Time to Reef?

[Cheechako]

Think we should reef now..?
OK to row ashore honey?

[sailorboy1]

bend over and kiss your a** goodbye

or

really take in the incredible view

[Kettlewell]

Down in the southwest Caribbean we saw thick columns of lightning like that descend straight down into the water around us sending up huge clouds of steam. They make lightning suppression gear look like a sad joke--if one of those columns hits you stuff will be vaporized.

[Bash]

Time to reef? No. Time to strike the sails.

[bobconnie]

It was time the day before yesterday, to change direction to get the heck away from that stuff !! Its way to late to reef !! just my 2 cents

[atoll]

if you are gettin the feelin it's time to reef it probably is ,especially if the air temp has dropped enough to notice the change..............

[scotty c-m]

My wife and I, on our honymoon 35 years ago, rented a sunfish sailboat for the day in the Bahamas. We sailed around for a bit and returned towards the beach. We looked back to where we were a few minutes before, and saw a waterspout! It was at least 50 feet into the air! Then it was gone. Perhaps not as dramatic as the pictures that started this thread, but it sure got our attention. Thanks for sparking the memory!

[bobconnie]

There are days south of us in the gulf, when those spouts are everywhere!! so far they seem to be short lived but all over the place when conditions are right for em to get going!! kinda makes ya feel small and helpless LOL

[bill cartwright]

Picture 1 Looks like I am close to the shore so I would take a broad reach or closer to a reach/run toward off shore and try and outrun the storm to the deep water. When the storm gets closer, drop the main on the deck and run on the jib, still heading to deep water on a broad reach. 7 to 10 knots hull speed at this point. This will have you in the troughs but it is better than running down wind in the troughs and constantly setting your self up to broach when the wave passes und the rudder. The storm is small so maybe 15 to 25 miles out and you are good. The seas will get better. Oh break out weather gear">foul weather gear and everyone with PFDs on.

Picture 2 Looks like we are in the bay as other boats look anchored ahead. Drop anchor, pay out 200 feet of chain. drop sails, batten down hatches, run diesel in idle speed, clear drains of sheets and get ready for a blow. diesel running so if hit by lightning, motor is ok. Isolate house battery and run on motor battery. Looks like 2 or 3 hours of rain and wind with 6 hrs of rain. Turn on anchor lights, If you have a spare piece of chain, wrap it arround a lower stay and drop it in the water. Hopefully the wrapped end is secured with wire or schackle. Aids to grounding the mast, better path for juice to follow. During peak of storm stay below with top hatch board out and keep watch, keep flashlights at hand. I might would even turn on the masthead strobe for more visibility. Oh break out foul weather gear and everyone with PFDs on. Make a pot of coffee, long night ahead.

I noticed your name on a lot of different threads, either you are one old salt trying to sturr up stuff or your just trying to learn what others experienced or did. In any case, it is a good thing to keep people thinking. Have a good one.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Bash

Time to reef? No. Time to strike the sails.

We did:

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by bill cartwright

Picture 1 Looks like I am close to the shore so I would take a broad reach or closer to a reach/run toward off shore and try and outrun the storm to the deep water. When the storm gets closer, drop the main on the deck and run on the jib, still heading to deep water on a broad reach. 7 to 10 knots hull speed at this point. This will have you in the troughs but it is better than running down wind in the troughs and constantly setting your self up to broach when the wave passes und the rudder. The storm is small so maybe 15 to 25 miles out and you are good. The seas will get better. Oh break out foul weather gear and everyone with PFDs on.

Picture 2 Looks like we are in the bay as other boats look anchored ahead. Drop anchor, pay out 200 feet of chain. drop sails, batten down hatches, run diesel in idle speed, clear drains of sheets and get ready for a blow. diesel running so if hit by lightning, motor is ok. Isolate house battery and run on motor battery. Looks like 2 or 3 hours of rain and wind with 6 hrs of rain. Turn on anchor lights, If you have a spare piece of chain, wrap it arround a lower stay and drop it in the water. Hopefully the wrapped end is secured with wire or schackle. Aids to grounding the mast, better path for juice to follow. During peak of storm stay below with top hatch board out and keep watch, keep flashlights at hand. I might would even turn on the masthead strobe for more visibility. Oh break out foul weather gear and everyone with PFDs on. Make a pot of coffee, long night ahead.

I noticed your name on a lot of different threads, either you are one old salt trying to sturr up stuff or your just trying to learn what others experienced or did. In any case, it is a good thing to keep people thinking. Have a good one.

Defintely not my pics. I just thought it would be fun to share them. Evidently they are from the recent storm activity in Oz.
I was fishing in the dingy and got caught out in a lightening storm in the 80's. Before I could get back to the boat, bolts were striking all around me! as I passed an old trimaran anchored, a bolt hit the mast and melted the stuff on the top. It was still smoking as I rowed past... oh well, me and the fish made it back safely. But I always watched the horizon and returned faster to the boat when something started to develop after that!