Surviving a monster storm

[bcboomer]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Technologically advanced designs are overrated. Lots of people used to drive around in cars without dying.

Love it. My 57 TR3A was below the mean but my 65 E-Type had turned the corner.

[hafa]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Technologically advanced designs are overrated. Lots of people used to drive around in cars without dying.

I always enjoy pointing people to

this video.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

They show that getting into a sheltered spot can make such a difference that you can even leave the dinghy on davits and sails and bimini in place.

And that's exactly the wrong message to send. Dinghies do not remain in davits in 158 kt winds, ditto sails, bimini - they got lucky. Any other message to take from this is quite irresponsible - I'm quite certain the lovely couple on board would not wish such a misleading interpretation to be placed on this video.

[JPA Cate]

Sorry I'm late getting to this discussion. About Bacchus' question about wind strength, and mangrove protection, some of our friends who went up a mangrove creek in Fiji one year, to whom we were talking on the ham radio, reported 55 kn. at the masthead, and 0 on deck. So, I agree positioning the boat is critical...and the protection offered by mangroves can be spectacular.

Of course, one should remove all sails, canvas, etc.

People who are still using CQR's have for the most part "grown up with them". Been using it for years, and IN THEIR USAGE, have found them satisfactory. The may well have read that other anchors perform better, but till that moment when they feel dissatisfaction with it, they have no good reason to change. To me, persisting in using the CQR speaks not of stupidity, nor of excessive cheapness, but of years of satisfaction.

Interestingly, people write about the roll bars impeding going deep. However, there's one place where we have not so far dragged, where our Manson Supreme has come up out of the bottom, very slowly, and with mud on top the roll bar. One can only assume it was really buried. You wouldn't want it to go to China, after all.

[Budawang]

I find the criticism of the SV Sarean crew a bit strange. Sure, they should have removed their sails and dinghy but at the end of the day their yacht was in the best possible location. Neither their vessel nor their lives were ever in serious peril. They may have lost their dinghy or shredded a sail. Big deal. Compared to all those owners with yachts on moorings or even in marinas, they handled the situation much better. Good on them I say.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by Budawang

...These brave people show just how important good preparation and mangroves are to surviving such a storm.

No issue with this lovely couple, but the OP presenting this video as an example of 'good preparation' - that's just plain silly. Mangroves yes; good prep, that's bulldust and you know it.

[Budawang]

Originally Posted by NevisDog

No issue with this lovely couple, but the OP presenting this video as an example of 'good preparation' - that's just plain silly. Mangroves yes; good prep, that's bulldust and you know it.

Well, perhaps I should have said "better preparation than 95% of the other boat owners". It looks like they underestimated the intensity of the cyclone so, sure, they weren't perfect. I recall it was forecast to make landfall much further north than it did.

[DumnMad]

Nonsense to think pulling off gear defines good preparation.
Making sure your boat doesn't break free with lines chafed through, or anchor drag. or other boats and gear come down on you is good preparation.
They got it right and the evidence is plain to see.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

Making sure your boat doesn't break free with lines chafed through, or anchor drag... is good preparation.

Uhu... and preventing anchor drag in a cyclone involves removing everything above deck level bar the mast.

I was extremely lucky once to survive 112 kts, with three anchors out and lines ashore. With no mangroves for protection, nothing above deck would have remained, not even me; house roofs and caravans simply explode and disappear. We're talking 158 kts forecast, not just the 58 kts the couple spoke of experiencing at the mast top. Please don't mislead people into believing these preparations were adequate for the forecast wind speed. They were not.

[Rorzech]

That mangrove creek was the place to be. The wind just went over top of them because they were so close to the trees. If they were in the open it would have been a different story. They made the right decision at the right time. I learned a lot from there experience.

[Budawang]

Originally Posted by Rorzech

That mangrove creek was the place to be. The wind just went over top of them because they were so close to the trees. If they were in the open it would have been a different story. They made the right decision at the right time. I learned a lot from there experience.

I agree, it is an educational video. I'm sure they'd be the first to agree they could have done things a bit differently, but they have done all of us a service by documenting their experience.

[NevisDog]

The concern with this 'educational video' is that less knowledgable sailors may interpret it as surviving a cyclone (a bit of horizontal rain outside the covers, some wind, a few lightning flashes - no worries boys), when in fact (through good judgement and some prodding from their home port) they avoided a cyclone.

So, a nice video of how best to avoid a cyclone.

[softdown]

Originally Posted by hafa

I always enjoy pointing people to

They didn't even use the seat belt on the older car. Could they get more biased? Less scientific?

[Delancey]

Great car videos, my point about old vs new technology exactly. Thanks for sharing. Should be like an umm duh thing in my opinion but some people like their old stuff they've always used and don't like change and they are certainly entitled to their opinions, so happy sailing!

Meanwhile back to the topic at hand, I present this video as an alternative to the one in the OP.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f4PdWV9T1jI

While not great, as far as presenting the whole package of storm preparation goes, it is at least is more informative.

Instead of just saying there was a storm coming so we went and hid in some mangroves, it actually shows you some useful stuff like how to tie off to the mangroves to create your "spiderweb" with multiple small lines connecting bigger lines connecting to the boat. It also provides some graphics regarding the changing wind direction associated with cyclonic storms which might be helpful to some.

Of course, the storm was just a little TS and not a "monster" storm, but more worth watching in my opinion. Enjoy!

[Budawang]

Originally Posted by Delancey

Great car videos, my point about old vs new technology exactly. Thanks for sharing. Should be like an umm duh thing in my opinion but some people like their old stuff they've always used and don't like change and they are certainly entitled to their opinions, so happy sailing!

Meanwhile back to the topic at hand, I present this video as an alternative to the one in the OP.

While not great, as far as presenting the whole package of storm preparation goes, it is at least is more informative.

Instead of just saying there was a storm coming so we went and hid in some mangroves, it actually shows you some useful stuff like how to tie off to the mangroves to create your "spiderweb" with multiple small lines connecting bigger lines connecting to the boat. It also provides some graphics regarding the changing wind direction associated with cyclonic storms which might be helpful to some.

Of course, the storm was just a little TS and not a "monster" storm, but more worth watching in my opinion. Enjoy!

Interesting video and thanks for sharing.

The Sarean crew did show themselves tying up to the mangroves in their previous video. I must say when I saw their dinghy rocking violently back and forth and their yacht heeling over in the gusts I immediately thought it would have been better if they'd cleared their decks. In that sense it was educational. I often learn more from my mistakes and those of others than anything else.