- Feb 4, 2007
- 7,251
- Boat Info
- 1996 450DA, TNT, Caribe dink w/15hp OB.
- Engines
- 3126 427HP TD transmissions
Yayyy, we made it home. Boy was that a rough ride. we had fairly big following seas which wasn't too bad until we hit a massive storm just outside of port Jeff. I was scooting as far south as I could to avoid it. Once I realized that it had stalled right in the middle of the sound, I didn't have enough gas to turn around and run back. Hail 1" big pelted our boat for 1/2 hour. It was so loud that I could no longer hear my radio. I thought the windshield was going to crash in. Visibility was to my burgee, that was it. Right before we entered the storm I hear a boater radio for help somewhere near port Jeff but he didn't know his exact location, so I knew there was a boat in front of us, but couldn't see anything past my bow. I also knew there was going to be a tow boat and coast guard boat looking for him too. I did not want to hit a boat in this mess. Oh and crab pots were heavy on my mind too. Getting tangle up in one would not be a good thing.
The sound looked like someone lit a match and the whole thing erupted into flames. The wind was so strong that it slowed us from 22mph to 8mph, just like that. It spun our boat around and I only realized it when I looked at the compass.
At this point the dinghy cover blew off and was now stuck on the outboard acting like a water parachute. The dinghy filled with water and ice in just a few minutes. My GF tried to release the cover but no luck. two straps broke on the dinghy and was now half off the platform. At this point I picked up my VHF mic and started repeating my GPS location to myself, just in case. I should also note that my dog, in her life vest, never woke up through this. The wind was changing direction every few minutes and spun us like it was nothing. I relied 100% on my compass at this point as we both were completely disoriented with no vis and huge seas.
We finally broke out the other side of the storm into sunlight. It was completely surreal.
we recovered the dinghy cover, secured the dinghy and surveyed the damage. Couldn't believe there was zero damage.
We both learned a ton on the trip home and survived to put it to use on future trips.
1) never believe the weather forecast. the jet stream was supposed to hold all of the storms to the south... wrong.
2) Never ever head into a storm with more red than blue. We were in a tough spot as we had reached the point of no turnaround. The big seas from the east made it very difficult to head north to a harbor, the next harbor to the east was where we came from and didn't have enough fuel to make it there. In hindsight, I should have headed north from the get go and cruised along the CT coast in case of a storm. Lesson learned.
3) never schedule work the day after you are to return. We need to give some buffer time for weather. Even though it looked like we were going to be fine when we departed, If I had another day to stay, we probably would have.
4) pull the drain plug on the dinghy while underway. When the cover came off, the dinghy immediately filled with water and ice. a couple hundred pounds of water on the swim platform is not good for boat performance. I also need to bungee the cover on better. and get stronger straps.
5) buy foul weather jackets. Even though we were in the middle of summer, we were freezing. When the wind hit us, the temp in the cockpit dropped 20 degrees immediately. The wind unsnapped some canvas and all of mother nature came into the cockpit. we were soaked and cold withing 20 min.
6) buy better life jackets. We have these big rescue jackets on board, but they are impossible to move in.
7) Put the canvas snap tool IN THE COCKPIT. When the canvas unsnapped, we couldn't get it snapped. We have a tool that makes it easy to snap in situations like this, but it does no good when it's not handy.
8) did I mention never ever go into a storm with more red than blue?
9) Put the first aid kit in the cockpit. Even though nothing happened, it was very much on my mind that if the windshield came crashing in, the first aid kit in the cabin is a little too far away.
10) In hindsight, I probably should have radioed the coast guard to let them know where we were and that we were heading into the storm. I had no idea how severe the storm was.
We took mother nature for granted and she slapped us good. We both talked about it for about an hour while fueling up in Port Jeff, to put together a list of things we did wrong. While our 280DA had no problem handling the weather, we on the other hand didn't do as well.
Besides calling me an idiot, hit me with your thoughts.
Oh, is there a rough weather badge we get?
The sound looked like someone lit a match and the whole thing erupted into flames. The wind was so strong that it slowed us from 22mph to 8mph, just like that. It spun our boat around and I only realized it when I looked at the compass.
At this point the dinghy cover blew off and was now stuck on the outboard acting like a water parachute. The dinghy filled with water and ice in just a few minutes. My GF tried to release the cover but no luck. two straps broke on the dinghy and was now half off the platform. At this point I picked up my VHF mic and started repeating my GPS location to myself, just in case. I should also note that my dog, in her life vest, never woke up through this. The wind was changing direction every few minutes and spun us like it was nothing. I relied 100% on my compass at this point as we both were completely disoriented with no vis and huge seas.
We finally broke out the other side of the storm into sunlight. It was completely surreal.
we recovered the dinghy cover, secured the dinghy and surveyed the damage. Couldn't believe there was zero damage.
We both learned a ton on the trip home and survived to put it to use on future trips.
1) never believe the weather forecast. the jet stream was supposed to hold all of the storms to the south... wrong.
2) Never ever head into a storm with more red than blue. We were in a tough spot as we had reached the point of no turnaround. The big seas from the east made it very difficult to head north to a harbor, the next harbor to the east was where we came from and didn't have enough fuel to make it there. In hindsight, I should have headed north from the get go and cruised along the CT coast in case of a storm. Lesson learned.
3) never schedule work the day after you are to return. We need to give some buffer time for weather. Even though it looked like we were going to be fine when we departed, If I had another day to stay, we probably would have.
4) pull the drain plug on the dinghy while underway. When the cover came off, the dinghy immediately filled with water and ice. a couple hundred pounds of water on the swim platform is not good for boat performance. I also need to bungee the cover on better. and get stronger straps.
5) buy foul weather jackets. Even though we were in the middle of summer, we were freezing. When the wind hit us, the temp in the cockpit dropped 20 degrees immediately. The wind unsnapped some canvas and all of mother nature came into the cockpit. we were soaked and cold withing 20 min.
6) buy better life jackets. We have these big rescue jackets on board, but they are impossible to move in.
7) Put the canvas snap tool IN THE COCKPIT. When the canvas unsnapped, we couldn't get it snapped. We have a tool that makes it easy to snap in situations like this, but it does no good when it's not handy.
8) did I mention never ever go into a storm with more red than blue?
9) Put the first aid kit in the cockpit. Even though nothing happened, it was very much on my mind that if the windshield came crashing in, the first aid kit in the cabin is a little too far away.
10) In hindsight, I probably should have radioed the coast guard to let them know where we were and that we were heading into the storm. I had no idea how severe the storm was.
We took mother nature for granted and she slapped us good. We both talked about it for about an hour while fueling up in Port Jeff, to put together a list of things we did wrong. While our 280DA had no problem handling the weather, we on the other hand didn't do as well.
Besides calling me an idiot, hit me with your thoughts.
Oh, is there a rough weather badge we get?
