Not a night to be at sea

[Sybarite]

Off the coast of Finistère : wind 129mph Wave 69'

 

[capnsensible]

Vesselfinder is an interesting look now. Lots of vessels anchored in sheltered spots, lots hove to but some bashing on regardless. Bad news if you are on a cross channel ferry waiting to enter harbour....need a strong stomach.

There are a number of big tugs out there on standby too.

 

[Sandy]

This has been posted elsewhere


and this is an interesting image from of the ile de Batz lifeboat station

 

[mjcoon]

and this is an interesting image from of the ile de Batz lifeboat station

View attachment 167050

Ooh, man size version of one of these: 125mm Profile Gauge

 

[Sybarite]

At my port :
3 sail boats on the rocks
One boat on its cradle toppled over
About a dozen boats will be needing new genoas.
Microcar on its roof in a ditch.
Trees and branches galore down.

 

[Sandy]

I hope nobody has their boats in Roscoff as this does not look good.

 

[Stemar]

Ouch

 

[Wansworth]

 

[14K478]

Three dead after Danish sailboat sinks in Torres Vedras

 

[14K478]

Apparently the boat - a modern 50 footer - was under way about half a mile off the coast when a very large breaker formed to seaward of her and rolled her.

 

[Roberto]

Apparently the boat - a modern 50 footer - was under way about half a mile off the coast when a very large breaker formed to seaward of her and rolled her.

Footage of the boat being rolled. In the images it seems to be sailing towards the shore (?)

As imagens do momento em que o veleiro afundou em Santa Cruz - Radioeste

 

[boomerangben]

Anecdotally, you seem to be getting distinctly Hebridean weather (wet and windy) more often than the Hebrides these days. You don’t often see yachts in cradles with masts up over winter. I wonder if yards and insurance companies will start to insist that masts are removed for winter stowage ashore.

 

[boomerangben]

I hope to goodness the helicopter’s engine got a really thorough compressor rinse after that flight. Salt in a gas turbine

 

[dankilb]

Truly one of the most chilling things I’ve ever seen. News of it on other fora and in Liveaboard here… apparently no LJs on any of the 4 deceased. Beggars belief. Speculation elsewhere they were following the 20m contour (‘because orcas’) and rushing to join ARC. RIP - yet what were they thinking?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Truly one of the most chilling things I’ve ever seen. News of it on other fora and in Liveaboard here… apparently no LJs on any of the 4 deceased. Beggars belief. Speculation elsewhere they were following the 20m contour (‘because orcas’) and rushing to join ARC. RIP - yet what were they thinking?

I was wondering the same. Not seeking shelter in the face of oncoming storm then not wearing lifejackets! There judgement must be questioned. It is probable that LJs would not have saved them - but then again they might.

 

[dankilb]

Not seeking shelter in the face of oncoming storm

Apparently they set off shortly before that same afternoon

 

[steve yates]

Watching that video I am struggling to understand why they were in so close to breaking waves?

 

[Stemar]

The sea's rough - big swells, but nothing exceptional - certainly not storm conditions, though they are well reefed down. I kind of get the orca thing, but my instincts tell me that I want to be in a bar, waiting it out or, if that's not possible, well out to sea. From the video, it seemed like it was the proximity to the coast that got them. The waves weren't breaking further out.

 

[14K478]

It is very easy to sail along a coastline on which seas are breaking heavily and to be quite unaware of that - all you see, looking shorewards, are the smooth green backs of the seas as they break and the sound is carried away from you by the onshore wind.

It is similarly easy to be unaware that odd seas may break further out, because of irregularities in the seabed and cross seas.

A youth spent pottering about the Thames estuary in little boats taught me this and more. People don’t do that now; they go on a course and buy a big boat.

 

[srm]

Anecdotally, you seem to be getting distinctly Hebridean weather (wet and windy) more often than the Hebrides these days. You don’t often see yachts in cradles with masts up over winter. I wonder if yards and insurance companies will start to insist that masts are removed for winter stowage ashore.

When I lived in Shetland and Orkney ,early 70's to 2014, no one lifted a yacht ashore with the mast up. Likewise in Torquay in the 60's where I sailed as a student. I was surprised to see the same at Toronto yacht clubs a few years ago, nearly all boats ashore due to ice on the lake, and only one or two with masts up.
I did one lift out in Shetland when the surge was too much to take the mast off first, so lifted with mast up. Temporarily stood on her beaching legs, with mast ready to lift out, when the crane driver decided it was lunch time. Wind probably in the 25 to 35 knot range. I had a very worrying hour with the boat and rig vibrating in the wind.

Edit:
On reflection masts down in Toronto is very wise. They can get serious ice storms that encapsulate trees and power cables in ice, at times bringing them down.