Just goes to show the PFD doesn't do you any good strapped to the boat. If you ever really need it I doubt you'll have time to retrieve it.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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What's too windy?
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- Rank: Mate
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Posted: Jun 29, 2009 - 04:18 PM
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Posted: Jun 29, 2009 - 05:05 PM
A bunch of us was out sailin,,,, They found my friends PFD attached to the tramp~~~ He's not here today & left behind 2 kids and a soon to be ex-wife!!!!
They work when ya wear em, it has worked for me a few times. I got separated from my boat one time and not to far from shore,, I mostly floated & let the waves do the work and they pushed me into shore~~ I was tired when I got there and could hardly walk.... Wet and tired, but ALIVE
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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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Posted: Jun 29, 2009 - 09:34 PM
Are you tellin me that some of you sailin' bozo's actually go out sailing without putting on a lifejacket?.... and here's me thinking that us sailors are a breed apart, a unique and intelligent ........
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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Posted: Jun 29, 2009 - 10:08 PM
Well said. Perhaps we and I include meself in this..did this when we were young, foolish and immortal. I myself used to tie a couple of float cushions to my T14 to ward off the marine patrol. Nowdays we are older and smarter! -
- Rank: Mate
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 11:13 AM
I would buckle my PDF's to my H16 when sailing on small lakes with light wind. I probably still would today. However anytime enough wind is there to fly a hull I would now put on my PDF, or anytime I am out on a big lake regardless of wind. Probably best to always wear it but I would go out on days with basically no wind and use my boat as a floating lounge chair and swimming platform.
I guess that shows I am getting older but maybe not smarter.
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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 11:56 AM
Great story Paul!.
I cant imagine being in a whirlpool... or whatever caused your 10' drop....
I have been caught in some BAD STUFF in the sand key pass.. its gets ugly fast there.
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 12:16 PM
My theory: Microburst. Massive downdraft caused by the last gasp of a T Storm.
Can't be a waterspout. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 01:32 PM
Funny, when I was 16 I thought that a good day on a cat didnt start till the windsurfers came out. So I pushed my cat off the beach in front of my house in Tarpon Springs (north of Dunedin, FL) - alone. Small craft advisories on Gulf of Mexico didnt apply to me, and the 35+ Mph wind was just right. Within 5 min of launching, I had a Coast Guard boat following me. The kept their distance, but followed from Tarpon to Dunedin, smashing through 3-4' seas. It was such a ride, that I didnt dare turn around and sail home - alone. I just beached my cat along the Dunedin causeway, and called for a ride home. When my mom (yes, i will admit my mommy picked me up) got there, i was still shaking.
I agree with Andrew's story above... you can be scared sh*tless and still be high on life.
I retrieved my H16 the next day, by sailing it home, in the relatively calm 20+ mph winds.
The lessons learned:
1) Hobie 16s are not designed for near gale force winds. When I got my boat home, i found that the hull had cracked almost in half. (that was my first, of three H16s). I was lucky I made it home.
2) Always have the Coast Guard follow you. I probably wouldnt have had the b@lls to do that with out them there ;) God Bless the Coasties for putting themselves at risk, so the rest of us can do stupid things. If they need to pick you out of the sea, its much easier if they are right there.
So to answer the question... its only too windy, when your boat breaks apart. Up to that point its one hell of a ride. I am 40 now with a 10 y/o who I take out sailing. I have trailered the boat to the beach twice with her, only to turn around, and say thats too much. But we lived to sail another day. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 05:57 PM
H-16, nice encounter to share with us.
One can only imagine the fear that early explorers crossing the oceans and great lakes must have felt. A feeling of total and complete despair. A time when there was no coast guard, 911 and mom or dad to call. A time when god was in your mind all the time and your only hope.
Having a terrific and euphoric moment can sometime turn to dread in just seconds.
Here are some signs that appear that can give you that hopeless feelings you get while being on the big water.
The feeling you get when the sea is rough and there's no other craft in sight.
The feeling you get when the waves are so large that you know if you go over there is no way you could even stay on your pontoons to right it.
The feeling you get when when you have large waves and the wind is pulling water off the tops of the waves creating spray.
The feeling you get when heavy winds die to nothing and the air/sky turns to a translucent yellow color and distant trees are whipping around.
The feeling you get when cloud cover is so ugly that it looks like it's dusk but it's only noon.
I just couldn't imagine being being on the big seas in early days. It's no wonder so may of them died. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 06:25 PM
H16:
I am gonna butcher this quote, and I can't recall who said it, but it goes something like this...
"If death isn't a possibility, it isn't an adventure".
Pretty good adventure you had there.
Dan
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Posted: Jun 30, 2009 - 11:43 PM
[quote=Spray_in_the_face]
Nah, I'm not that gutsy. I stayed on the beach..too windy for me. A couple friends of mine took it out. I dialed 911.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 12:18 AM
I am guessing it was a microburst that blew out my jib but what sucked the boat under still has me baffled. The spouts were a couple of miles away so I dont think they had anything to do with it. There was a recent full moon and a wicked tide coming out of the bay (which helped form the waves I was looking for...)but that should not have caused the boat to dorp below the surface
I doubt the boom wrapping around the mast (and sheering the gooseneck) could cause enough downward thrust to sink the boat that deep that fast
I have swamped boats more ways then I can count including torpedoing rouges from time to time and sailing right threw them. Once had a watermark on the H after hitting a wave out of sync and lost my favorite hat. even so, this was nothing like having a boat just drop out from under me. I swear it felt like freefall for a few seconds -
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Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 07:08 PM
just out of curiousity, at what wind speed are you guys able to fly a hull in?
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Posted: Jul 04, 2009 - 08:41 AM
around 8mph wind -
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Posted: Jul 04, 2009 - 10:18 AM
I think sustained 25mph winds is the cutoff where fun becomes "reckless" and gear is likely to be damaged. It is very important though to know the wind characteristics and behavior where you sail. Example: obstructions that break the wind's path, or channels where wind is forced through at higher speeds.
As to flying a hull, really depends on the boat but I have done it at around 10mph wind -
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Posted: Jun 02, 2010 - 11:50 PM
I dunno... I'm finding that if the wind is much over 20 (most waves capping) the H16 will not head up at all. Forget tacking, I can't even get it to heave to. No chance of reefing the sail. Seems like the only way to slow down is to tip it over. Last time, I had to leave it at a down-wind beach and sail it home the next morning when the winds were calmer.
This concerns me somewhat because 25 mph is just typical afternoon winds here for most of the spring and summer. Have I got something set up wrong, or should I go back to trying to work on my kiteboarding? -
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Posted: Jun 03, 2010 - 12:05 AM
With big tidal exchanges, I've seen some monster whirlpools form down-current from islands. We almost lost a 26-foot power boat into one of them one time. We were moving away from it, but it sucked us in from about a hundred yards away. We were way below surrounding sea level, but also pretty much tipped over on the beam too. The guy driving pretty much accidentally fell on the throttles and two V-8's powered us back out, after going around the drain in a full circle and a half.
Also, re: 60 mph winds. Some guys went out wind surfing in that last week. One of them didn't come back. -
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Posted: Jun 03, 2010 - 12:10 AM
H16 is an overpowered boat to begin with. 25 mph is too much for me (but, I'm not a great sailor... yet).
From what I've read people with newer 16s induce a lot of bend in their masts with 6:1 or higher downhauls to flatten and depower them in heavy winds combined with mast rake. Not sure if there is a difference in the mast setup that lets them do this or if the older sails can even hold up to this type of tension? Anyone?
edited by: Wolfman, Jun 02, 2010 - 11:18 PM
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: Jun 03, 2010 - 09:07 AM
older h16's have almost no downhaul if i recall correctly.
severe mast rake is standard on all h16's from what i know (just about block to block) -
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Posted: Jun 03, 2010 - 12:18 PM
Yeah, my downhaul is a 2-foot length of 1/4-inch line and a cleat on the mast. I could rig up a block system, but it might rip the cleat out. And the sails are pretty old.
The shrouds are adjusted to almost the shortest length - same as they were when I bought the boat.
Maybe something for the next boat. [*gasp* Did I say that?]
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