GHA
Well-Known Member
Didn't they use a parachute on a bridle off to one side and sit in the slick behind it?
Rescue off galicia
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
Didn't they use a parachute on a bridle off to one side and sit in the slick behind it?
dom
Well-Known Member
The "stepping up" mantra is really just a euphemism for catastrophic damage: a boat with a loose keel, out of control fire, or whatever all warrant earlier abandonment.
Re entering the water: you've got it; in rough conditions the helo swimmer doesn't want to be near the boat thereby risking a hard-decking from either surface turbulence or the boat rising on a wave. Easier to drop the swimmer away from boat, he then catches it, does his stuff, and exits in reverse. A water pickup naturally saves time as the helo swimmer never detaches.
Incidentally, the swimmers usually have life vests with oversize canisters where the amount of air can be regulated as required to swim, float, or if necessary support a helpless casualty.
kof
Well-Known Member
100% sofa speak. So if I was in that situation, I'd figure the boat is (so far) sound, watertight, mast is still up, rudder and keel ok. Yes my sails are shredded (did they have storm sails?) but we're not in any imminent danger. So secure the boat and wait and see. If things get worse , if the boat is suffering then make the call that lives are in danger and need help.
The fact that they called for help and yet the boat was in "perfect" condition to motor back to shore a day or two later just makes me think they pulled the trigger too soon and put other peoples lives in danger. Again that was their call and that's ok. My call would have been different.
The fact that they called for help and yet the boat was in "perfect" condition to motor back to shore a day or two later just makes me think they pulled the trigger too soon and put other peoples lives in danger. Again that was their call and that's ok. My call would have been different.
matt1
Well-Known Member
Reminded me of a gale I was in off Finistere many years ago, where we just ran before it with a scrap of headsail. Maybe their steering went so had few options. I'd imagine a drogue over the stern would at least have meant she wasn't beam on to the seas, even if the cockpit would take a hammering from breaking waves. Not sure I would deploy one over the bow with a big spade rudder?
Easy to say whilst sat in the armchair but I think I would have stayed onboard. She looked to be riding the waves surprisingly well and frankly I just don't think I would have the courage to jump overboard. Maybe they were on a lee shore - I note they seemed to be running out of daylight. Would be great to get the facts on this one - opportunity to learn
Easy to say whilst sat in the armchair but I think I would have stayed onboard. She looked to be riding the waves surprisingly well and frankly I just don't think I would have the courage to jump overboard. Maybe they were on a lee shore - I note they seemed to be running out of daylight. Would be great to get the facts on this one - opportunity to learn
RupertW
Well-Known Member
There may have been a difficult crew to skipper conversation making the option of staying on board impossible. Not many rescue services will be happy taking all but one person off a boat. I look forward to the skipper and crews accounts.
webcraft
Well-Known Member
A series drogue from the stern is much easier to deploy and much less likely to break the rudder.
This video scared the cr@p out of me as if our launch had gone according to plan we could have set off across Biscay at the beginning of June. Was this storm forecast well in advance? Looked to me as though the low developed suddenly just off N. Spain.
Anyone know what the wind direction was? Important to know if deploying a drogue and running before the weather that you are not going to run into land before the storm abates.
- W
stranded
Well-Known Member
The storm was accurately forecast, at least in relation to Galicia, from the Sunday before - we were anchored off the Isla Cíes (Ria de Vigo) then and wondering where best to sit it out. I was slightly surprised when I read subsequently that ARC Portugal had set off towards it that weekend.
oldmanofthehills
Well-Known Member
Yes thats the bit that surprised me. We used windguru and xcweather and these consistently showed the storm 3 weeks ago as having coastal winds of f8/f9 ish coming in last friday. It was sufficiently consistent that I messaged my boss that I needed to sit out Friday in port and thus couldnt return to UK by Monday. Maybe a bigger boat was happy to travel in F8/F9 but it was reasonable to expect stronger winds offshore and indeed the UK shipping forecasts on nearer the time indicated severe storm F10.
GHA
Well-Known Member
The monday GFS grib had it hitting further south an a bit less, didn't see if the boat had weather updates underway - though I'd still be very wary even working off that grib!
Grib from the 5th >
stranded
Well-Known Member
It did slightly on ECMWF as well. On Sunday we had more or less decided to stay south as it looked worse in Muros, our intended next stop. Monday looked like it would be no better in Vigo so we headed up to Muros anyway. Tuesday reverted to and remained in line with the Sunday forecast, and was correct to the hour, but Muros was a decent place to be - 50+ knot gusts but sturdy pontoons and dead flat water.
webcraft
Well-Known Member
.
If we had been sitting in the Scillies looking at weather we would have wanted a five day forecast with no more than F6 forecast to consider setting off for La Coruna.
So does anyone know what the GRIBs looked like on the Saturday before (31st May) ??
The main problem with this storm is that it started where it did. Weather that blows into the Western Approaches unannounced is no threat once you are two days into the passage, but weather starting off Finisterre four days after departure on a five day passage is most certainly a problem.
- W
If we had been sitting in the Scillies looking at weather we would have wanted a five day forecast with no more than F6 forecast to consider setting off for La Coruna.
So does anyone know what the GRIBs looked like on the Saturday before (31st May) ??
The main problem with this storm is that it started where it did. Weather that blows into the Western Approaches unannounced is no threat once you are two days into the passage, but weather starting off Finisterre four days after departure on a five day passage is most certainly a problem.
- W
GHA
Well-Known Member
doug748
Well-Known Member
Dunno but I looked at Windy about the 2nd, maybe a bit later (around the time of the post: "AZAB off to a dodgy start") and it clearly showed nasty weather ripping along the N coast of Spain.
I recall thinking "Bloody hell is it always like that".
Roberto
Well-Known Member
There was a forecast of a jet streak passage during the first week of June, jet stream does not tell where and when exactly there will be strong winds, but has a very strong influence in severe weather formation. Its forecast is a lot more stable and accurate than surface features.
In this case gribs can suggest a good short term window for 12-24-36h passage, but I personally would not have left for a several day passage with this kind of charts, it may surely all go well but there is a high risk for bad weather.
