Sailboat about to be clobbered by a 100-foot rouge wave (pic)

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by RazAU

You'd be wrong in those guesses I feel...!.

Not about the waves in the picture IMO.. Not saying anything about dismasting wave thou.

[RazAU]

Agreed that the wave in the photo is not a 100foot rouge. It is however alot more than 50.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Neo

What do you mean, "no way up?' Do you mean nothing to drive them up the backside of the wave?

Mark will know the correct answer but my guess is that he meant to write "no way on".

Originally Posted by RazAU

You'd be wrong in those guesses I feel...!

The yacht in that boat is/was VC Offshore Stand Aside, and at 12 metres (40') long you can get an appreciation of how big the seas actually were. Stand Aside was the first to issue a mayday in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart after being rolled and dismasted by an estimated 80 foot wave.

The images of the race do not do the sea state any justice. They were truly huge seas and yes, many of the waves had no backs to them.

Originally Posted by RazAU

Agreed that the wave in the photo is not a 100foot rouge. It is however alot more than 50.

OK, I am confused, the OP states it was a 30' sail boat in a hurricane; you are suggesting it is a 40' in the '98 Sydney to Hobart storm.

I would like to think the OP knew what he was posting would be correct but your explanation makes more sense.

Any chance of some facts here anyone?????

[Mr B]

One small fact about that Sydney Hobart race,

The helicopter pilot said the waves were 90 feet high,
He was the one pulling the survivors off their boats,

There are piccys of that rescue from inside the helicopter floating around some where,

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Correct. It's very hard to judge wave height from photos, but I would guess that's no more than 10 to maximum 15 meters -- 30 to 50 feet, and a fairly benign shape -- long period, no breaking crests. We get that kind of sea in the Channel fairly often.

My guess is that the photo was taken long after the worst was over.

That was also my first thought - holes (in the sea) as big as houses fairly normal........but I think this a bit different, if that a 40 foot boat then they are big (effing big!) waves and not much gap between them. The good news is that they are not breaking!, the bad news is that beam on - could roll (again) I guess but not a certainty..........probably a bit windy as well ...........of course not somewhere I would choose to be, especially with no mast (and no manoeuvrability)!!

In any event, I would prefer to still be on the boat than in a liferaft......or trying to climb up the side of a Ship!.....would think twice about a helicopter ride. lets hope if I ever get into that situation I still have WIFI and can ask CF . Would be like sitting in a washing machine - at that point would want to be on a boat made from more than veneered MDF.....but clearly that a YMMV thing.


Of course if she was racing then likely she was pushing her luck a bit to make progress rather than hunkering down (or running in a different direction!).....hence the rig loss, no guarantee of course would not have happened anyway.

[RazAU]

From memory they had already turned towards Eden when they were rolled. Alot of boats were over powered with even just a storm jib up.

The pilot of the Seahawk from HMAS Newcastle recounts that the auto hover in his aircraft failed during winches due to the extreme differences between the troughs and the crests of the waves.

[Capt Rottnest]

Originally Posted by Wotname

OK, I am confused, the OP states it was a 30' sail boat in a hurricane; you are suggesting it is a 40' in the '98 Sydney to Hobart storm.

I would like to think the OP knew what he was posting would be correct but your explanation makes more sense.

Any chance of some facts here anyone?????

I suggested it was 98 Syd-hob, evidence was google image search.
And this pic:


So I reckon we're on the money.

[muskoka]

Originally Posted by Teknav

In a case like this, he/she should have had a pair of oars on board. You'd be surprised how much maneuverability you can do with old fashion oars; place one by the tiller and the other one to row and change the boat's direction. Simple canoeing principles! That's all folks!

Mauritz
Knows and sees all...

I was thinking the appropriate equipment was Scotch and a pair of Depends.

Seriously though, there may be a myriad of reasons why the boat is abeam. It's quite likely that losing the rig is hasn't left the crew or boat in any condition to deal further with the emergency.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Capt Rottnest

I suggested it was 98 Syd-hob, evidence was google image search.
And this pic:


So I reckon we're on the money.

Capt Rotto, my apologies not realizing it was you that came up with the Sydney Hobart angle and I gotta agree with you, it does seem that you are on the money. This clearly would then have to be a photo taken after the worst was over!

My question to the OP is:

What made you think it was a 30 footer in a hurricane and why a rogue wave???

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Neo

What do you mean, "no way up?' Do you mean nothing to drive them up the backside of the wave?

I think the boat looks dead in the water. I.E. not moving at all. So warps wont help it as they are only useful to slow a boat down, to de-power it, whent he boat is moving downwind and down wave so fast that its likely to pitch-pole on the forward face of a wave.

The other point is that I can't see much wind pattern on the water. So its not blowing 60 knots. It looks less than 30 knots. At 30 knots those waves will dissapate quickly. Now we have found out the photo is from the 98 Sydney Hobart (when I was being busted up at the same time in a race from Brazil to Argentina) by the time this photo was taken the wind looks to have dissapated. Note theres no streaking on the water, no spinidrift.

Look at this pic from the same race and you will see the difference:



When the wind is doing that the waves would be building. As soon as the wind drops to just a gentle roar then those huge waves will start to drop off pretty quickly.

So in our Original Post photo, I reckon that as big and scarey as it looks they are now fine. Just hang on.

[MarkJ]

Oh, and here's a photo taken next day(?) showing how those waves have so quickly tapered off.

[RazAU]

The photo is actually an image taken from video footage.
The Helicopter that took it had a tail wind heading out. They had a ground speed of 175knots+....not bad for a helo that has a max speed of 132knots.
That information was from the pilot himself.

This is getting abit off topic but please dont underestimate what you see in that picture. To do so is to disrespect the lives that were lost on that day.

The area of ocean in the picture will hold a big sea well after the winds die down to sub gale force levels.

[Wotname]

Thanks Mark for additional photos.

Just another titbit to put that storm in perspective, some of the winch helicopters had to operate below the wave tops (ie in the toughs) and one almost was hit by a wave top when he left his climb away from the wave just a little too late. One minute they were 50 or so feet above the water and the next minute they were climbing rapidly with the water only a foot or so away.

Seriously tough flying and rescuing conditions.

[RazAU]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Oh, and here's a photo taken next day(?) showing how those waves have so quickly tapered off.

Ummmm no, MAXIMUS wasnt in the 1998 S2H.

She was built in 2005. Your photo was taken during the 2006 S2H. She is now called Ragamuffin Loyal

[mrohr]

Whoa,
Lotsa intrepid sailors here; me?,I would be scared sh!tless. A couple of points:
1.Photos always make the seas look smaller, taken from above even more so.
2.A photo is a single point in time so those large seas that may not seem impressive from your armchair have the nasty habit in fully developed seas of rearing up a few seconds later and breaking big time.
3.There is a large white area in left side of the photo where a sea has just collapsed so there seems to be a fine chance of more to come, I mean how come that yacht has no mast?
4. Look at the leading edge of the seas in the photo and it is apparent that there are many overhanging crests and steep fronts........Not a good sign.......

............................Love you all..............mike