Movie: August 29th 2015 Windstorm, Rosario Strait

[korrigan]

Here's the movie of the good clips from Saturday.

https://vimeo.com/user42995621/revie...907/7645d8193a

[rognvald]

Great video, Korrigan. What was the wind strength? 30 plus with higher gusts? Good looking boat! Good luck and great sailing!

[Jaguar2728]

Nice Vid .. In Langley, the wind gusted to 90 kms/hr. and started peeling the siding off my house. Glad you had the main down!!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Nice video. Would have been better if it showed the wind speed, during the video.

[senormechanico]

I know the area. It looked like at least 30-35 knots steady with gusts to 40+.
Several times the spray got sucked up off the surface.
At the time of that storm, a neighbor of mine who lives on the beach of Admiralty Inlet said he recorded a ten minute AVERAGE of 40 knots.

[korrigan]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

I know the area. It looked like at least 30-35 knots steady with gusts to 40+.
Several times the spray got sucked up off the surface.
At the time of that storm, a neighbor of mine who lives on the beach of Admiralty Inlet said he recorded a ten minute AVERAGE of 40 knots.

I would guess that was probably correct on average for the area. By contrast that seemed like zero when the big gusts were hitting us in the narrow part of Rosario Strait.

The section of video that shows the surface with the spray blowing across it well exceeds 40 knots.

My wind instrument gave up years ago when it was still relatively new, but before it did I went past Smith Island and into Rosario on a windier day with a sustained gust that reached 67 on the instrument.

I would say the period of video I'm referring to is of that order. 60+ isn't unreasonable, certainly well into the 50's at least. It seems odd because the sea is freakishly flat through most of that. Where the giant waves from a half hour earlier went I can't imagine?

We've sailed Korrigan in many times of 35 to 45 knots in the Straits and in Rosario and so far nothing, not even the smoke monsters in December really compared in terms of wind velocity.

As with the smoke monsters this occurred in the pinch point of Rosario Strait and I believe that particular geography vastly accelerates gusts beyond the area wide average when the South Easterly blows.

This was a blast with numerous long lived gusts that would compare with anything I've seen before. One wonders what it would be like with an ebb tide. It must be amazing.

This sort of thing for me on my boat takes on the feel of a survival situation and when the headstay started to oscillate in the big gusts we were forced to roll the jib way up. In between we were crawling but it was only a few minutes before the next blast would hit. It's actually pretty intimidating and we were sailing very defensively.

As long as everything is secure and you don't go up on a lee shore there shouldn't be any issue and that's our general thinking for this kind of activity, but we weren't able to blow right through because a tug and tow took that spot so we were gybing and reaching exposing us to lee shores that while far away make you start to wonder about things like how long will it take you to cut away the rig if it fails.

[capn_mark]

Hey Korrigan,
I was heading South from Hornby to Nanaimo when the wind hit ( not as strong up there) and we ducked into Fairwinds at Nanoose. I would love to see your video, but it won't play for me, it says not available. Do you have a different link by any chance?
Thanks!
Mark


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[brianc]

I can't play the video either but would love to see it.

I saw 52 with sustained high 30's at Elliot Bay Marina that afternoon, and of course a couple destroyed sails ;-(


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[brianc]

Ok, it wouldn't play on the iPhone app but works in a regular browser. Awesome video though, looks exciting!

[s/v Beth]

I was safely tucked away in Port Angeles as we saw it coming the day before and went from Anacortes to Angeles friday night. My crew thought I was over reacting. After Saturday they did not say anything more! My barometer bombed quite quickly just before.

[SailingJeeper]

Looks like it was allot of fun !!!

[alctel]

I saw it coming and hid in Shoal Bay on Lopez island