Tsunami - how would you cope?

boatone

boatone

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This video on youtube shows a substantial mobo in difficulties trying to enter Dana Point Harbour in California during the tsunami following the Japan earthquake. Puts our occasional moans and groans about winter conditions on the Thames into perspective !
Tsunami Video

Here's what it did to a couple of bigger ships somewhere in Japan:
_51710182_011541553-1.jpg


So, how would you cope if you were told to get out to sea like NOW to save your boat ?
 
Seems to me he made the best of a dodgy situation without too much panic and only used his power when he finally turned round and into the current.Not sure exactly what sort of tides they get out there but its helps if you are used to what happens in a strong tidal flow and can react accordingly from experience.
Thing that interests me about some of these videos,is that some quite large boats appeared to fastened to pontoons with what appeared to be little better than thin bits of string which parted almost immediately.
Wandering around some Thames marinas suggests we are not immune to this over here.
 
boatone said:
I think "he was lucky enough to get away with it" might be a more pragmatic observation! :D
Click to expand...

The current there was no worse than the entrance of Langstone Harbour and he used it exactly as he should have done. At no time did he fiercely use his engines he only tweaked them as was necessary. The Skipper was obviously a Pro.
 
Should've used his bowthruster!! :D

Seriously, the guy obviously knew what he was doing although if it had been me, I'd have taken the action that he did, but just a bit sooner. I kept wanting to shout 'Turn now'. But then, he was on the spot and things can often look different on a video.
 
Boats don't reverse well, nor do they turn well without a bit of headway, or 'rudder speed'

He barely made it.

Whilst his helming skills passed muster, his anticipation of the surroundings left a bit to be desired IMHO...

You don't need fancy instruments to feel a current like THAT!
 
Don't quite know what he was trying to do?
With that much current i'd just head into it and ferry glide to go where I wanted, there was enough current that he could have maintained steerage way and still gone in the direction of the current if he'd wanted to.
 
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