When to turn back to the port.

[Ronnie]

This topic is fresh on my mind because on the way back to the ramp on my last trip out I boated in the worst weather conditions I have ever been in. For me this meant 80 degree temperatures but with a constant head wind (I don’t know the wind speed but the windmills on the wind farm nearby were spinning very fast). The worst part were the swells, I estimate consistent 5 foot tall from Crest to trough(?)/top to bottom. It was only 5 miles but they were the longest “recreational boating” miles that I’ve ever experienced.

It all worked out, so I can pump my fist in victory but I was afraid and did think that if this goes south (to the pole), I’m going to make my kid an orphan (just my wife and I were onboard and we were just staying calm for each other I think, or because it worked out or it worked out because I am such a great mariner, just kidding). I also thought, I’m an idiot and an asshole for putting my wife and I in this situation. In retrospect, I should have sought shelter instead of push on to the boat ramp. On a positive note, I’ve learned my limit, so it won’t happen again. One additional pice of advice not stated in the boattest article, if the weather is so bad that you are the only boat on the water, you should not be on the water.

Turning Back

Turning Back

www.boattest.com

 

[Julian]

A good article for anyone considering the Bimini trip. @Bruce Should add this to the prep for Bimini thread.

 

[Gym]

New pilots experrience the same thing. It's called "get home itis." Its responsible for crashes and deaths within the aviation community. Bad decission making can put you in a situation above your skill level. These are not always concious decisions though. Sometimes the weather forecast is just plane wrong causing the inexperrienced pilot to embark on his/her trip only to find out he/she is overwhelmed which usually results in nervous, irrational decisions which compound the situation. There is an old saying in aviation which can also be adopted by we boaters.
" There are old pilots/boaters and there are bold pilots/boaters but there are no old, bold pilots/boaters".
Thanks for sharing @Ronnie.

 

[Jim Crane]

Out of curiosity, because I have always wondered but never known...

I know the amplitude of a wave is measured from midline to crest or midline to trough, but when a swell is reported, is it talking about the amplitude, or is it talking about the vertical height from trough to crest?

I appreciate Ronnie defining what was meant, but when you hear on the news, 4 foot swells, is that really 8 feet top to bottom, or is it a wave with a 2 foot amplitude?

 

[Ronnie]

Here is what I found when looking up swells.

In my case I don’t know what the swell periods (I.e., length of the swells) were but they seemed to vary between just a few feet and longer than the boat. Keep in mind this was at about 5:30p on a sunny day, nothing like some of the Bimini posts I’ve rad about here, but I was also alone not with a group of other boaters. If it was dark I would have been terrified. I’d rather take heat for turning back or extending the duration of the trip back than end up injured, missing or on the wrong side of the ground. Worse, i don’t know how I could live with myself if my poor decision making or lack of planning caused injury to my wife or others. What would I tell my son? Sorry I thought I could make it, sorry I just wanted to get out of the water, while we are at the hospital or cemetery. I don’t think sorry would cut it if I was him.

 

[Cambo]

Was that in the bay or the ocean ? Anytime I see white caps in our small bays it makes for an uncomfortable ride and forget about the ocean the inlets are dangerous with tides and heavy winds . Just watching some of the videos of lakes that have had storms roll in and swamp boats makes you realize these boats can go down easily . Did you both have life preservers on ? Did you take any waves over the bow ? I can vividly remember the few times that I went out in rough seas . What was your option if you didn't head back to the boat ramp ?

 

[Jgorm]

I took a 16' hobie cat out in 30mph winds once. It got wild! We dropped the main and were still flying a hull, hanging out, with just the jib. I won't do that again!
You can drive a power boat through pretty serious shit if you hit the waves right. Never dig the nose! Don't be afraid of the throttle.

 

[Ronnie]

This was on the river where two rivers meet. In the map pic i came out of the river just over the 160 and was headed to a ramp near Mackenson. In the photo I came out of the first slough passed the bridge and on the right (old sac is about 45 miles up this slough which is the Sacramento River). SF Bay is about 40 miles away to the left in the map pic.

We had life preservers and windbreakers on. If I had the pictured float coats onboard we would have worn them instead.

I had two alternatives to getting back to the boat ramp I launched from. Turn back 3 or 4 miles and go to a ramp just inside the Sacramento River next to isleton but out of the wind swept area or head for a ramp in rio vista that I didnt know about until the only other boat out there past me and went to it. By this time i was only a mile from my destination so both my wife and I decided to stay the course, which thankfully didn’t turn out to be a bad decision. When we got back to the ramp I was drenched and burned/boated out.

We took water over the bow every 10 to 15 swells and about half of those resulted in water not only entering the cockpit under the windshield but over it as well. Never again.

 

[swatski]

Chop/wave with a short period can be more uncomfortable than the biggest swells. Our yammies have enough power to climb swells, no problem if the pumps work well. If the period is shorter than about 2x the wave height, with waves over 2ft, it may be hard to plow through comfortably.
The Yamahas jbs are pretty amazing in their ability to handle rough seas but it can get uncomfortable to some. Keeping the bow up is the key, and the scupper inlet open. Trim tabs give you a bit softer landing, less slapping of the stern.

This guy "Captain Kev" on the old site did some pretty serious off shore trips in Hawaii, @rkim808 does it all the time, too. And the Bimini trips have proven the sea worthiness of the Yammies if not for some build-quality issues that can be revealed.

--

 

[Marvin willis]

I was doing 20mph in 6 ft seas heading out into the ocean last weekend. I just knew they were gonna crash over the bow but barely got a splash. My 5 year old daughter was on the bow by herself wanting to dance. Made me nervous as hell but I didn’t show it. (Meds help).

 

[Gym]

Here we can interrogate the Coast Guard buoys via cell phone. Along with air temp, dew point, water temp, wind direction & velocity they give wave height & frequency. Height is trough to Crest measured in 1/10 of a foot. Frequency is Waves passing a certain point measured in seconds. The info is very useful. Anybody operating in the ocean can download the Coast Guard or Boat US apps to use this useful feature.

 

[WestMIJet]

On Lake Michigan the wave periods are short so I can second the rough ride. The boats can handle more than the passengers for sure. It is exhausting for the driver sometimes because you are working the throttles a lot and trying avoid getting broadside to a wave but as others have said use the power to your advantage and keep the bow up.

 

[Dean P]

2 ft swells every 4-5 seconds happens a lot in the bay. They damn near knock you teeth out. 20-22 mph with the tabs down I find works best. I tend to not adjust the speed (once I find the "sweet spot") but rather zig and then zag while trying to ride the waves (it that makes sense). I've gotten many compliments on providing a decent ride in shitty conditions.
@Marvin willis 6 footers and 5 year old in bow??? My hearts pounding just thinking about it. I pray her life jacket was on. ?

 

[WestMIJet]

Here we can interrogate the Coast Guard buoys via cell phone. Along with air temp, dew point, water temp, wind direction & velocity they give wave height & frequency. Height is trough to Crest measured in 1/10 of a foot. Frequency is Waves passing a certain point measured in seconds. The info is very useful. Anybody operating in the ocean can download the Coast Guard or Boat US apps to use this useful feature.

The Coast Guard app works for the Great Lakes buoys as well.

 

[Ronnie]

No such buoys in the Sacramento Delta.

 

[swatski]

2 ft swells every 4-5 seconds happens a lot in the bay. They damn near knock you teeth out. 20-22 mph with the tabs down I find works best. I tend to not adjust the speed (once I find the "sweet spot") but rather zig and then zag while trying to ride the waves (it that makes sense). I've gotten many compliments on providing a decent ride in shitty conditions.
@Marvin willis 6 footers and 5 year old in bow??? My hearts pounding just thinking about it. I pray her life jacket was on. ?

I second that, riding constant RPM especially if saving fuel/range is of importance.

@Ronnie as you know well, sometimes it is impossible to predict sudden weather/wind swings in coastal environments of the ocean. Part of the excitement!
I was thinking, kind of wish your son would had been there with you to have had a chance to experience that trip, those can be scary moments but also very "formative". I have gotten myself in a scrum a few times, and a couple of times with family and my young kids always seem to have gained from those times/experiences.
Or - at least that's one way to look at it, lol.

--

 

[Ronnie]

@swatski , I agree. I wouldn’t want to intentionally put him in harms way but would have loved to see him grow in those moments as I expect he would have. My wife was pretty calm, cool and collected, well at least she was quiet. She asked me every time we took spray over the windshield and/or gallons of water under it (which a was a lot), if I was ok? I said yes and kept driving. I think my son would have been standing, scanning the water and pointing out the hazards and/or best path. I wonder if he would have offered to relieve me at the helm? I also wonder if I would have let him?

 

[rkim808]

Aloha @Ronnie I would’ve done the same, only a mile away. As u learned our Yammies can handle the rough, not the best ride but can handle. Like u did staying calm and focused is the best, prayer??always helps too.

I always check and double check weather forecasts(NOAA, Windy, WIND, PredictWind, Surfline.com, Surfnewsnetwork, etc...) I make calls to the Uncle’s(commercial fishermen), call the guys that working or live on that side of the island I’m planning on going. Even with all of that u never know, conditions change on a heart beat. My dad always told me “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.” So that’s what I try to do. On a good note knowing ur Yammy and how she handles, builds confidence. And u being out there in the rough taught u a lot, and next time if there is a next time u’ll be that much better handling it.

Mahalo nui loa(Thank u very much) for sharing. Have fun and Boat Safe...??

 

[Dean P]

Let's face it, wind and lightning are our 2 biggest concerns being on the water. If neither are there we're safe and probably having a great time.

I have multiple apps notifying me of wind speed and bad weather in the area or heading towards me. My favorite is DarkSky. IMO this is the best and works great 95% (I say 95% because I live in Florida (Tampa, St. Pete) where the weather can be very unpredictable and this area is the lightning capitol of the world). Find one or a few that you trust and heed any and all warnings.

Teachable moments are hindsight adventures which we never look forward too but makes us aware of our knowledge/skill of boating and being on the water. Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. Just don't panic. It does no one any good (easier said than done - I know). Don't forget to "Kiss" the ground and Thank GOD you're back on dry land. Please and Thank You go a long way...

 

[dzeppos]

Your story is excellent and personal to me considering that my last area of California boating that have not done is the Delta and the waters you mention. I incorrectly assume that anything in the delta is immune to the deceptive bad weather you can come across on the pacific or even big lakes like lake mead (which ive been on with 20mph start head winds and 40 mph gusts with white cap waves and the 242 handles like a champ). After reading your story up there and i will not let my guard down. Still can’t get over the swells you mention. I’m gliding the CA delta next summer and will be heading your warnings