designed to do, etc... which also heighetened their anxiety. Everyone still likes the boat.

 

[OldDan1943]

Yup, the owner make the final decision based upon conditions.

 

[wkearney99]

Things looked good weathwise. The thunderstorm just sort of happened fast. I turned on the marine weather station, and it came back with an immediate danger alert, severe conditions, it hit all the trigger points as its designed to do, etc... which also heighetened their anxiety.

It's not often weather appears suddenly in the mid-Atlantic. Oh sure, there are squalls that pop up during hot Summer afternoons, but the conditions that spawn them are known. Mainly a cold front running parallel to shore/mountain lines. The air suddenly changing from hi/lo hot/cold humid/less-humid is a sure recipe for sudden thunderstorms around here. There's an even chance they'll bring lightning and sudden gusts. Less-likely are hail and waterspouts.

Your safe bet is check a weather app that shows wind and fronts, along with another that shows radar. PocketGrib and My Radar are my go-to apps most of the time.

If you see a front running nearly parallel with the shore and it's really humid, it's fair to assume sudden rain is possible, most often around 4pm. I plan to always be anchored/docked somewhere by no later than 4pm when those kinds of conditions are present on the Bay.

 

[sdowney717]

It's not often weather appears suddenly in the mid-Atlantic. Oh sure, there are squalls that pop up during hot Summer afternoons, but the conditions that spawn them are known. Mainly a cold front running parallel to shore/mountain lines. The air suddenly changing from hi/lo hot/cold humid/less-humid is a sure recipe for sudden thunderstorms around here. There's an even chance they'll bring lightning and sudden gusts. Less-likely are hail and waterspouts.

Your safe bet is check a weather app that shows wind and fronts, along with another that shows radar. PocketGrib and My Radar are my go-to apps most of the time.

If you see a front running nearly parallel with the shore and it's really humid, it's fair to assume sudden rain is possible, most often around 4pm. I plan to always be anchored/docked somewhere by no later than 4pm when those kinds of conditions are present on the Bay.

I knew there was a chance of rain and thunderstorms, you take advantage of free time to do things together, and its not easy sometimes to find the time.

 

[sdowney717]

Had a great Sunday on the river, (Chisman Creek Va) nice place to also swim.
But there are NO fish, I have never caught one in this creek!
It is actually a superfund site, some problem with coal slag or something over decades of dumping. I have to exit the creek onto the bay to fish. Fishing and me also dont work out too well., but the grandkids always want to.

I took these on my S8 note, then plugged into the 2 in 1 Asus convertable Laptop with win 10 and uploaded them directly as a test, so I see that works, had never done that before.

 

[jimisbell]

I was in a sailboat (home built 30 foot wood with 32 foot aluminum mast. I was sleeping below when lightning hit the mast. The mast was stepped on a wooden deck. A plasma of lightning dropped off the bottom of the mast (ceiling of cabin) and rolled out the cabin door, never to be seen again. Cool, but not scary, it happened too fast to be scared. NO DAMAGE to the boat.

 

[burntheships]

Storms -Safety

Never a good idea to risk the family during a storm get to safety.

 

[Gypsyjon]

Took boat out on the river within a mile of our slip, a storm started brewing up, no waves, or wind, mostly lightening and dark skies. This did not worry me, but wife daughter and then 5 and 6 yr old grandkids, perhaps reacting to them, insisted the boat was going to be hit by lightening and had to get back to the dock.

So we did and sat at the dock in pouring rain and thunder for about 30 minutes.

It did not help to see multiple boats racing back in passing us.

I felt like I was surrounded by drama queens.

I think it is safe to assume you have never seen a boat that was hit by lightening...Believe me, it will get your attention, I have seen 3 that were hit.