Thunderstorm Coming

[JPA Cate]

We saw this photo yesterday, and I thought some of you might be interested.

How would you like to see this coming towards you? Assume you have reasonable sea room, and are not on land like the foreground of the picture.

Here is a link to the article illustrated by the photo, with attribution for the photographer: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/20...lists/13017820

Ann

[Franziska]

Wow, in that case I'd guess I take the main down completely, furl the Genoa with few extra turns and have the storm jib ready to go up.

Perhaps even have a drogue ready.

Have the engine in standby.

Not 100% decided if I'd head into it at slow revs or wait and run with it.

If I head into it, have the parachute anchor ready instead of the drogue.

Radar could help to see the size of it and help to decide on the right tactic. We do not have that though.
If it's very big I lean towards heading into it.

If it's smaller try to run away on a beam reach with the storm jib.

Btw. Have a fabulous new year!!! Ann&Jim&Insatiable II
We've got 2.5hrs more of the dreadful 2020.

[boatman61]

Sails down engine on and run to its South.. battening and lashing everything down while the AP steered.. when it hits, nose to wind.

[chris mac]

Drop all sail, acknowledge that I'm the give way vessel and do everything possible to pass behind it[emoji854]

[jmh2002]

I wouldn't take all the sails down, I'm not generally in favour of that, even if by all means you want to prepare the engine to run just in case, the boat will be much more comfortable if you keep some sail up and keep sailing.

So shorten sail, furl away the big headsail (or have it ready to furl away), hoist the storm jib, reef the main or maybe even go for the trysail depending on what conditions are expected.

Having sailed directly towards one of the famed (but forecast) "southerly busters" that came looming over the horizon while heading south towards Sydney (with the spinnaker up in a warm northerly!) we did in fact pull out all the stops, prepared for the drop, hanked on the storm jib, and despite the grumbling from the crew dragged the trysail out from underneath everything else and up on deck too.

Just as well of course, as 50-60kn of wind from the opposite direction came tearing through causing quite some havoc to other boats who didn't prepare so well...

Oh, be ready for a possible big temperature drop too.



Here's some more on the famed southerly busters in NSW.

https://ayachtmoretolife.com/2019/02...erly-blusters/

The big bust—southerly busters explained! - Social Media Blog - Bureau of Meteorology

[El Pinguino]

Probably not a whole lot in it.... and you are already hard aground anyway....
maybe a chance to top your water tanks?
Was a bit of rain in this one... but the dogs were still on their chains after it passed...

Happy New Year!

[Snore]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Sails down engine on and run to its South.. battening and lashing everything down while the AP steered.. when it hits, nose to wind.

Exactly. I would likely add a prayer or six.

That is how we handled that one.


Prayers worked. Waterspout went back up!

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We saw this photo yesterday, and I thought some of you might be interested.

How would you like to see this coming towards you? Assume you have reasonable sea room, and are not on land like the foreground of the picture.

Here is a link to the article illustrated by the photo, with attribution for the photographer: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/20...lists/13017820

Ann

whilst it does look like a nasty thunderstorm, i trust everyone realises that this pic is taken with a fisheye lense - which gives it the bent appearance

we did get hit by something like this when anchored up the maria river at port macquarie. good anchor, well dug in...but boat went backwards faster than you could believe. kayak tied on the bow was flapping like a flag. for 15mins it was worse than cyclones i've been through. swear it was over 80kts (well over). passed very quickly and 5 mins later sun is out and flat calm with only trees down everywhere to show what had happened.

at sea i'd be getting all sail in and wait for it to pass which will likely be quick enough that the sea does not get up too much

as an aside, while loitering in northern nsw this covid season, we say numerous thunderstorms like this...massive lightning display (truly frightening) and often heavy rain, but only very rarely was there any serious wind...weird.

cheers,

[Mirage35]

I was thinking in the forward berth with my head under a pillow, but the more experienced folks probably have better suggestions.

Happy new year, everyone, fair winds and no storms like that!

[rslifkin]

I certainly wouldn't be happy. If it's not moving too fast, I'd tuck tail, push the throttles forward and head away from it with the goal of getting in somewhere protected before I get hit. If that's not an option or it's moving fast, either try to dodge it or run through it to minimize time in the storm, depending on size and indication of sea state.

Last time I saw a good wall of clouds like that, I was happily at the dock. Got hit with rain hard enough that I couldn't hear the phone call I was on in the cabin and enough wind to make the rain sideways. One side of the piling at the end of the dock was still dry when it passed. The 2 pictures below were taken seconds apart, just in different directions out the windshields.

[Cheechako]

Wow! I love the sky:

[Chenega]

I love watching weather... Martha’s Vineyard

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We saw this photo yesterday, and I thought some of you might be interested.

How would you like to see this coming towards you? Assume you have reasonable sea room, and are not on land like the foreground of the picture.

Here is a link to the article illustrated by the photo, with attribution for the photographer: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/20...lists/13017820

Ann

I experienced such a thunderstorm within the confines of Darwin harbour once - right at the height of the wet season. The wind wasn't too bad, maybe 40+ kts for short time - don't remember how long but perhaps 10 to 20 minutes. It wasn't a problem and there wasn't any significant sea state.

What I do vividly remember is the rain and the lightning. The rain was truely torrential and it reduced the visitability to maybe 3 or 4 boat lengths. I lived for years in the tropics but this rain was much heavier than anything I had experienced previously (or since). I chanced upon the fairway buoy and just circled it (under power) until the rain eased This was in the pre-GPS era. It seemed like for hours but was closer to 30 to 40 minutes in reality.

However the lightning was the frightening aspect. I was ready to kiss my bottom goodbye. Dozens and dozens of strikes hitting the water all around, some within 20 or 30 metres. The noise and arcs was both awe inspiring and terrifying. I could not think of anyway to mitigate the danger of being struck and just had to sit it out and hope for the best.

My only advice if I saw another thunderstorm as dark as this is to head away at right angles at best possible speed.

[Fore and Aft]

Ann we got caught in one of those in Tin Can bay Queensland. Luckily we were on a mooring rated for a 50 footer. We were heeling pretty hard in the gusts and in the end I started the engine in case the mooring broke. 20 minutes, one small heart attack and it was all over. Not an experience we would like to have again.
Cheers

[darylat8750]

Interesting that the gust front is very noticeable coming out the front but almost none out the sides. Perhaps because of the camera lens used.
I would take in all sail and if in the northern hemisphere, do my best to avoid the area trailing off SW quadrant of the storm where tornados are the most likely to form. I would rather have it pass directly over me than have it just miss me to the north.