2023: biggest seas encountered this year?

[esheufelt]

Cape Blanco in August

This was quite a few years ago and in a 33 ft sailboat but I'll share because I learned a lesson.

This was late August but it can happen June- Sept.

In the summer the North Pacific high and the desert continental low create a squash zone off the Oregon California border.

Usually, when looking for a weather window high pressure is good but here's an exception. We left Newport OR, headed for San Francisco with a 1040 mb high. We also drank the kool-aid about being off shore headed south.

As we were passing about a mile from the sea bouy that's about 25 miles offshore from Cape Blanco the Coast guard weather reported winds gusting to 62 kts and seas 22 ft. We got pooped a couple of times that night but my wife was on watch so I didn't get wet so it was OK.

These were the biggest seas we've seen in 60,000 miles offshore. One circumnavigation and one Pacific Loop. Seattle, Panama, NZ, Japan, Alaska back to Seattle.

Now I'll for under 1020 mb High and I stay within 5 miles of shore headed south.

We have a 42 ft Sunnfjord now. Great hull but the windows are too big for safe offshore. I think windows are the limiting factor for most boats. I'm comfortable doing any coastal in her because I have a lot more control over the risk of hitting really heavy seas.

 

[captmikem]

What month was that?

November

 

[Bmarler]

This was quite a few years ago and in a 33 ft sailboat but I'll share because I learned a lesson.

In the summer the North Pacific high and the desert continental low create a squash zone off the Oregon California border.

Usually, when looking for a weather window high pressure is good but here's an exception. We left Newport OR, headed for San Francisco with a 1040 mb high. We also drank the kool-aid about being off shore headed south.

As we were passing about a mile from the sea bouy that's about 25 miles offshore from Cape Blanco the Coast guard weather reported winds gusting to 62 kts and seas 22 ft. We got pooped a couple of times that night but my wife was on watch so I didn't get wet so it was OK.

These were the biggest seas we've seen in 60,000 miles offshore. One circumnavigation and one Pacific Loop. Seattle, Panama, NZ, Japan, Alaska back to Seattle.

Now I'll for under 1020 mb High and I stay within 5 miles of shore headed south.

We have a 42 ft Sunnfjord now. Great hull but the windows are too big for safe offshore. I think windows are the limiting factor for most boats. I'm comfortable doing any coastal in her because I have a lot more control over the risk of hitting really heavy seas.

The sunnfjord 42 is a very well built vessel. We had a few in the fishing fleet in se Alaska. When planning a trip offshore our friend would mount sea boards just in case. Been in some pretty big water up there, a bit exciting, but never felt unsafe.

 

[esheufelt]

August, June to Sept is the squash zone season.

 

[esheufelt]

We have really large window in the main salon. I'd be nervous even with sea boards. Maybe 1/2" polycarbonate would be enough but then I'd have to store them. I think with care I could go anywhere from Dutch Harbor to Nova Scotia with her as she is so that should keep me occupied for quite a while

 

[Mako]

One of my previous boats had a huge pane glass fixed window from the aft stateroom looking into the cockpit. Guess what... it was cracked.


Before I took off in the NW Pacific I had a glass shop laminate two layers of 1/8". So only 1/4" thick but that baby held up 100% to being constantly pooped in 20+ foot seas for 3 days straight.


Conclusion, I would consider not having storm shutters for every window (or maybe just 1 or 2), but only if replaced with extremely strong glass. Think 2 layers of tempered at a thickness of 1/2" at least.

 

[esheufelt]

The fore and aft facing windows are the ones most at risk for sure. My windows are all double pane insulated but with the gap I'm not sure they are much stronger than single pane.

 

[Hippocampus]

Have broken glass on the leeward side when struck on the windward side. Boat buttoned up house takes pressure on side struck from boarding sea but the leeward side is stressed as well as forces are communicated to that side. I think glass isn’t flexible enough and cracks. Boat remained watertight. That was while crewing on an excellent French seaboat (Amel). No storm or even gale. No knockdown or other damage. Never had the rail down.
Think very few recreational trawlers can take a large lateral boarding sea. There’s a reason even 20 year old examples command a significant price. Exception maybe the non salon Diesel Ducks given no large glass and Fe as well as some one offs. Not a fan of the large hull glass which is the recent rage for the last couple of decades although told its stronger than the hull. Still the hull responds differently than the glass (or plastic) and you’re depending upon the current generation of miracle glues and sealants. You have no way to check if installation was done correctly. Even if the hull and house doesn’t oilcan it does flex a bit when struck by a ton or so of water. Similarly not a fan of sliding windows on ocean boats. The unsupported edges seem vulnerable. Glass is a supercooled frozen liquid. Yes can be made incredibly strong and impact resistant but behaves differently than grp, or metal. See some installations where that’s accounted for but some not so much. I’m continually struck how much I don’t know about boat construction. Always thought a Oyster was a dream boat until they delaminated and keels fell off. Or Gunboats getting into trouble with simple poopings. It’s not simply how well made and strong the glass is. It’s the whole way it’s engineered and installed.

 

[gilbertpark]

My advice take a day with a lifeboat Coxswain in your boat. I did and it was worth every penny especially when out in 3m waves the sb engine started misbehaving!