vliho storm

VO5 said:
It is interesting you mentioned "temperature variations were marked".
In a previous post on this thread I posed the question because in my experience these temperature fluctuations are the harbrigers of sudden ferocious gusts.

I suddenly decided on instinct to go bare poles immediately.

Less than ten minutes later the barometer plumetted 6 millibars in one go. And the wind built suddenly bringing torrential rain, thunder and lighning overhead. The wind became ferocious but the curious thing is that its direction fluctuated wildly, backing then veering alternatively.
This lasted 20 minutes or so, and then the wind resumed from the south F5.
We resumed our course and set sail without further incident for the next 4 days.
I think we went through the very centre of a rapidly advancing and very deep and tight low, scary.
Click to expand...

We had EXACTLY the same experience about 10 minutes out of Benitses when we had two knockdowns on bare poles. Just before it hit, the temperature fell and to quote my missus 'it was like walking into a fridge'.
Not an experience we would like to repeat...

My boy is out there at the moment and came through safely. We have many friends with boats over there. We feel for all who have suffered.
 
Cat capsize

Just got some network for the first time in a week.....

Our Greek friends tell us that the local news report stated that the sail on the cat got loose which is what caused the capsize in "98 mph winds".

The reports vary on the grapevine, but so far it seems that there is one confirmed dead - crushed between boats - and two people still missing.

We were in nearby Sivota where it was no more than boisterous, though Vliho had been the second choice had I not been able to get on the south quay in Sivota.

There is no room in this tragedy for stupid remarks about the relative benefits of hull design. Everyone here is still stunned.
 
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At this time, we were on the sea, with 2 boats, sailing from Frikes(Itaka) to Sivota(Lefkas), and we were approaching Sivota bay at 18:30. The wind was hitting to 45 knots, we were sailing downwind. We had an accident earlier this day, the big piece of cloth (for picking olives from olive trees) stuck in our propeller just on exit from Frikes. The other boat towed us in next sheltered-bay. The underwater fixing was going very slowly and we were not sure if we can make it. We contacted owner and he advised us to sail to Vliho bay. Fortunately, we spent some more time, we managed to make propeller free and instead of Vliho we sailed to Sivota. Hard time, but much better than disaster in Vliho.
The night before, at 03:20, we had also a sudden and violent struck of wind in Frikes, I would say about 50-60 knots with heavy rain. It lasted about 15-20 minutes and then it was calm again. The anchor was holding good.

This is the picture from our sailing, made 17 minutes before disaster in Vliho, something like 7 miles south from it.
 
gnatsis said:
I understand monohulls having their toe rail in the water during such a blow, but cats capsizing is at least frightening and deserving further investigation me thinks.
And it worries me the silence of cat owners re the incident.
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VO5 said:
Yes, the silence is deafening is it not ?
I am not surprised because cats offer the luxury of extra space and the resulting luxuries and comforts that accompany having that extra space.
This is of particular significance to oliveaboards.
But here is one example in which a cat can be overwhelmed in a way we could not imagine and I agreee it needs further investigation.
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gnatsis- no further investigation needed . we (cat owners) know what caused the capsize, the wind will get under the bows of a cat at anchor and lift upward if the wind is strong or blows long enough then the cat WILL be flipped on to its back (where it will stay unlike a mono).

VO5- If you live on a cat and you don't do due diligence about the down sides of living in the tropics or the Med throughout the year then you could not imagine what could happen, if you live on a mono you would accept that if the weather gets bad enough your boat will roll over and expect it to right itself. In a cat that luxury is not an option so I anchor for bad weather in a very different fashion to regular anchoring with at least 3 anchors off the bows and 2 off the sterns but that assumes an hour or 2s notice.

Looks to me curleysues friend got it right that was a classic Caribbean microburst, lowering temps , huge wind shifts with no calm in between and no warning from local meteorologists.

A lot of damaged masts in the video and many boats on the shore line, what a disaster for all involved but especially those who lost loved ones.

Mark
 
Wouldn't we all want one of these...?

dcubrakovic said:
At this time, we were on the sea, with 2 boats, sailing from Frikes(Itaka) to Sivota(Lefkas), and we were approaching Sivota bay at 18:30. The wind was hitting to 45 knots, we were sailing downwind. We had an accident earlier this day, the big piece of cloth (for picking olives from olive trees) stuck in our propeller just on exit from Frikes. The other boat towed us in next sheltered-bay. The underwater fixing was going very slowly and we were not sure if we can make it. We contacted owner and he advised us to sail to Vliho bay. Fortunately, we spent some more time, we managed to make propeller free and instead of Vliho we sailed to Sivota. Hard time, but much better than disaster in Vliho.
The night before, at 03:20, we had also a sudden and violent struck of wind in Frikes, I would say about 50-60 knots with heavy rain. It lasted about 15-20 minutes and then it was calm again. The anchor was holding good.

This is the picture from our sailing, made 17 minutes before disaster in Vliho, something like 7 miles south from it.
Click to expand...

Cracking Photo........
 
dcubrakovic said:
At this time, we were on the sea, with 2 boats, sailing from Frikes(Itaka) to Sivota(Lefkas), and we were approaching Sivota bay at 18:30. The wind was hitting to 45 knots, we were sailing downwind. We had an accident earlier this day, the big piece of cloth (for picking olives from olive trees) stuck in our propeller just on exit from Frikes. The other boat towed us in next sheltered-bay. The underwater fixing was going very slowly and we were not sure if we can make it. We contacted owner and he advised us to sail to Vliho bay. Fortunately, we spent some more time, we managed to make propeller free and instead of Vliho we sailed to Sivota. Hard time, but much better than disaster in Vliho.
The night before, at 03:20, we had also a sudden and violent struck of wind in Frikes, I would say about 50-60 knots with heavy rain. It lasted about 15-20 minutes and then it was calm again. The anchor was holding good.

This is the picture from our sailing, made 17 minutes before disaster in Vliho, something like 7 miles south from it.
Click to expand...

Great story & great picture guys, but have you considered wearing lifejackets and harnesses? I too am guilty of being too relaxed about this in the warm and usually tranquil waters in which we live, but we should never allow ourselves to get TOO relaxed!

Happy sailing......
 
I've anchored in Vlyho numerous times over the summer and was there a few weeks ago, just my daughter and myself. I was back in the UK when this storm blew through and was stunned by the devastation it caused, 'there for the grace of god' comes to mind. My heart goes out to the people and friends of Lefkas. We'll be back next week so will offer our services.
 
Vliho looks like a hurricane hole but I did spend a bad winter storm there a few years ago and the gusts coming down from the hills was phenomenal. I'm not going back there if there is any threat of bad weather.
 
blueglass said:
strewth -that sounds like a complete nightmare. If you have the time or incilnation and I don't blame you if you don't, a detailed accouint would be of interest to many of us. Do you have any info in the rumoured 4 killed, numbers of boats beached/sunk, wrecked in the boatyard etc.
The video on the other thread shows one body on the beach. I can't believe it is the same place we have sheltered safely from high winds so many times.
Very glad to hear you made it OK.
Click to expand...

We are the owners of the Prout Snowgoose Elite catamaran "Sanyassa" which capsized in Vliho bay, Levkas on 20th. September 2011. First some background. We were 15 yrs. into a circumnavigation and had logged over 54,000 nm. During that time we have, as you would expect, experienced many storms both at sea and at anchor. I can categorically state that no level of seamanship could have prevented this capsizing. First point the forecast was for a maximum 9kts. although thunderstorms were expected. Second Ormos Vliho is recognised as one of the safest anchorages in Greece and is the place that many yachts go to when strong winds are forecast. WE were anchored, lying to a 25Kg Rocna anchor in 5M 100M east of the Sail Ionian Dock.

We were down below having our early evening G & T,s at around 6.30pm. The wind was light from the SE. It was quite cool. Suddenly I became aware that the wind generator was extremely noisy. I went immediately into the cockpit and started the engine and put it in gear, my wife switched on the instruments and noted a wind strength of 75kts. Our awning blew away and at that moment we were thrown onto our port hull to an angle of around 70 degrees, we started to come back upright when an increased in the intensity of the wind flipped us over. My wife who was just emerging from the saloon door was swept back down below and down the steps into the navigation area. (She suffered a cracked pelvis). I was flung across the cockpit and became submerged I managed to swim out and surfaced alongside the port hull. The waves which were about 2 ft. apart were washing over my head. Within less than a minute they had subsided and I was able to swim round to the stern and climb onto the upturned hull. My wife was trapped down below where she found an air pocket (she is a non-swimmer). It was less than 1 minute between being in our saloon having our sundowners and us capsizing. By 7.30pm we were in Vliho Yacht Club talking to the Port Police.

One person was killed trying to fend off another yacht and was trapped between the hulls. 10 yachts recorded wind speeds of 100kts. at the height of the storm.

Ruari Bradley from Vliho Yacht Club arrived within 10 minutes, and heroically dived down and managed to pull my wife out. Pictures and videos have been posted on the Vliho Yacht club facebook page.

The question is would I still choose a Prout Snowgoose again if I was contemplating a circumnavigation. Yes I would.

I have been very disappointed and frankly disgusted with some of the postings on this forum. I have only just found the time to read them. Perhaps the above will stop all the uninformed speculation regarding this unfortunate event.
 
One of the lucky ones

Shooting Star
Date 20-09-2011
Location Vliho Bay, Lefkas 38.41.11N 020.42.15E
At anchor 6.5 mtrs depth with 40 mtrs chain and snubber fitted
PM Spent the day drying out after the rain and thunderstorms of the previous night
18-00 hrs Started engine to charge batteries and went below as it had started to rain
18-30hrs Approx a vicious squall blew through Vliho Bay from a Southerly direction. The boat was being blown about and shearing from side to side round the anchor chain with the very high winds, driving rain and the sea being blown into waves 3-4 ft high which are then being blown as spray across the bay. The wind are so bad that our bimini was blown out and shredded in seconds ( the centre section disappeared overboard), the boat is being blown over on its beam ends and the side decks are in the water and waves are broaching the cockpit coaming. Any loose gear is flung all over the place and most of it ends on the floor.
After about 30 minutes of this the winds abated enough to venture on deck to find we had dragged about 200 yards northwards from our original position and the catamaran (Ajuna, South Shields) which had been anchored ahead of us was now just off our starboard bow. As I fended off Ajuna another unmanned boat (Mirana, Auggen) which had broken its moorings was drifting down on us just as the wind picked up again. Mirana collided with our pulpit and port bow then turned with the wind and stared to pass down our starboard side, her anchor was hanging free over her port bow and started to rake along our starboard side damaging the hull and toerail in several place despite our attempts at squeezing fenders in where we could, she eventually drifted far enough astern to be clear and no further risk to us.
At this time our anchor appeared to be fouled probably with the catamarans ground tackle, we recovered all but 10metres but could not break the anchor out. Despite repeated efforts and tripping the winch breaker twice we could not get clear and the skipper of Ajuna seemed unwilling or able to do anything about recovering his anchor. Eventually as a final effort with the chain tight I drove forward and the anchor came free and was recovered on board
We motored round the bay to check out the engine and as we surveyed the carnage left in the wake of the short lived storm it was horrendous, boats were dismasted , sails blown out, boats driven ashore, all the boats in the yard ashore appeared to have been blown off their cradles and a catamaran had capsized.
Motored to a spot which looked clear of debris and sheltered ( 38.41.02N 020.42.24E) and re-anchored.
Location – Preveza Marina 22-09-2011
On arrival at Preveza Marina to prepare for lifting out for winter storage at Aktio Marine we discovered that we could not lower the Genoa despite repeated efforts.
It appears that the problem is at the mast as the sail will not drop when the halyard is released, even with additional purchase applied to the downhaul.


Damage list

Roller reefing Genoa – unable to lower
Pulpit stainless steel framework buckled
Damage to gelcoat port bow
Damage to gelcoat in various place along starboard side
Damage to hull underwater discovered on lift out in the area of the bow and port side
Bimini damaged beyond repair
Spray dodgers severely damaged
Dinghy seat was pulled from its webbing bracket strap, the straps were ripped and torn. The dinghy had been inflated and secured on the fore deck prior to the incident
 
Actualluy we felt as if we had got off lightly when we saw what had occured around us and everybody we spoke to only wanted to know that everybody was safe, one couple paddled past us in a dinghy and we asked if they were OK, their reply was brilliant " we will be OK when we find our boat", but they were not in the least agitated, unlike me?
 
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