What would be the Strongest storm?

[whitecaps]

What would have been the strongest Storm that anyone has sailed through with no problems? I know I have been in 40mgh winds with strong gusts and it was pretty fun but very powerfull! I could not think of being in anything stronger?

[Talbot]

In a yacht, 50 kt winds in the English Channel, basically running under a bare pole with a pocket handkerchief of sail. (Victoria 34) Boat behaved impeccably but only two of us were experienced enough to avoid broaches

Had worse in a warship, but dont want to think too much about it - suffice it to say the authorities actually had MPA aircraft up looking for us thinking we had sunk!

[SkiprJohn]

Hi Whitecaps,
I went through two hurricanes and one typhoon at sea in Navy Destroyers. The highest winds I've experienced in a sailboat are about the strength that you've described. Talbots experience was worse. I crossed the Pacific in 23 days with no more than 35 knots and most the time less than 15. It is very good to be prepared for heavy weather but if you plan your sailing correctly and wait for weather windows you might be lucky and never have to test your heavy weather sailing ability.
Regards,
John

[Talbot]

Was a really interesting experience I had raced across the channel in a different boat, but they were staying in Guernsey so I got a lift in one of the other boats back. It was forecast Force 9 possibly 10 on the tail so we were expecting bad weather. As a supernumery I was hoping to be able to catch up on my sleep! As it was I was one of the only two able to anticipate the boat movement and prevent broaching, so I was pretty zapped by the time we got back to Portsmouth.

[Alan Wheeler]

50knts, but we were lucky to have just made it back into the shelter of the sounds. So no fetch to produce heavey seas. As it was though, the water was smoking.
You know, till that day, I never realised what the words to smoke on the water actually meant.
The wildest trip though, was one I won't forget in a life time. We were in steep breaking seas that towerd above me. Probably only 16ft(4m) but we were in about 35-40knts and a strong tidal area, so the waves stood very steeply and broke over us. It was hard work and the boat wasn't sailing at the time. We were under motor power, on a lee shore to a major reef and I was worried about little things like, what if the motor quits right now. We got through, but I won't do that again. Silly thing was, a couple of smaller things happend before we were in the situation and I should have listened to my little voice inside and not attempted what we did, till the weather dropped. One was seeing a 100ft fishing trawler disapear with white water going right over top of her, out on our horizon. silly me

[Ed Steele]

I heartily recommend the book “Close to the Wind” by Pete Goss (published 1999?). The perfect book to read while hove to in a gale! I particularly liked the part where he has capsized in the depths of the southern oceans, he is standing on the hull holding onto the keel and his first thought was that he was glad he had remembered to grab the camera -“this time”. Enjoy

[Weyalan]

When delivering my own boat from Queensland to Tasmania, on the first night out it was forecast to blow 25-30 knots, but it blew up a storm; from behind, fortunately. At one stage I saw the wind instruments reading 45 knots, while the speedo was saying 17 knots - I figure that gust was 60 knots plus! Talk about a hard introduction to owning a yacht!

[Seaquesta1]

I know what your talkin about Weyalan.

After buying Lipstick (Seaquesta) in Queensland AU and sailing her back to New Zealand we spent the final 3 days into NZ under storm jib and trisail (and still over canvased!!) with 6 meter breaking swells. We'd cheer on the few occations that the wind instruments read under 40 knots. Every second wave (well, thats what it felt like) would sent 2 feet of water along the deck and fill the cockpit. When on the helm for your two hour watch, it was like someone was continuously throwing large buckets of water at you, whist another was hosing you down. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing, anywhere on the boat was dry. I never thought I'd look forward to climbing into a soaking wet sleeping bag in drenched wet weather gear, but I did!

3 days of that crap certainly tests your resolve!

Still after all that I now know that I have a boat that is as solid as a brick dunny! (just with a few leaks)

[whitecaps]

wow you guys are dam good sailors then in My book! All I have to say is wow! I am getting scard reading all of this! How did you guys learn the Ocean is it your boats or have you been on the water all your life! I could not imagine 10 foot waves coming at me! I am thinking lake erie gets bad but i guess I am in a little pond!

[GMac]

61 miles in 10 hours bare poles with the wind gear hard on the needle reading 65kts. Tonga to NZ in a 39ft Bob Stewart Camalot (motorsailer). An exciting but not that uncomfortable afternoon/nite. A good boat to be stuck in stuff like that. Zero damage apart from one of the offshore newbie crew undies :-)

Lots of wind is fine if you are ready for it and don't get too stressed that you make silly calls. The key is be ready for it and don't wait until it's all on.

[Alan Wheeler]

A close friend I sail with often, was caught in 80kts rounding Stevens Island, top of the South Island and a natoriuose piece of water. He said the sound of the wind and the spray hitting you was like nothing you could describe.
I have been on a bigger ship (Ferry across our cook straight) in howling wind a massive sea and the sound of the wind is simply, "screaming".

[sneuman]

60 knots, 30-40 ft. waves sailing through Typhoon Kai Tak in S. China Sea last year in 28ft sloop.

[mudnut]

sneuman forgot to tell ya he sold the boat after that at a loss.Am I right on that?Canr't remember that part,but the typhoon story sure had me thinking asia is a scarey place to sail.The word KAMAKAZI actually is a referance to wind,or,a particular wind.The badest I have been in was on a scallop trawler NE coast of Tasmania,40knt's and 25' swell.To make it worse,The toilet was out of commision,and it was hang it over the side and wear what was breaking over the boat or,anyway,that was my first BIDET experiance.Now I know why scallops are so pricey on the market.Mudnut.

[sneuman]

well, not exactly. she isn't sold yet.

[sneuman]

whitecaps:

Lake Erie *does* get bad. My family had a 24ft cabin cruiser based near Sandusky while I was growing up. Erie is shallow and the sh*t whips up quickly and the amplitude (?) of the waves is short. That carries its own peculiar challenges and it makes for a really jerky and disconcerting ride. I remember one time we got caught out in the lake in 10ft swells, and it was nothing to sneeze at. 10ft on the ocean is a much longer period between waves and therefore a much different experience - easier, i'd say, but others may disagree.