Whats the worst weather you have sailed in?

[StellaGirl]

I am full of questions tonight, sorry - boredom kicking in. So what are the worst sea state you have sailed in or the highest wind speeds? Mt first passage across the channel to Guernsey started off in no wind and fog and ended up in the Alderney Race in 45 knots with a rather confused sea. Am sure there are much more impressive stories out there so do tell.....!

<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[tcm]

Well, I was in the caribbean once and the sea was quite wavy and i think it might have been a force 23-24. I might be lying about this, but it's best to start high and get negotiate back down, i think.

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[AndCur]

The worst must be the time we came across from Portpatrick to Groomsport
the forecast when we left was for 6 but a gale warning was issued shortly after for 8 poss. 9 but as we were at sea we knew nothing about this as we were taking a hammering at the time.It was funny to hear the relief in the CG voice when we closed our PR which was not surprise as those were not ideal conditions for a 24ft boat. Later we found out that a Regatta had been cancelled as it was to windy.

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[AndCur]

Off course there was the time a bottle of Stella fell overboard on a force 1 that was a scary day!!!!

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[Clive_Rigden]

Alderney to Guernsey; blew up to force 10, gusting 11-12. Scary! (foolhardy?) Had to tie scarf round my cap . . .

<hr width=100% size=1>Khyber

 

[SteveB_Sigma33]

Not really bad weather but dangerous sea conditions.

A few weeks back I came through the Needles with wind against tide (on Springs SW F6)whilst returning from Poole. Just two of us on board a Sigma 33. Man those waves were steep, confused and most of all big!

Surfing down a wave doing 14kn in a 8 tonnes of boat trying to bleed speed off to stop hitting the wave in front is a rush!

But ask me whether I'd do it again!!!!



<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by SteveB_Sigma33 on 14/09/2004 23:41 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[StellaGirl]

Would you do it again!!!?

<hr width=100% size=1>Its 11.59am - lets open the beers...

 

[Clive_Rigden]

Would he !!!
No offence but make mine a Ringwood and not a Stella please . . .

<hr width=100% size=1>Khyber

 

[jimi]

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=ym&Number=433082&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post433082>Cherbourg to the Solent .. not a breath of wind, had to motor the entire way.</A>

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[jeffro]

still getting ov my trip from Bologne to Folkestone big spring tide left france with 10 knots forecast with everything up and was hit mid channel by 40 knots wind over tide cockpit was filled twice seemed forever to drain ships everywhere to much weather helm scared me to death .Going back this weekend!where are my pills.

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[Guest]

The problem is that pretty much every sailor has a tendency to exaggerate, sometimes grossly, wind speeds. So figures become devalued and meaningless. For a start, most people tend to quote the fastest speed they see on their anemometers, rather than the average speed. Even if one is really trying hard to be objective, it's hard to judge average speed.

For example, I remember a very windy Saturday indeed on the Solent a few years ago. The wind was strong enough that, of the 6 other boats that had gone out, three had orange storm jibs up. The other boats that were attempting to tack upwind were heeling hard and crabbing sideways, barely able to make any way at all against the wind. We were in a Contessa )) so we were the exception, going like an arrow closehauled with a No.4 genoa, really great fun!

A week later I met someone from one of the other boats that we had passed. He told me (not knowing that we had also been out the same day), that he had been out in a F9-10 that day. The truth was that the average windspeed was hovering between 28 and 32 knots, with gusts up to about 36, maybe 38, knots. And being in the relatively sheltered Solent waters meant that the waves were not too bad at all.

Much, much worse than this was trying to beat to Helgoland against a NW-erly F6 on a black and squally night.

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[A_7]

Shouldn't you have been in the North Channel?

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[pcb]

This years leg 1 in the Triangle Race. The story is in this months PBO. To precis: 48 hours, 3 knock downs, 60 knots plus. I still have the odd bad dream about it.

Paul

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[Peppermint]

Re: I\'m with you

The days when the Solent is a millpond with no pressure in the sails and huge seas from the MoBo's. Rock & Roll and slam. Absolute C**p

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[Twister_Ken]

8 tonnes?

Must be either
a) the world's heaviest Sigma 33
b) converted to carry cargo.



<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[Jeremy_W]

The three strongest winds I've been in have had very different sea states. The size of yacht also affects your perception:-

1) F11 - Western end of the English Channel. Beating under staysail alone in an ex-Whitbread Maxi which leaked not inconsiderably. Lots of wind and nasty sea.

2) F10 off Amble, Northumberland. A strong offshore wind completely flattened the sea as we stormed along on a screaming reach in an Albin Cirrus.

3) F9 SW Helford - Dartmouth in a Seacracker 33. The wind hadn't been blowing long so the waves weren't particualrly large.

All these wind strengths are Coastguard measurements.

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[david42]

This Sunday coming back from Eastbourne after our aborted trip to France, we were beating into a strong SW'ly with wind over tide. The anemometer on Take Five wasn't working but I checked with Brighton marina afterwards and they said the winds were gusting up to 38 knot. The seas seemed pretty big and filled the cockpit a few times.

By the way the fluxgate unit for the steering compass broke loose and was swinging around on it's mountings. I found that the best way to hold it still was to wedge it in place with bananas, they were the perfect shape to fit around the fluxgate.

Has anyone else tried using fruit to reduce/control their deviation?

David

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[Robin]

Which is why us Poolites use the North Channel way in to Hurst!

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[Cobra]

<QUOTE>Has anyone else tried using fruit to reduce/control their deviation?</QUOTE>

Now you are just trying to lower the tone of the discussion aren't you?? Surprising thing is that Jimi has not taken the bait yet!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[tcm]

fixing the boat with food

not fruit, but i did fix a problem with a charter boat that was overheating engine, found it needed two o-rings on primary inspection chamber but only had one, so used strips of cheese. It worked fine, motored all the way back acros channel

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