Five Rescued Today In Puget Sound

[Steve Olson]

Three adults and two children rescued off Port Ludlow today in Puget South...interesting that the boat was left adrift in such a busy shipping lane area. Glad every is safe!!

Coast Guard rescues 5 from sailboat near Port Ludlow | www.kirotv.com

[Steve Olson]

More info.

Sailboat found grounded today near Oak Harbor after Coast Guard rescues five people from vessel -- Port Angeles Port Townsend Sequim Forks Jefferson County Clallam County Olympic Peninsula Daily news

[ElGatoGordo]

Brrrrr!!! Glad they are safe!

[Paul Elliott]

Yesterday was quite exciting in the weather department up here in the pacific Northwest. I was racing around one of the San Juan islands, and on the way to the boat it was snowing. Then it calmed down and was practically dead for the 10:15 AM start. Then the skies partially cleared, the wind then picked up a bit and we had a comfortable race with 10-20 kts of wind.

A few hours later it was blowing dogs off chains.

Here is a plot of windspeed and air pressure from the Port Townsend station, not too far from were these boaters were rescued -- gusts exceeding 40 kts. Closer to my location it was topping 50 kts.

[cwyckham]

Not sure how any 34' sailboat "takes on water over the side".

This skipper went out into a very well forecast storm system with children aboard in winter. Sounds like they then (rightly) realized they were way over their head and got pulled off.

Maybe next time they'll check a forecast?

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Not sure how any 34' sailboat "takes on water over the side".

This skipper went out into a very well forecast storm system with children aboard in winter. Sounds like they then (rightly) realized they were way over their head and got pulled off.

Maybe next time they'll check a forecast?

It takes on water over the side when it heels too far.

These gale conditions were forecast, but the timing was way off. It really seemed like the system had blown through, ahead of the prediction, the night before when it was really honking. That morning it was calm and reasonable. It wasn't until late afternoon that it picked up again.

I agree that it wasn't a day for inexperienced people or young children to be sailing too far from safety. Where we were racing we had plenty of bail-out options (I was crewing on a 27' boat, not my own.)

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

It takes on water over the side when it heels too far.

These gale conditions were forecast, but the timing was way off. It really seemed like the system had blown through, ahead of the prediction, the night before when it was really honking. That morning it was calm and reasonable. It wasn't until late afternoon that it picked up again.

I agree that it wasn't a day for inexperienced people or young children to be sailing too far from safety. Where we were racing we had plenty of bail-out options (I was crewing on a 27' boat, not my own.)

You were posting your wind graph at the same time as I was typing, so I hadn't seen it. That certainly does help explain why it would seem like this had blown through.

I still have no idea how you take on water over the side. I think that they just meant that they were getting water on the decks and in the cockpit, which would be expected in the conditions. If it's getting down below, close the companionway! A boat isn't taking on water unless it's getting inside.

[senormechanico]

I wonder if they had any idea of how to reef or drop sail...

It must have drifted right past my neighborhood on the way out to the Strait.
I didn't see it because I was kinda busy making sure no boats were coming loose on neighbor's docks.

[Oregon Waterman]

We had gusts to 60 knots down here on the Southern Coast of Oregon, 70 feet to get over the bar-no thanks.

[Cheechako]

"Oh Honey, driving a boat is no differnt than driving a car..."
Heck, my wife and I used to seek out that kind of weather in Puget Sound to really test the sailing/heaving to prior to going offshore. Let's face it, Puget Sound doesnt often get much water action compared with alot of places... not enough fetch, so it may be blwoing 40 but the seas are probably 6+ feet.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

"Oh Honey, driving a boat is no differnt than driving a car..."
Heck, my wife and I used to seek out that kind of weather in Puget Sound to really test the sailing/heaving to prior to going offshore. Let's face it, Puget Sound doesnt often get much water action compared with alot of places... not enough fetch, so it may be blwoing 40 but the seas are probably 6+ feet.

Well then, slide over to the Right side. I got caught out with my daughter. 25 knots but, damn, 12' seas. Luckily we were downwind. Still can't figure out why they built so much. Running up the West coast of Newfoundland. Must have had a south setting current against a southerly wind. As they say locally, wicked.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

"Oh Honey, driving a boat is no differnt than driving a car..."
Heck, my wife and I used to seek out that kind of weather in Puget Sound to really test the sailing/heaving to prior to going offshore. Let's face it, Puget Sound doesnt often get much water action compared with alot of places... not enough fetch, so it may be blwoing 40 but the seas are probably 6+ feet.

Offshore, it's not so much the height of the waves, but the aspect ratio and whether or not they're breaking and if they're coming at you from more than one direction.

[Mycroft]

Here's the account of the rescue from the Coast Guard crew's perspective:

Fairhaven crew aids in Coast Guard rescue of storm-battered sailboat

At about 6:30 p.m., the crew of the Fairhaven-based Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin heard a distress call from a sailboat that was taking on water about 5 miles from shore. The 34-foot sailboat's sails wouldn't come down, and the boat was being battered by waves up to 5 feet high and 40 mph winds.

[Paul Elliott]

Before I moved up here most of my sailing had been in deep ocean waters. 6-8 ft waves were common, and 12-15 ft waves weren't extraordinary. These generally were long-period ocean swells coming from a long way off, and sailing through them wasn't a huge deal.

The waves in the inland waters of the PNW are different. Here the fetch is usually short, the current is strong, and when the wind kicks up the waves get really steep. 4-ft waves can be really uncomfortable.

It's not the height alone that matters. A small but steep short-period wave pattern can be pretty brutal.

[Mycroft]

My guess is that with the inability to get the sails down (halyard jump a track? in-mast furling jamb?) the boat suffered at least one knock-down. That combined with the sea state and the crew/passengers freaked out.