Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

[Ernest T]

This past weekend the admiral and I had taken the boat (21 ft. deckboat) about 2 hours southeast of our marina exploring the south end of our lake. Forecast was 30% chance of scattered storms, the sky was partly cloudy and the "Futurecast" showed no activity in our area for the next 6 hours.

As I turned to head back home, I was surprised at how dark the ski was to the west. I decided to try to outrun the storm. Within 10 minutes we hit a full scale thunder storm. It was like calm one minute and crazy the next. Wind was howling making it hard to see and somewhat painful with rain drops stinging my face and eyes even with sunglasses on. Originally had the Bimini top up, but it was making it hard to control the boat in the wind, and doing little good blocking rain, so I took it down. Visibility was very low due to the torrential rain and a mist that developed (I think due to cold rain hitting the 90+ degree lake water). About all I could do was steer into the wind with waves breaking over the bow, and hope that we didn't get struck by lightening.

OK I was definitely more scared than I acted around the admiral. I have never seen waves like this on this lake. We put lifejackets on, turned on the nav lights and plowed on.......maybe 5 mph top speed. I angled towards an island that I remembered seeing before the bottom fell out, and after about 30 minutes we reached it. I beached the boat on the leeward side and tied off to a tree. We debated whether to stay on the boat or the island, but eventually chose the island since we were less exposed to wind and rain. We spent the next hour huddled under a small tarp I happened to have on the boat.

After the storm passed and things started to clear, I realized that I had narrowly missed a couple of marked shoals on my route to the island, so I guess we were lucky not to have run aground. I wasn't paying too much attention to the depth until I approached the island.......those waves coming across the bow really grab your attention.

I know my first mistake was to try and outrun the storm. Instead I should have looked for shelter and anchored or beached the boat and ridden it out. Do you guys have other suggestions for dealing with this type of situation?

Thanks! Still cleaning my pants

 

[QC]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

BTDT . . .

Finding the leeward protection is the best answer.

Clarify something. It doesn't always work, and following seas can make things worse, but usually you would be running downwind in this situation. I even "tack" to stay downwind if I can to maximize my downwind running time. Makes it more comfortable for everyone, keeps water from breaking over the bow, and you should be able to run quite a bit faster.

Maybe you were trying to beat the storm coming towards you, and trying to get to your marina/ramp before it did?

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Well first thing is you made it home so that is a good thing.

Second is that you learned a valuable lesson about watching the sky's better! Knowing the forecast is very good but as I'm sure you now know the weather forecasters can only do so much, so watching the sky's is a huge deal especially when you have loved ones on board, sounds bad but you know how it is, if you get yourself killed oh well but if you get your wife killed you would be devastated you know?

I don't have a deck boat so understand that while what I would do is probably what you did as well your not going to get the same results since your bow is much lower and you have less hull angle, I too would have turned it into the waves but I typically do not slow down much, I trim up to get the hull on the waves and the bow up, us being lake boaters were not likely to ever see much more then 6' waves but I can't imagine seeing those in a deck boat, I have seen them on Lake Powell and while it wasn't fun I wasn't worried at all, never took one over the bow which would have caused me to need an underwear change as well!

Other then that I think you did right, once you realized you and your boat were out matched you found shelter and waited it out.

Now what can you do to prepare for it next time? In a deck boat I think the worst thing that can happen is to take water over the stern, but that would be closely followed by water over the bow, so I think I would look at getting a quality Bow cover, the idea being that it will keep most of the water coming over the bow from coming into the boat and help prevent you from swamping the boat, other then that I'm not sure, have your views changed on a deck boat setup since the event happened?

 

[robert graham]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

I'd always head for the nearest point of land, anchor or beach the boat, wait out the storm on land. The old sailor's term, "any harbor in a storm"...beats gettin' sunk, struck by lightning, etc.....I believe you learned something past weekend, and it's good you came through it with your hide intact!

 

[emoney]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

I agree 100% with the "go with the wind (read 'storm' here) in seeking shelter. You can't beat it, so join it until you find safety. You'll appreciate that in the morning.
As for forecasts; most people forget, or don't know, that when a weather report states "30% chance of thunderstorms" that doesn't mean you have a 70% chance of it being nice out. It means that 30% of the listening audience of that particular forecast channel, WILL experience thunderstorms. So, couple that information with the more important feedback of your vision, and you'll find yourself drier more often than not. In other words, don't rely on strangers advice when it comes to weather. Rely on your eyes, ears & nose.

I will say this, your boat, in the middle of the lake, IS the highest thing around so don't forget that when lightning is involved. You usually can't outrun it, so don't try. Go out of your way if you must, but take the path to safety which isn't always the path home.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

My boat is quite a bit bigger so YMMV.
I figure I have two options if a storm blows up on me. The best option is, run to a dock, preferably sheltered, and tie up if there's time. If I run out of time or don't have a dock, I head for deep water and keep the bow into the wind just holding position if I have to. The last places I want to be are shallow water or on a lee shore.

For example:
The Monday before the 4th, 2 friends of mine got caught out on Lake Winnebago when a nasty squall blew through. One was in a cove that the wind ended up blowing straight into and got his anchor chain wrapped around one of his drives when he was trying to get out of there and keep his boat from being blown up onto shore. He ended up limping back on one engine.

The other was anchored at a sandbar in 3-4ft of water and busted the transom plate off one drive when the waves slammed him down into the bottom. That ended up sinking his boat.

 

[QC]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Both ^^^^^ sound like Windward shore? I've never heard, "The last place(s) I want to be . . . (is) on a lee shore."

Maybe you meant actually being "on the shore?" Smaller boats, where I boat, are almost always, literally, beached on a lee shore to wait out a storm.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

bekosh, winnebago is not forgiving, iits a bit shallow (average of 15,maximum depth of 21') and the waves are closer together than most bodies of water which will play havoc on many boats.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Don't ignore dark clouds or distant rumbles of thunder, if you notice either one start heading back to the launch quickly. Then when you get close to the launch you can hangout on the water and see what the weather is goig to do if you want.

 

[emoney]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

There's a difference between a "Lee Shore" and "Leeward". LOL, it's why so many people stay so confused on this stuff. You're both saying the same thing though, "be on the opposite side of the wide direction".

Lee Shore is the side of the island that gets hit first, i.e. "Eastern side of an island getting hit by an Easterly wind". Leeward, means opposite side of the wind direction, so in the above case, the "Western side of an island getting hit by an Easterly wind". Who in the heck came up with these terms anyway, lol?

Basically, OP, DUCK behind something.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Something else to think about is the type of lake you are on, it was mentioned before but lakes that are shallow simply cannot generate big waves for me in my boat but I can tell you that the last time I was on the closest lake to me (15' max depth) in a pretty good storm I trimmed up and drove slow, not because I was worried but because in my wake I had a half dozen little boats letting me plow the road for them!!

I guess the best advice I can offer is to just be aware of the situation and have a plan for the weather should it change, you learn things from your experiences, both good and bad, make the most of them, its what makes you a good Captain.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

... Ernest T, you did pretty good all things considered. You learned a few lessons, but in the situation you were in you seemed to pull the right levers.

I'll add something to what Lipp said above: one added thing that gets interesting on some lakes is that they do generate some pretty big waves. I've seen them get as big as 3' or 4'. While not Ocean or Great Lakes impressive ... they can still do some business beatin' you up in a 18 footer. Remember, those buggers break earlier on a lake because the lake shallows up faster (usually) ... be careful making for the beach in 3' breakers in a smaller boat. You can get shoved hard, take water over the stern, etc., etc.

The only other thing that I'll add: Learn to be a better meteorologist than your local weather options. A 30% chance of rain in my area means "there's a chance that somewhere in the general area a rain shower might just happen." That doesn't negate what emoney said above (he's right), it means I know the weather in this area and how conditions typically react. If I was on Lake Michigan for a weekend with a 30% chance of rain, I wouldn't be anywhere near as inclined to just go ahead and take off for the day. Make sense?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

As a former private pilot, there were many times that I canceled a flight for the day because of bad weather. I have done the same as a boater.

As far as what you did once you got caught in it, sounds like you made pretty good judgments overall except for trying to outrun the storm. That was your big mistake. As far as driving downwind, a big storm can be way faster than your boat can go.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Thanks for the replies. In my situation I didn't attempt to run with the wind since I would have fairly quickly run out of water since I was near the southeastern border of the lake. Visibility was really bad, and I was afraid of running ashore in that direction. Where I was at in the lake at the time of the storm the water is deep (over 100 feet in spots), but there are a large number of islands and shoals and it can get shallow quickly if you are not watching.

Sorry about the confusion in terminology. By leeward, I meant that I was on the east side of the island where the wind was coming from the west. While we were on the island I walked over to the other side and it was getting pounded by waves, so I was glad to be where I was which was relatively calm by comparison.

I do have a bow cover for the boat, but it never occurred to me to put it on. That might have definitely helped channel water over the sides and not into the boat, so thanks for that tip. I think I'm going to put a rain jacket on the boat as well, it would have been nice to have some protection from that ice cold rain.

Anyhow, live and learn.

Thanks again for the replies!

 

[QC]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

There's a difference between a "Lee Shore" and "Leeward".

Well color me stupid . . . but not as stupid as the people that decided that . I never even considered they could be different. It's like Interstate and Intrastate being opposites only worse :facepalm:

Thanks for the correction!!!!

 

[OllieC]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

My boat is quite a bit bigger so YMMV.
I figure I have two options if a storm blows up on me. The best option is, run to a dock, preferably sheltered, and tie up if there's time. If I run out of time or don't have a dock, I head for deep water and keep the bow into the wind just holding position if I have to. The last places I want to be are shallow water or on a lee shore.

For example:
The Monday before the 4th, 2 friends of mine got caught out on Lake Winnebago when a nasty squall blew through. One was in a cove that the wind ended up blowing straight into and got his anchor chain wrapped around one of his drives when he was trying to get out of there and keep his boat from being blown up onto shore. He ended up limping back on one engine.

The other was anchored at a sandbar in 3-4ft of water and busted the transom plate off one drive when the waves slammed him down into the bottom. That ended up sinking his boat.

Ha! I was on the Big Lake that day. Not a smart move but my Father-In-Law wanted to Captain my boat. ended up going 1500rpm for 2hrs, all the while getting my daughter sea-sick. I took the helm and surfed back before the storm hit - which I assume your friend got caught in. Pretty much the worst day of the whole week so I can't complain.

sorry to hijack the thread.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Many of the comments point to the important fact that sometimes closer to land can be worse than open water. Not only do you risk running aground, but waves are larger in shallow water. Or you could get blown ashore onto rocks, in heavy surf, etc.

You can go to a dock/marina and get pounded against the pilings or by other boats.

Dodging a storm is a matter of circumstance. You might outrun it, you might go perpindicular to its path to get to its edge or beyond, you might even go towards and around it. if it's a short squall you might even go through it rather than have it chase you all day. But no matter; I think when you are caught, go bow into it and keep up enough speed to control the boat; address each wave individually.

Lake and especially canyon boating (I understand) is very different than my open coastal boating; you don't see the storms coming and they can funnel down a canyon at accelerated speeds; you may not have to options to dodge due to the shape of the lake.

I watched a very severe squall develop out of clear blue skies, and verified what I saw on weather radar maps later. This storm did not arrive from the west, but formed on the spot and then grew, like a coffee spill spreading on a napkin. Only after it was up and running did it drift out to sea on the usual course.

In addition to the summer squalls (white squall) I sometimes encounter in the winter duck hunting the snow squall. That's a crazy thing, too.

No substitute for experience. Get out in rough but otherwise safe conditions and learn what your boat will handle.

 

[emoney]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Lol @ QC

Ernest, I too learned the hard way about always keeping "foulies" on my person on ANY boat. I definitely have them stored on mine, but on a trip to the "Middle Grounds" fishing on a buddies 40' open fisherman, we got hit by a squall line about 25-30 miles offshore. I didn't have foul weather gear and neither did he. Needless to say, that was the most miserable 30 minute period I've ever spent on a boat. No more 100 mile trips for me that I'm not in control of the situation and never any time spent on anyone's boat without being prepared. I might be stupid, but at least I'm slow too.

 

[OllieC]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

I'm not sure what the protocol is about naming products on this site however I purchased an ap for my Iphone that has worked well. RadarScope. It's not free however it has real time doppler radar to see oncomming storms in the US. I use it when I'm on Lake Superior - actually any time we have a storm as well.

 

[canyonken]

Re: Caught in Sudden Storm Advice?

Had that happen to me on Table Rock Lake, Missouri about three years ago. Headed back to home cove but never made it. Was heading staight into the teeth of the storm and darted into the first covered dock I could find. Still had to hold the boat steady in covered slip from wind driven waves and sideways rain. No waves over the bow but got enough rain to turn auto bilge pump on.