Rogue Wave Video - Best I Have Seen

[Capt Phil]

Thanks for posting that very sobering video, Steady... I spent over 50 years at sea both commercially and pleasure cruising and fortunately never encountered a ‘rogue wave’. But I have heard many stories about them from several colleagues who claim to have experienced them.
I just thank my lucky stars I never had to deal with one!
Phil

[secrabtree]

The bigger the boat the MUCH stronger it needs to be. A smaler boat is harder to sink - though more uncomfortable - as long as it physically does not break. An extreme example - a pingpong ball is almost unsinkable and almost indestructible at sea - barring too much accumulation of marine growth. Think of a closed up small sailboat as an oversize pingpong ball.

[eddiestubbs]

Some recent input on rogue waves, created in a wave tank.

https://gcaptain.com/researchers-rec...form-in-ocean/

[endlesspursuit]

I have seen these in a smaller version. Running from Port Everglades to Government Cut. About a mile off shore in 6-8Ft seas 3 days after a cold front. At cruise with a quartering sea on the stern. Suddenly waves at lease 25 -30 ft high. Turned into them and with 500 HP on the back went over two the same and one slightly smaller without a problem. Then back to the normal 6-8. So warning to all. They can appear anywhere, anytime.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by jimisbell

My wife and I were hit by a "rouge" wave while on DRY land. We were in Mazatlan Mexico walking down the beach on DRY SAND, well above the high tide line. My wife cannot swim and was carrying two bottles of Champagne. Suddenly without warning we were under water and washing out toward the sea. My wife had the presence of mind to hang onto the Champagne, though she lost her glasses, which we celebrated with later. She explained later that letting go of the bottles would not have helped her survive since she couldnt swim anyway so might as well hang on in the off chance that she survived.

I am glad that you and the champagne survived! Perhaps the bottles provided a small yet important amount of flotation? Were these type I or type II flotation bottles?

[Psy at SEA]

Bernard Moitessier writes of the rouge waves he encountered in the high latitudes, formed from two swells converging and the 2nd swell rising to great heights.
Scary water in the higher latitudes.

[Akafred]

Originally Posted by Tailwheel

Great, I’m adding rogue waves to my list of personal nightmares. Thanks

Me too... 😱

[jimisbell]

I may sell.............

[Mr B]

I found crossing the Coral sea when the ocean depth changed, It created rogue waves,
They were about 150 metres long and stood up very high, They would stand up out of the ocean and then drop back again,
I did have two that stood up vertically on my transom that were level with my top spreader, Which is ten metres off my deck, 12 metres of the the waterline,
I was sailing in 4 or 5 metres of waves at the time,
My boat just popped out from under them at the last minute, I do like my Cork,
I was dead if they landed on me, No time to even grab the Epirb and set it off,
I have done ship repair for 40 odd years and I know what 100,000 tons of water does to big ships when it crashes down on them, , It destroys them, Literaly,
My Cat would have been smashed to pieces under that huge wave if it landed on me,

[Sojourner]

Seems to this relatively inexperienced offshore sailor that a few inconclusive conclusions might be made, at least by me to reduce the chances of encountering one:

1) For cruisers, we have ultimate flexibility. Yes yes I know the arguments of needing to sail in bad weather to avoid worse, and yes yes I myself sailed across the gulf of lyon not once but twice in winter, got caught in 3 storms. But those were deliveries. Anycase, with flexibility, a good sense of weather, and maybe professional weather routing, you can avoid the true monsters. I don't believe anyone who says a 15 m rogue popped up on a 2 m swell. 6m rogue? sure. I can deal with that without putting down my coffee.

2) The studies (including the original, excellent, video) clearly show several hotspots for destructive rogues, likely classic heavy wind on massive current situations. So avoid them. The only one that affects most cruisers is rounding Good Hope on a circumnavigation. I bet I can doddle around that cape over a series of days or even weeks if I have flexibility in when I go weatherwise. I'm a cruiser, with my entire life onboard, not a racer or a delivery driver or a commercial vessel... I can wait out the d@mn winter I feel like it. Same with crossing the stream, why not wait for a good shot across? What's the rush?

3) But mostly, they seem like tornadoes or waterspouts or lightning, in that, although there are lots of them, the odds of YOU being struck are still very very small, and if you do, there ain't much you can do. Having a tight, right boat, bolt cutters easily available for a dismasting, and, like a lot of things in life, a stiff drink before you set off, might be all that can be done.

[Mr B]

Keep in mind, Some people dont have weather alerts when they are in the middle of an ocean,
Not every one has a constant weather down load coming in, Or the global internet some have,
You cant wait for a weather window in the middle of an ocean, You wear what ever comes, Good or bad,

[Franziska]

Truly an excellently made video. Love the simple but effective graphics they used.
Someone put a lot of effort into this. Well done!

As to the subject, surely on thing I would never want to encounter in the flesh.

That's one of the things which seem to be without exit strategy.

Wrong location at the wrong moment in time and you are gone.

Hope I never get close to one of these monsters.

[SVQW]

Originally Posted by Steadman Uhlich

Ahoy Sailors!

Sailors Fear Rogue Waves (For very good reason!)

This new (just published yesterday) outstanding short video does an excellent job of explaining the phenomenon known as a “Rogue Wave.” The video has excellent graphics, animation, narration, and comparisons of sizes of waves.

It includes recent information (data on wave height) and very good animations that “put you on the bridge” of a ship about to hit one. As the video shows, recorded wave height of 155 feet is something that has a lot of force and energy.

While I have read many things about Rogue Waves, this is the best presentation I have seen that describes them in such a short video.

I encourage you to watch this and share it with other sailors.

Thanks for the link -this is the most up to date information I have seen. Makes you want to swallow the anchor.

[Franziska]

Don't swallow it, if you go over board it's not going to go down well. :-)

[jsanton]

My understanding was that they arent infinitely long, nor are they particularly fast. I’m under the impression you can watch for one and go around it.
I was hit by a rogue wave from behind once. Running. All of a sudden my bow was straight down. I had to brace myself on the helm to keep from falling into the cabin. I was readying to steer a turn to keep the bow from diving down. Then the wave dropped me back down. Happened too quick for any fear.
Ive also been hit by a tsunami once. They are infinitely long and incredibly fast. No time to react. But there wasnt much energy in it. Felt more like being hit by a sledgehammer.