Encountering a hurricane at sea - how big could the waves get?

[virginia boy]

So...could a small boat (and it's crew) survive 90 foot waves?

[gonesail]

take a look at the book: at the mercy of the sea.

[RDW]

Vasco, (post 11) Do you really think a boat of that size is steering into individual waves?
RDW

[Wraith_Mac]

Maybe,
Years ago, in the 1960s home built trimarans were a very popular escape for a lot of us down under and many stories were spread in that loose community, very often concerned with safety and seaworthiness.
John Glennie and his brothers, Kiwis, experiences in the Southern Ocean were mentioned quite often as examples of survivability.
He has published books on his adventures but I can only point you to the links below.
In chapter 26 he recounts a near vertical wave of greater than 60' which was as high as he could from inside his tri and its aftermath.
In Chapter 27 he reports a wall of water apparently greater even than this in the same area.
These chapters can reached via the second link.
John Glennie, Playboys of the South Pacific, Chapter 9
Trimaran Projects and Multihull News: Extract from John Glennie's new book "Playboys of the South Pacific"
You of course can decide for yourself if the waves could actually have been larger, as rumored at the time.
Cheers,
Mac

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by RDW

Vasco, (post 11) Do you really think a boat of that size is steering into individual waves?
RDW

Yes, listen to the helm orders on the video. This is how it gets when it hits the fan. The seas come at slightly different angles and each one has to be met.

[de0xyrib0se]

Originally Posted by jhetfield

Have any of you ever been caught at sea on a sailboat during a hurricane or typhoon?

Because I just found a video of a hurricane's true power in the open ocean.

...video...

How many feet tall do you think were the waves in this video?

It's hard to imagine any type of sailboat to survive something like this!

You won't find people that have sailed such waves, BUT, you will find a man that has surfed such waves.

Caught On Tape: Daredevil Surfer Tackles Largest Wave Ever - YouTube

111 feet on a surf! Balls of steel!

[S/V_Surya]

I recall reading a series of articles in Latitude 38 about a guy that set off I think from Bermuda to London for a race in his rather small sailboat. I think 24 feet. Anyway he got caught in a Hurricane and even passed through the eye. He survived and his take was he stayed in cockpit aggressivly steering rather then being hove to. Also the conclusion was a small boat is stronger than a large boat but more uncomforatble. The article was written in early 80's. (Now I have dated myself, sigh).

[robert sailor]

This is my personal opinion but those folks that say that ride out a full fledged hurricane are suspect in my books. Around the edges of it would be more than most could take but I think in almost all cases you would not survive if you were right in the hurricane.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by Wraith_Mac

Maybe,
Years ago, in the 1960s home built trimarans were a very popular escape for a lot of us down under and many stories were spread in that loose community, very often concerned with safety and seaworthiness.
John Glennie and his brothers, Kiwis, experiences in the Southern Ocean were mentioned quite often as examples of survivability.
He has published books on his adventures but I can only point you to the links below.
In chapter 26 he recounts a near vertical wave of greater than 60' which was as high as he could from inside his tri and its aftermath.
In Chapter 27 he reports a wall of water apparently greater even than this in the same area.
These chapters can reached via the second link.
John Glennie, Playboys of the South Pacific, Chapter 9
Trimaran Projects and Multihull News: Extract from John Glennie's new book "Playboys of the South Pacific"
You of course can decide for yourself if the waves could actually have been larger, as rumored at the time.
Cheers,
Mac

That was a quite exciting read, Thanks.

[sailr69]

there may be times where a small boat will go to sea to save it from a more extreme danger but most encounters are by just being in the area at the worst time. I had my share of extreme weather on the USS Intrepid. I could see small boats easily survive the conditions. but very seasick occupants, but the boats must be seaworthy. I raced in the Port Huron to Mac race in 1988 and one third of the fleet dropped out due to heavy seas and seasickness. several dismastings and one boat ( Tomahawk) which sunk. we survived beating over 30 hours in heavy seas. if it wasn't a race, we would have just reached off and head for harbor. the boat just goes up and down in the waves, sometimes violently but it will get you there if it is a good offshore yacht.

[Liam Wald]

Would you rather be in a small sailboat in open water with a hurricane or on the 4th floor of a 200 year old six-story brick building in down town Lima Peru during a major earthquake?
My guess is that your odds of survival are about the same. You might get real lucky.
But probably not.

[Bashleys]

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean Susan Casey

She does a pretty god job of making wave science interesting.

[eyschulman]

late 1960s I was on 311 ft De flying USCG flag in the north Atlantic. Our ship diverted from our safe course and answered an SOS from a 45 ft motor sailor caught in a nasty hurricane . Many NOA weathermen aboard since weather reports were part of our mission. Waves greater than 60 foot by their measurement. The five aboard sail boat survived with our rescue. Boats rudder broken and ports caved in. We left boat still floating on its sea anchor. The crew may have survived the remainder of the storm but the odds were not good. In my opinion having been there anybody who knowingly puts themselves in the way of big waves on a small boat is a major AH.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Hud3

and waves always look smaller than they actually are in still photos or video.

.

And bigger than they actually are when you are in the trough and your bum is only 2 foot above the water

Does anyone recognise that bit of coast at about 3.30? I don't think I would like to be anywhere near the land in those conditions... the lee of Bum Island being the only exception. In North West Western Australia the ore ports order ships to sea when there is a cyclone in the offing... not for the good of the ships but to save the shore installations from damage....... nice ...

While big ships may put to sea the best option on a small one is to do the best you can for her and then quite literally head for the hills ... think Bounty and the 'dude schooner' .... whose name escapes me... lost offshore Belize some years back.

I note what the skipper is saying in the vid about British ships v FoC ... maybe that has something to do with the number of British ships v the number of FoC out there these days.

The largest British ship ever lost by any cause , the 150k dwt 'Derbyshire' , was lost with all hands in a typhoon south of Japan.

I reckon there would have been some pretty serious seas running of the western entrance of Bass Strait over the last 2 days.....

[El Pinguino]

And also.... while a typhoon can be terminal for just about anything that floats ... steel ships behave differently to yachts .

This was just over 40 years ago, 100dwt loaded ship off the South African coast near Port Shepstone/Port St Johns somewhere, head SW at about 7 knots into fresh SWly. That crow's nest was 70 feet above the water line when she was loaded. Shortly after this photo was taken, crash bangle thud, speed on the SAL log went from 7 knots to about 1 knot on the instant, front half of the ship vanished and when it re-appeared the window with the clear view screen was gone, the foremast was bent back about 5 degrees from the vertical, the deck in front of said mast had a big crack in it and the focsle was flooded. Not the first time something like this had happened to ships in this area.
A yacht running in those conditions probably wouldn't even have noticed it.