big wave, little boat

[Pierre Gremaud]

Not specifically Cape Dory related but... have you guys seen this sequence of pics?

A Santana 22 is having a rough time under the Golden Gate bridge

http://www.sfsurvey.com/photos/sailH/im ... image1.htm

They would have been better off with a surf board.


Pierre

CD 25 #146

[CD Jason]

even is bottom paint is expensive...you just never know when someone will get a peak at your keel.

[joeb]

1. Is this a Tsunami?
2. if you see a wave coming from behind as in this situation
do you sail across the wave like a surfer does?What is the best course of action?
3. Out on the ocean do sea achors prevent this situation?
4. Is this what they call pitchpoling?
5. If he was wearing a lifeline would that have prevented him from going overboard?
thanks,

[Mike Wainfeld]

Here's the story-good thing the surfers were there. What a scary sequence of shots! http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/ ... hor1085433

[neil]

1. Is this a Tsunami?
Nope, just waves.

2. if you see a wave coming from behind as in this situation
do you sail across the wave like a surfer does?What is the best course of action?
That depends a lot on the boat, in this case they should not have been where they were, the boat was spun about 90 degrees and rolled, if they had managed to sail (surf) it they might have made it, and a full keel might have helped some.

3. Out on the ocean do sea achors prevent this situation?
Yep!

4. Is this what they call pitchpoling?
Almost, pitchpolling in like a sommersault, these guys got rolled.
I think they would have needed a somewhat bigger wave to pitchpole.

5. If he was wearing a lifeline would that have prevented him from going overboard?
Yes, depending on the length of the line.

Cheers!

[Al Levesque]

The first two pictures show them deliberately heading to the beach. The wind looks to have been from aft and it appears that even in the second frame, after seeing the white water, they could have crossed over the broken wave to get out. Does it look like a panic attempt to beach the boat? Or were they just trying to get whitewater experience?

[David VanDenburgh]

This area is just off Fort Point, under the south end of the GG bridge, in a rather shallow area frequented by surfers because the swells rolling in the Gate off the ocean start piling up in the shallowing water and breaking.

I don't think he was trying to beach the boat. Swells are deceptive when you are looking at their "backsides", ie, the windward side. I would guess that he thought it would be fun to sail by the fort, wave to the tourists, and then jibe away from the shore (in order to clear the pier you see in some of the shots after the boat rolls). He didn't realize what he was getting into. When the swell started to break, the foaming water robbed his rudder of much of its effectiveness, the boat began to broach and he couldn't stop it. She turned sideways to the breaking swell and rolled.

This is a great example of why sailboats should stay out of breaking inlets. As a breaking wave passes under the boat, the center of resistance shifts quickly. The rudder can't stop the rapidly increasing momentum of the turn. The boat broaches. In a situation like this, skillful helmsmanship might keep the stern square on to the wave, correct any incipient broach before it has time to build momentum, and hold the boat steady until the breaking wave passes under - but it isn't easy. He would have been fine if he had stayed under the main span of the bridge, in the deeper water. The photos show typical conditions under the GG bridge. Nothing his boat couldn't have handled just fine.

If he were out to sea in conditions like these, he might lie to a sea anchor. Another option, that enables the boat to make more progress (assuming the wind and waves are going in the right direction) is towing a long warp behind the boat. This stabilizes the boat and keeps her stern-to the waves. But out to sea, waves this size don't break. The problem here is that the skipper didn't expect what he got and wasn't able to deal with it when it came.

I wonder what the tide was doing? If, as I suspect, it was ebbing, then it would explain why this swell broke like it did. An outgoing tide makes any inlet worse. But, as the article said, this area is surf country because of the tendency for swells to break in the shoaling water here. A sailboat should never have ventured in there in these conditions. A sad and expensive lesson.

[joeb]

Thanks guys. In reading books like Montessiers' experience in the roaring 40's I was reminded by your posts how difficult it is to control
a sailboat in large waves especially when they break on the stern.
Has anyone made their own sea anchor out of parachutes or other materials?

[Lars]

Looks like the south tower deamon gets another one.. they tell you to stay away from there ...... i think it's a santana 22.. he really should have just been somewnere else ......maybe if he had just some jib up and was dragging something to slow the boat down these waves would have passed under him .. but in a light popcorn fart like that maybe not

[Mark Yashinsky]

Gee, you have the Pacific Ocean behind you, the West Coast is known for waves (surfers), water that goes from 300+ ft (believe thats the scale) under the middle of the bridge, to 40ft by the south tower to 0ft by Fort Pt and that 40ft to 0ft occurs in less than 800 ft. There are plenty of nav aids, like lights, cans, horns to let boaters know where they should and shouldnt be. Also, that surfer JUST happened to catch a wave there, and the photo essay was about surfers at Fort Pt, so it the waves must be a regular occurance. The power boat in the beginning of the picture sequence knew where to go (between the towers). Love to see the various reports of this incident.
Doing a search, this boat races there, so it was not like they didnt know about the local conditions. Also found on these searches that this boat might have had a hull deck/leak problem, while sailing. Hmmmm, the boat must have been doing a lot of surfing.

[bobdugan]

One thing which probably contributed to the sinking after the broach was that the companionway entrance was wide open...

The couple of times Becky and I have been in nasty weather with big waves, we always make sure to close up the entrance.

I keep wondering what I would have done in this particular situation!

Bob

[joeb]

Is this a nautical term coined by Orville Redenbacher?

[Bill Goldsmith]

5. If he was wearing a lifeline would that have prevented him from going overboard?
thanks,

I believe that in this instance, for several reasons, the crew was better off being thrown clear off the boat than being harnessed in with jacklines.

1. Did you see the picture after the dismasting with the bent, jagged mast in the cockpit? Most likely the crew would have been injured, possibly severely, by the flaying mast had they been restrained.

2. Even if the mast did not injure the crew, being attached to a rolling boat would likely result in broken bones and/or head injuries or worse.

3. If way offshore, maybe they'd have been better off sustaining some injuries but staying on the boat, with harnesses. But the fact that they were wearing PFD's, the huge number of witnesses to call gor help and the proximity of such immediate shore-based help (as well as the surfers) means they were safer in the drink (despite the cold water) than being attached to that boat as it rolled.

4. The main purpose for jacklines is to keep you aboard in rough weather. 99.999% of the time you are better off staying on the boat as opposed to relying on the crew to fish you out of the drink. If singlehanding, it's even more crucial. In a roll or a pitchpole, all bets are off, and your survival is based on pure luck. As a rule you want to avoid situations that could result in a broach/roll or a pitchpole. As I understand from other postings, there were alternative routes available to avoid this surf. That's the best safety rule of all--to avoid, if possible, such dangerous situations. It's great that the crew of this boat were uninjured, but they are indeed lucky. An old salt once advised me that he'd never met a sailor who survived a pitchpole at sea.

[Larry M]

Many boats in SF are dry sailed (lifted from the trailer w/ a hoist) and hence no bottom which I suspectis the case. Never a great idea to come in or out south of the tower like that but many do especially in race conditions (unless they restrict that area). Sure glad it was not me because cape dory's don't surf.

[neil]

Sure glad it was not me because cape dory's don't surf.

hehe....
oh yes they do and boy is it weird!