Yet more lives and vessels lost Cap de Creus Spain

[Sailer_Med]

In a tough start to off season sailing here; yet more sailors lost. RIP and condolences to the families.

This hits close to home for us as these are our home sailing waters. It is beautiful but can be very treacherous in the conditions these poor souls set out in...

Two days ago (Nov 23rd) two sailors depart Cap d'Agde France bound to Gruissan France 19nm away on a 13m sailing yacht believed to be a Jeanneau Sun Odissey 42 DS. Due in Gruissan FR at 2100. Conditions were horrible all day on the 23rd and 24th in the Gulf de Leon. A Traumontana was blowing viscously and had been for days and days. The Vermilion Coast of France and Costa Brava are no place to sail in those weather conditions. The departure at that time in those conditions is both inexplicable and sadly consequential.

At 2130 that evening, they contacted French maritime rescue who transfer the call to Salvamento Marine (spanish SAR). Reporting that they were unable to reach Gruissan and intending to head further south to Spain looking to moor (someplace?).

In an even more unfortunate turn of events they turn west just north of Cap de Creus possibly heading to Port de la Selva, or maybe Llanca. In a traumontana Cap de Creus is a notorious and dangerous lee shore. There is no shelter along the Cap and Porta de la Selva would be very difficult to enter likely having breakers in the bay.

The boat was found run into the rocks at Illa de Cap de Boi 30m off land by SAR just after midnight. Both sailors deceased, boat sinking on the rocks.

Be careful out there and treasure your time.


https://www.elperiodico.com/es/socie...selva-95026095

[5BTM]

Sad indeed.

One of the worst storms I have experienced was a Mistral on route to LaSpezia.
Would not want to experience one on a sailboat.

Would you have set out in those conditions?

[Sailer_Med]

Me? No. I know the weather and sea pretty well in that area. Holed up on Sete (about 12nm NE of Cap d Agde) for 5 days waiting out a big tramontana in September. Not worth it.

[boatman61]

Agreed, one sails in the brief 1-2day windows between these systems, not during them.
Riden out a few in the Ballearics and have a healthy respect for the weather coming out of the North from September onwards.

[neilpride]

Puff very sad, those mistrals are fierce, I remember spending one at night in Mallorca in port Andraitx, I got to see 50 knots in the Raymarine, luckily the anchor hooked on a submarine power cable, a pain in the ass with the authorities when everything calmed down.

[5BTM]

Never been in a storm an a sailboat and was not in position of final say, but my instinct and experience would make me to head for deep water and look for sea room.

It seems that, lately, boats that have got into trouble were doing the opposite.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by 5BTM

Never been in a storm an a sailboat and was not in position of final say, but my instinct and experience would make me to head for deep water and look for sea room.

It seems that, lately, boats that have got into trouble were doing the opposite.

Other than the current thread, which ones? Maybe I missed another report but all I've read thus far is the singlehander 270 miles off the NC coast, and the couple in the Gulf of Mexico, reportedly 90 miles from land. The two boats that washed up on a Hatteras beach (no human casualties, fortunately) were likely either trying for dangerous inlets or trying to head south on the inside of the gulf stream. Or ... who knows? Was there another one of late where heading for deep water & sea room (often a good option) would have been an alternative?

[5BTM]

Originally Posted by Exile

Other than the current thread, which ones? Maybe I missed another report but all I've read thus far is the singlehander 270 miles off the NC coast, and the couple in the Gulf of Mexico, reportedly 90 miles from land. The two boats that washed up on a Hatteras beach (no human casualties, fortunately) were likely either trying for dangerous inlets or trying to head south on the inside of the gulf stream. Or ... who knows? Was there another one of late where heading for deep water & sea room (often a good option) would have been an alternative?

The one that sunk in Mexico.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by 5BTM

The one that sunk in Mexico.

Okay thanks. Didn't read that thread, only saw it in passing.

I recall another one in the Bahamas a few years back where a failed attempt was made to enter a dangerous harbor at night as opposed to waiting until morning.

Many of these incidents involve different scenarios and variables, and so often result in different lessons learned (maybe ).

[skipperpete]

My boat is in the Marina at Port St Louis du Rhône just up the coast from the OP, we got a warning for Northerly Wind at up to 50 knots.

[skipperpete]

I’m curious to know what direction you were getting the wind from at Sète Sailor-med, the predicted wind N-NE in our region around Fos sur Mer would be off shore, is a Tramontana different from a Mistral. We had 125 Kl/h in a previous Mistral and our beach was flat seas no breaking waves.... but the Rhône was un navigable even by the 95 metre barges.

[boatman61]

The Mistral and Tramontana are mesoscale winds in southern France. Both winds are channeled through valleys and impact the hydrological cycle of the Mediterranean Sea by causing deep-water formation in the Gulf of Lion
The tramontana is a strong, dry cold wind from the north on the Mediterranean or from the northwest in lower Languedoc, Roussillon, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The Mistral and Tramontana are mesoscale winds ...

Very interesting & informative!

FWIW:
Mesoscale:
Size scale referring to weather systems smaller than synoptic-scale systems, but larger than storm-scale systems, and [usually] lifetimes of a day or less.
Horizontal dimensions generally range from around 50 miles to several hundred miles.
Squall lines, thunderstorms, gap winds, downslope windstorms, land-sea breezes, Mesoscale Convective Complexs [MCCs], and Mesoscale Convective Systems [MCSs] are examples of mesoscale weather systems

Met' Glossary ➥ https://forecast.weather.gov/glossar...word=MESOSCALE

Mistral: A cold, dry wind blowing from the north over the northwest coast of the Mediterranean Sea, particularly over the Gulf of Lions. Also called CIERZO. See also FALL WIND.

Tramontana: A northeasterly or northerly winter wind off the west coast of Italy. It is a fresh wind of the fine weather mistral type.

Local Winds ➥ https://www.metlink.org/resource/local-winds/

[Sailer_Med]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

I’m curious to know what direction you were getting the wind from at Sète Sailor-med, the predicted wind N-NE in our region around Fos sur Mer would be off shore, is a Tramontana different from a Mistral. We had 125 Kl/h in a previous Mistral and our beach was flat seas no breaking waves.... but the Rhône was un navigable even by the 95 metre barges.

I attached the way we read it in these parts (catalonia). Bear in mind, in spite of what MET says these are regional winds and have regional names

Anyway the wind was NW in Sete those days. I just looked again, this was August not September. For us there is a difference between the two winds. The tramontana also shows up from the NNW in Empuriabrava area (around Roses) and funnels down some canyons on the spanish side of the Pyrenees. It is tricky to shelter from because of the funnelling down canyons. The NW direction of the tramontana will often let you sail in the shadow of the coast inside of where fetch turns it into a nightmare. I'm thinking that is what the two people that set out from Sete intended but something went wrong.

The Mistral can be observed as a primarily N wind here and you can find shelter in well oriented coves on the south side of Cap de Creus.

There is some interesting weather in the next few days around here...

[skipperpete]

Thanks for the explanation Sailor-med, I got caught out crossing the Etang du Thau at Sète, astonishing how rough an inland lake can become in a big blow.
Stay safe.