Two Ladies plays at submarines

[BarryH]

Took a chance and went to the boat on friday. Weather forecasts I was getting didn't look too bad. So with a full compliment of crew we set off out of Poole sat morning. Plan was see what would happen. If the weather was too blowy we could always potter round the harbour, but if it looked ok when we nosed out of the Haven then we'd play the wind and tide.
Pottering thru the harbour there was plenty of hobie cats taking advantage of the breeze. With carte blanche, navigating around them and trying to pre empt their intentions was interesting to say the least!
Once out of the harbour the conditions weren't too bad. Bit choppier than normal but nothing to worry about. After a day whizzing around to christchurch and a run down to swanage we decided to return "home". Coming upto the beacons that mark the training bank we took a nose dive into a massive wave that seemed to come from nowhere. The nose stuck in and didn't want to rise. We ended up going "through" it with a good portion of it ending up in the boat. With the cockpit awash with 5 inches of water. water pooring into the cabin and steam billowing from the engine vents it took me a split second to realise that we were in a serious situation. With water finding it way into the engine compartment there was a real danger of the engine dying. "all hands to the pumps" was the order of the day.
Both electric bilge pumps working, the wife on the manual and the kids with buckets had the level dropping at a steady rate.
Within 15 mins of hectic action we had the thing under control. I would like to give praise to, i hate to say it, Volvo for their proofing of electrics. Opening the engine cover showed just where the water had got to. The starter needs coming out, the alternator survived, just, and the dizzy kept the engine running while taking swimming lessons. Think the batteries might need replacing too!

Where the wave came from I have no idea. No big boats kicking up a big wash. No seacats about, nothing. Just a big freak wave. Not experienced it before, don't want to again. Funny thing is the last thing on my mind was getting on the radio and calling for help. More a case of "ok this has happened what do we need to do now!". Wife was a bit peeved at me for being "too damn calm for my own good" or words to that effect. Kids were usual kids "do it again dad, that was awsome". Kids who'd have'em.......wife why have I got one!........Me I was quietly crapping myself!!!

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[hlb]

Must admit, I like my engines down under the floor in my lounge where it would have to get seriously bad, before water got in there. Have many times had waves over the top, it's the big advantage with the fly bridge. They dont get in!!! Diesels help as well. Anyway glad to see no real harm done, and your still with us.../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> Flags Solly MFBR</font color=red>
Haydn

 

[Althorne]

Glad you're all ok Barry. Tends to bring to back down to earth with a bump doesn't it! Kids will have something to talk about at school tomorrow.
40 years later I still remember the first I fell overboard - in a river thankfully.

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[powerskipper]

Well done, A Hero made! Glad all safe. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
p.s. tell me do you always Carry buckets on boat as I can never find one when I need one and thats normally for washing the car .

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/>http://powerskipper.mysite.freeserve.com/</A>
Julie

 

[kindredspirit]

Met a "freak" wave ourselves a couple of years ago. Came over the top of the flybridge. Never, ever, again, want to see another one.

Glad everyone's OK.



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<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.begleys.com/weather.htm>Useful links for Irish waters.</A>

 

[BarryH]

What else do you make a sandcastle with??. Always a 2gal bucket in the engine compartment. Its what I use for a bog. We all heven't got big boats!

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[Geoffs]

Blimee Barry, that was a rough 'en. Glad you're Ok, bet it wasn't much fun at the time.

You can get some funny ones in the Swash, I know I've had a few come over the top as well. You really can get some funny seas, when there's a wind over a springy ebb, seem to get variable wave lengths, and when it's just right, or wrong, for a 20 footer, the nose will bury itself.

I chickened out today, but it was still better than Saturday. Hope you've dried out.

<hr width=100% size=1>Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Funnily enough I have done a couple of "greenies" with my old bowrider - not nice!!

As the old saying goes..."It ain't the big green wall of water in front of you thats the problem - its the bloody great hole behind it".

Glad you're all OK.

Cheers
Dave

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>

 

[BarryH]

Been up the swash with a wind over spring loads of times and know what your talking about, but this wave must have been 2 mtrs easy. Not so much a wall more a mountain from where I was. Pants are drying nicely thanx.

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[BrendanS]

I've taken more than a few green ones on board, and gotten pretty drenched - but usually have dry suit on when expecting conditions that cause such events (or shorts, if it's out one day of UK summer per year) and most club members believe I'm not happy until the carpet is under water, but never taken on so much it's taken 15 minutes to clear out. That must have been a monster of a dousing! Glad it turned out OK

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[oldgit]

Ooooh S...t.

that little event will be back to haunt you sooner or later during a cannot get to sleep moment some long dark dark night./forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Nastro Azzurro.Hoegaarden.Chang.Tiger.

 

[BarryH]

Re: Ooooh S...t.

Post traumatic stress disorder.......nah! not a chance I've been married 13 years! If I can sleep soundly thru that I can survive a near death experience.

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[[2068]]

Sounds nasty, especially the bit about it coming from nowhere. The only time I took green water over the screen was entirely predictable and my own fault when I went too close behind a tug doing about 18 knots. Little did I know it had twin 5500hp diesels and a wake (hole) about the size of a pedestrian underpass.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the hatch to the cabin had been closed, and I still have nightmares about it...

dv.

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[BarryH]

Concern'd me enough to get the ol' sphincter twitching. All hail to Mr Builtin Bouancy tanks. Putting bigger capacity pumps in this week!

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[Geoffs]

Gawd yeh, I've met those. First time I met one of the tugs from Fawley going up Soton Water, thought it's only the wash from another boat! Wwet stuff right over the top.

18/20 knots dispacement from a not very long hull, mini Tsunami.

<hr width=100% size=1>Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'

 

[Nauti Fox]

Had the same thing on me trusty Bayliner a couple of years ago off Reculver.Stopped it dead,opened up the engine bay and the starter motor was under water,dropped the anchor which held(thank god) and got rid of all the water and sprayed everything with copious amounts of WD, started third turn of the key.
Thank you Mercruiser!
Ps nothing needed replacing afterwards,exept underware.

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.

 

[Kevin]

Glad everything came out ok for you, I was out in poole at the weekend decided to take my 15 foot ocr out and what fun it was we pelted along at 55mph as we left the harbour and decided to have some fun jumping the waves as we followed the coast around past Swanage. Great time except that the bilge pumps decided to stop working and we were filling up with water at a fair rate of knots at times as the water occasionally made its way into the boat, not too much but ona small boat you dont need much! A bit of a worry and took some pumping to get rid of it all, even in this small thing, was getting concerned in case we couldnt bale it out as quick as it was coming in. Wasnt that many out other than some yachts.

But the waves made for a really exciting day.

Kevin

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[Captain Coochie]

Eeeeeeek ill stick to the Thames i think ! Glad everyone is ok Barry . I put it down to a good Skipper myself .

<hr width=100% size=1>No thankyou , i don't drink .

 

[Ifraser]

As a professional who operates in Poole Harbour I have come across this several times quite often resulting in sinking....When travelling with the sea and faced with the crest of a large wave the natural reaction is to take off the power, which is the worst thing you can do as it allows the nose to drop and it dives into the back of the next wave. Keep the power on or even throttle up and the boat will keep her bow higher and ride up the next wave rather than dig in. If the wave is too big then you have a problem whatever you do.... I suspect the wave may have been caused by the ebb tide colliding with the Southwesterly wind?

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[BrendanS]

As has been posted many times, 45 deg zig zags far more effective if you want to avoid nose stuffing in rough stuff. However, Barry pointed out that this was a singular wave, not regular stuff.

Powering into waves is something that is done with caution. Most take power off at reaching near crest, and power on when going up the next wave. If I'm reading your post correctly, you are talking about gradually sloping waves, not the horrid steep stuff you get onshore, where keeping the bow up with speed is not really an option? Many boats don't ride bow up at speed, they sit pretty level.

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni