Utter madness?

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OAF

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Yesterday afternoon in the Solent there were gale force warnings in place, we headed for the hamble in the morning, bit rough but no real issue, in the afternoon it really started blowing, we decided to take a ride to portsmouth, while driving along Lee on Solents front the sea state was indeed rough but we could see amsmall boat out in the distance, we watched with amazement as this power boat was spending more time in the air that the water and when it was in the water it was disappearing in the swell, it was heading towards PM so we carried on as we arrived at Gosport so did the boat, it looked like a 35 footish sunseeker, two people on board, no covers on, the looked a bit wet! Pure madness? Or a calculated risk? Either way I wouldn't have fancied it.
 
A bit mad, imho. We scuttled back from Cowes to Chichester Harbour at 8am - it wasn't too bad then, with a couple of biggish holes, but it steadily increased during the day. I had a quick look from the seafront at lunchtime, and it looked very unpleasant.
 
Sunseeker

im sure a 35ft Sunseeker would have been fine out yesterday. Some of the superhawk style boats love that type of weather.

It was geting a bit lumpy outside teh Solent for sure. We headed back from the Solent to Christchurch late afternoon in a 28ft Rib, some small boats were having fun coming teh other way, easier with teh SW wind that was blowing.

We got a bit wet for sure.

There was a radio call for a missing Wayfarer which was going round the IOW, now that does not sound fun in an open boat in yesterdays weather. I hope they were found ok decided to turn in and pull the boat up a beach.
 
MRC said:
There was a radio call for a missing Wayfarer which was going round the IOW, now that does not sound fun in an open boat in yesterdays weather. I hope they were found ok decided to turn in and pull the boat up a beach.
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If the wayfarer set out to go round the IOW in yesterdays weather then they should be up for a Darwin award ...

Ok - the wayfarer is a great sea boat - but it isn't self draining and even with a reef in it can capsize. I've given 'rides' in a storm sailed teaching wayfarer in a F8 - could cope with the wind - but it was sheltered water and we had a safety boat on standby - not that they got to me when the toestrap broke and I was towed along by my ankle!
 
OAF said:
Yesterday afternoon in the Solent there were gale force warnings in place, we headed for the hamble in the morning, bit rough but no real issue, in the afternoon it really started blowing, we decided to take a ride to portsmouth, while driving along Lee on Solents front the sea state was indeed rough but we could see amsmall boat out in the distance, we watched with amazement as this power boat was spending more time in the air that the water and when it was in the water it was disappearing in the swell, it was heading towards PM so we carried on as we arrived at Gosport so did the boat, it looked like a 35 footish sunseeker, two people on board, no covers on, the looked a bit wet! Pure madness? Or a calculated risk? Either way I wouldn't have fancied it.
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There is a certain journalist who owns a Superhawk 43 that lives around that area, it may well have been him, I will ask him when he gets in but if it was him I would imagine he was loving every minute of it, its a cracking hull that will take that type of sea state with ease.
 
If it was one of the Sunseeker 'hawk' type boats (long narrow very deep V) it would have handled the rough stuff without too much drama. I have a 37' tomahawk and it just loves conditions like those described.
They are built to handle those conditions - thick lay up the stringers/ribs closely spaced together.
 
You can probably guess if they "meant" to do it by gauging their expressions when they come ashore.

Pale, rictus "glad to be alive" expression = probably not

Big ear-to-ear grin, high fives, and "Same thing next time there's an F8?" = hell, yes
 
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