Oyster Yacht in Storm Video

[Training Wheels]

Originally Posted by mcarling

I presume it uses the iPhone's accelerometer, gyroscope, and motion coprocessor. However, I cannot find an app called either "Sea State" or "SeaState" in the App Store. Can someone confirm the exact name of the app?

I've got it in my iPhone. It is indeed "sea state"

[mcarling]

Originally Posted by Exile

I assumed it required internet access so it could report buoy data, but don't know.

ODAS buoy data would be interesting, but there are not so many ODAS buoys around and one typically won't have Internet access when the waves are big.

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

I've got it in my iPhone. It is indeed "sea state"

Hmmm. Perhaps it's been pulled from the App Store. :-(

[DumnMad]

Wiki article on Beaufort Scale has photos for each category and as you can see the wave height is not aparent. Wind effect on the sea is more reliable but even then it depends on where you are on the wave when the photo is taken.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

We've experienced force 9 with 54knot gusts on one trip and force 10 or 11 on our second and these photos sum it up pretty well for me.

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

Boatie, Weavis put me on to the SJCAM. You might check it out. It's a Go-Pro take-off, takes arguably as good images as Go-Pro, comes with all the same gear including a waterproof housing, & cost me $120 CAD last year--or about a third of what a Go-Pro costs. That would be my choice for wet work because I just cringe at the idea of subjecting an expensive camera to salt water (designed for it or not).

Another good one is the Xiaomi Yi (can get a 4k one now too but I don't see the point, but can be had for about $68 if you shop around). About $50 for the 60fps 1080p if you shop around, and there's a selection of accessories, such as at least two waterproof cases (one to 40m, the one I got was to 60m)

You do need an Android phone or tablet to wifi with it to make best use. I picked up a cheap LG Leon quad core phone when it was on offer, and the Xiaomi Yi software was free on Play. Spare batteries and chargers are cheap too. If I remember right I had 2 extra batteries and a charger for $10 (I think the 60m case cost about the same).

In a marine environment on boats, I don't think a valuable camera is a particularly good idea tbh.

You can also get mounts for R/C planes and quadcopters (though personally I don't like quadcopters - others get on fine with them - I think a good R/C plane is a far better platform).

The ASW 28 is more my kind of thing. Great video when Kite Hawks come and join the ASW 28:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs1m81ooMis

Thanks for the very interesting thread.

[Dr. Sea]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Back in October I called Dolphin sails to inquire about purchasing a storm staysail along with the new main sail we ordered. Their reply was basically the same as what Dockhead wrote. Not needed because the staysail we already had was overbuilt for storm use and the main can be furled in such a way as to act as a storm tri sail.

Great! More evidence for the NBR Safety Committee! Wish me luck!

[mawtty]

love the music. Please, what is the CD?
Hides the motor noise ok, Tim.

[Prairie Chicken]

I now have the music. Next time we get into heavy wx, that's what will be playing on the cockpit speakers.

[goat]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Many people have asked about the music. It's Jesse Cook "Quadukka-L-M" off his Nomad album.

Originally Posted by mawtty

love the music. Please, what is the CD?
Hides the motor noise ok, Tim.

Ask and ye shall receive.

goat

and, what's a CD?

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

I've found the iphone app "Sea State" to be quite accurate:

I can't seem to locate that App on the App's app for iphone?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

I cant download video.

I don't want to criticize anyone, but also want to avoid other people adopting this sailing technique, unless carefully considered...and understood.

As I understand, boat sailed under mainsail only and engine....well... classic practice is to deploy a jib, or better a staysail, with a further reef on main, and no! Engine!

Engine, if necessary, was used to avoid stopping between waves!? In 40+ winds I doubt so, and btw a main reefed at 75% seems way too large in such conditions.

I agree that speed is required to avoid the boat steering upwind after rolling downwind, but, again...surfing with a displacement boat is just dangerous in big seas.

Sorry if I tend to disagree with your tactics.. I believe you will act differently so far you repair your staysail furler :-)
..
Finally, we may suppose that, on reaching, your apparent wind was a bit lower than stated, wasn't it!?
That channel is narrow and dangerous, and winds always surge through it.

Good to get through it safe&clean on a big boat, but quite a hazard on anything below 40' LOA.

I say it to warn anyone with much lesser boats :-)

I can't quite agree with this: ".surfing with a displacement boat is just dangerous in big seas."

It depends on the boat, and shape of the seas.

I have surfed every displacement hull boat I've ever had, at various times. A bit scary on a lightweight Salona 45 racer/cruiser but not dangerous.

Ken's boat is ideal for these conditions -- very large rudder, heavy weight, bulb keel. It takes quite a lot more than what we saw in the video, to cause any problems with that setup.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

I cant download video.

I don't want to criticize anyone, but also want to avoid other people adopting this sailing technique, unless carefully considered...and understood.

As I understand, boat sailed under mainsail only and engine....well... classic practice is to deploy a jib, or better a staysail, with a further reef on main, and no! Engine!

Engine, if necessary, was used to avoid stopping between waves!? In 40+ winds I doubt so, and btw a main reefed at 75% seems way too large in such conditions.

I agree that speed is required to avoid the boat steering upwind after rolling downwind, but, again...surfing with a displacement boat is just dangerous in big seas.

Sorry if I tend to disagree with your tactics.. I believe you will act differently so far you repair your staysail furler :-)
..
Finally, we may suppose that, on reaching, your apparent wind was a bit lower than stated, wasn't it!?
That channel is narrow and dangerous, and winds always surge through it.

Good to get through it safe&clean on a big boat, but quite a hazard on anything below 40' LOA.

I say it to warn anyone with much lesser boats :-)

The main sail was furled in to less than 25%.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I highly doubt anyone on this forum has sailed a small sailboat in conditions depicted in that video. Those forward breaking waves would be death - regardless of what your storm tactic is.

Well I guess you'd be wrong, on both counts. Actually I don't have to.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Many people have asked about the music. It's Jesse Cook "Quadukka-L-M" off his Nomad album.

I wondered if it was Jesse Cook. His "Freefall" album has long been one of my favorites, both for skiing and sailing.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

Ok, so that seems scary. So having sailed through that, at what point would you consider deploying a series drogue?

Having never been in something like that I feel like I would have tucked tail and thrown a drogue by the time you shot that video.

What do the experienced / those in the know say?

(On edit I just realized that is a freighter in the video. I was to mesmerized by the waves to take notice)

Having survived something like this and rather worse in fact back in the early Spring of 1989 a few hundred miles off Cape Hatteras, in a 72 foot ketch, with five hard knockdowns and a near complete roll I can tell you that it changed my ideas about storm tactics. The weather system was a vast and extremely deep "Nor' Easter" which put sustained F11 winds across the Gulf Stream along with hundreds of miles either side and piled up against the Southern section of the central Atlantic high. Total chaos. In that case we were averaging 24 knots for a dozen hours or so, far above hull speed, surfing crazily down the waves almost constantly, and occasionally being broached and slammed down hard under the breaking crests. Not one single crewmember wasn't saved by their harness multiple times, and I was torn from the wheel by breaking seas on three occasions, totally submerged, and totally unable to hold on despite being 19 and strong.

In the morning, when it had passed, I changed out the 20 mm storm jib line, which I had helped put on the previous day. When I put it on it was fresh, clean and new. I attach a photo I have just taken of that same line fragment, which I have kept to this day aboard every sailing vessel I have owned, and is still aboard my home. It is my "lucky" line. If you look closely you will see that it is part frayed through, part cut. The shorter, cut section is what I put my knife through in the morning. The long, frayed section, more than half the braids, literally just flogged themselves to death in the air that night, through vibration alone, aft of the knot and not in contact with anything. If the remaining stands had gone we would have been utterly at the mercy of the storm. It reminds me that running before is the FIFTH option for me, in such conditions, the others being hove to, forereaching, riding to a sea anchor, and running before a drogue, in that order.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Muckle Flugga

Well I guess you'd be wrong, on both counts. Actually I don't have to.

Of course. I'm probably wrong and at least 100 forum posters have been in sea's that large and winds that strong. Unfortunately all of you had broken cameras or the dog ate the VCR tape because after viewing hundreds of Youtube videos I've never seen one with a small boat in seas such as those.