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Berserker bash wind speeds and flipped boat pics ?

Sven

Seglare
Did any of you happen to see or hear what the max wind gusts were during the strange evening wind bursts ? I'm talking about the evening during the gathering in the Isthmus, Wednesday night ?

Did any of you get any pics of the "Whaler" that was lifted up and flipped ? I assume it wasn't actually a Whaler since it sank ? We walked by it when it had been re-floated and they were rinsing it down with fresh water but didn't get a good look at it in the enclosure.

I still can't get over how the wind direction would flip 180 degrees and go from cool to hot blasts in an instant. I wonder what the overall weather pattern looked like and how the fierce gusts got generated. I've certainly never seen anything like that.

Always an adventure :)

-Sven
 

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Flipped boat story.

Sven, There were several contributing factors to the sinking of that power boat. First of all there was no box around the large 150 (?), Honda motor mount to catch and bail any water over the low transom, so she got pooped pretty early on. Secondly there was a big stainless steel bridge of sorts for lights and pole holders, etc at the steering station that I'm sure contributed to her being a bit top heavy and rolling from side to side, dipping the transom corners into the oncoming waves. Third, the boat was bow in (towards the shore for anyone not seeing her) on her mooring and when the seas started really rolling in, one of the three partners told another partner that she should be turned bow out, nobody did that. I spent a good bit of time talking with Kelly, the head mechanic in the outboard shop who was pickling the motor and removing the three carbs and draining them as we spoke. He removed the starter as well which seemed OK after a fresh water rinse and compressed air drying. As to the rest of the boat, specifically the wiring and all the electronics, they're all pretty much toast. There is/was a Marine VHF radio and a stereo radio in the overhead box as a part of the bridge and I know they are history. All the wiring when subjected to salt water when energized from a battery fries from the inside out so all that's finished too. I did notice that the Garmin GPS (nitrogen filled still?) and the magnetic compass had been removed from the dash so maybe they survived. It'll be a miracle if the boat ever returns to the state she was in before the sinking. You see, none of the owners thought to insure the boat and one of them got married last Saturday at the Isthmus and they're expecting a kid in two months. The others are employees on the island so you do the math. The kid that got married is Kelly's assistant so at least the engine will the the attention it deserves. To me it adds up to no money, no refurbishment. I hope it turns out that I'm wrong but I'll bet that the thing will be sold off in parts to others with the money to make something of it all. That's about all I know, Glyn
 

Sven

Seglare
Thanks Glyn,

That is different from what I'd heard (in snippets) but makes more sense.

Sad story.



-Sven
 

Rocinante33

Contributing Partner
Did any of you happen to see or hear what the max wind gusts were during the strange evening wind bursts ? I'm talking about the evening during the gathering in the Isthmus, Wednesday night ?

(snip)

I still can't get over how the wind direction would flip 180 degrees and go from cool to hot blasts in an instant. I wonder what the overall weather pattern looked like and how the fierce gusts got generated. I've certainly never seen anything like that.

Always an adventure :)

-Sven

Sven,

That is a typical arrival of a Santa Ana wind in the Channel Islands. One minute, prevailing cool NW winds, the next hot NE Santa Ana. It can be like a switch was turned on. You were on the Isthmus Cove side, right? With a strong Santa Ana, Isthmus Cove is a lee shore and you would want to bug out of there ASAP. You could go around to the other side, to Cat Harbor, and be a lot safer in those conditions.
 

Sven

Seglare
Hi Keith,

Sven,

That is a typical arrival of a Santa Ana wind in the Channel Islands. One minute, prevailing cool NW winds, the next hot NE Santa Ana. It can be like a switch was turned on. You were on the Isthmus Cove side, right? With a strong Santa Ana, Isthmus Cove is a lee shore and you would want to bug out of there ASAP. You could go around to the other side, to Cat Harbor, and be a lot safer in those conditions.

We've been there during wind events in the past but those have started with the 180 degree direction change and then ended up with howling, boat destroying Santa Ana winds. In this case the winds kept flipping back and forth, cold, hot, cold, hot ...

It was almost as if we were in a boundary layer between two air masses for over an hour. It may be that the air masses were vertically separated and that the island peaks brought down the turbulence into the cove. I don't see how two airmasses could keep the boundary stationary that long if they were horizontally separated.

As for bugging out it is too late once the Santa Ana hits and you are better off hunkering down and hoping the mooring field is up to snuff. The suggestion is that you listen to the radio and if you (for example) hear that big-rigs should stay off the Grapevine then you know it is coming and make a run for it before it is too late.

It was a very impressive phenomena but the irregularity made it much less threatening than it would have been for sustained Santa Anas.



-Sven
 
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