L&VW
Well-Known Member
Thursday's tragic news regarding a "Duck Boat Tour" got me thinking of my own experience with what weathermen term, a "Cell". "Microburst" is another term for the same thing.
This Duck Boat skipper clearly hadn't had the same experience I'd had with this kind of storm.
I saw the cell coming across the lake—perhaps five miles distant. 'Almost outran it, except for 20 seconds, I could have been behind a large dock. As it was, I ran up between two docks, holding onto my Sunfish in three feet of water—and about-ready to release my grip. The racing sail shredded, then the mast folded. The entire bent-up rig offered a buffer against the upwind side of a dock—so I let it go; afterwards, no damage to the hull or aluminum trim was found.
In other extreme wind conditions, I was able to lower the sail, and steer home successfully, using "bare pole(s)".
Next time, I'll get to the protection of a windward shoreline, and hopefully, shallow water—then lower the sail. (And hang on).
This Duck Boat skipper clearly hadn't had the same experience I'd had with this kind of storm.
I saw the cell coming across the lake—perhaps five miles distant. 'Almost outran it, except for 20 seconds, I could have been behind a large dock. As it was, I ran up between two docks, holding onto my Sunfish in three feet of water—and about-ready to release my grip. The racing sail shredded, then the mast folded. The entire bent-up rig offered a buffer against the upwind side of a dock—so I let it go; afterwards, no damage to the hull or aluminum trim was found.
In other extreme wind conditions, I was able to lower the sail, and steer home successfully, using "bare pole(s)".
Next time, I'll get to the protection of a windward shoreline, and hopefully, shallow water—then lower the sail. (And hang on).