Catamarans in 50kt winds

[El Pinguino]

Yup... that's 50 knots..... first time sighted in this thread..

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Yup... that's 50 knots..... first time sighted in this thread..

And this is 40-45 knots:






In the North Sea and after blowing for 24 hours over a few thousand miles. The crests are over the first spreader and blotting out the sky.

It is true that the camera understates sea state, but yet, you can get at least a taste of the horror of a big sea state.

[El Pinguino]

Matches this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufo...t_scale_10.jpg

A lot different to the sea produced in the first few hours of F10 or a F10 under the lee of the land ( i.e. closer than 400 miles )

Sea state is more important than wind speed ... I think I have already said that.....oh well

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Matches this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufo...t_scale_10.jpg

A lot different to the sea produced in the first few hours of F10 or a F10 under the lee of the land ( i.e. closer than 400 miles )

Sea state is more important than wind speed ... I think I have already said that.....oh well

Indeed. We've discussed this recently in another thread.

A big sea state is produced by energy transfer from the wind. To get to the maximum energy transfer and to the Beaufort Scale standard sea state requires time and fetch. That's why sudden, violent squalls are trivial, so long as you don't get caught out with too much sail up. They cannot produce a dangerous sea state.


Getting back to the original topic -- if you get caught out in a sudden, violent squall with too much sail up, in a mono, it is extremely unlikely that anything will happen to you worse than a broach or a partial knock-down. That's because your sails are depowered as the boat heels, and then the righting moment of the keel pulls you back upright. It's theoretically more dangerous in a cat since these factors are lacking, but in practice, cases of cats being blown over by wind alone are exceptionally rare, and not something I would worry about. For both cats and monos, the dangerous thing is the sea state, not the wind.

[smj]

The fact is a cruising catamaran has the same chance of flipping as a monohull does sinking. Now it's up to you which one you feel more comfortable with.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[KJThomas]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Yup... that's 50 knots..... first time sighted in this thread..

Really. I put up a video of more than 50knots earlier.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by KJThomas

Really. I put up a video of more than 50knots earlier.

Apologies... that vid came up with an 'error' message for me ... couldn't view it... sorry..

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

And this is 40-45 knots:

Attachment 129224

Attachment 129225


In the North Sea and after blowing for 24 hours over a few thousand miles. The crests are over the first spreader and blotting out the sky.

It is true that the camera understates sea state, but yet, you can get at least a taste of the horror of a big sea state.

there is also a difference between running with and beating into such weather. i wouldn't want to beat into your waves in a small boat (<20m) but i would be having a coffee on the bridge in that youtube video.
if you can run it off, it is a totaly different story and experience.
and you definitly want to get out of it or at least under a shore for protection.
especialy if both your replacements are in no state to relief you.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

there is also a difference between running with and beating into such weather. i wouldn't want to beat into your waves in a small boat (<20m) but i would be having a coffee on the bridge in that youtube video.
if you can run it off, it is a totaly different story and experience.
and you definitly want to get .......... under a shore for protection.
especialy if both your replacements are in no state to relief you.

That can lead to tears.........

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

That can lead to tears.........

hmm lost in translation again

[El Pinguino]

Seeking shelter in hard conditions can sometimes be more dangerous than staying at sea...

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Seeking shelter in hard conditions can sometimes be more dangerous than staying at sea...

yes definitly.
once you are in such conditions, they limit your options.
even turning the ship around is dangerous to impossible.
that is why the number one rule is to avoid such conditions if you can.

[KJThomas]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

yes definitly.
once you are in such conditions, they limit your options.
even turning the ship around is dangerous to impossible.
that is why the number one rule is to avoid such conditions if you can.

Well yes, but in 30years at sea sometimes they come and get you. despite all attempts to avoid it.
I would rather meet them mid ocean though.
Just outside Wellington harbour really does limit your options.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUWascqCBe0

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

there is also a difference between running with and beating into such weather. i wouldn't want to beat into your waves in a small boat (<20m) but i would be having a coffee on the bridge in that youtube video.
if you can run it off, it is a totaly different story and experience.
and you definitly want to get out of it or at least under a shore for protection.
especialy if both your replacements are in no state to relief you.

Yes, of course, and we WERE running off. Beating into those would have been completely impossible.

Running off was reasonably non-terrifying -- we did it for more than 24 hours. But the breaking crests were very dangerous and you have to avoid them -- hard to do on an overcast night. You also have to pick your line down the faces very carefully -- a bit like skiing. If you go straight down, you can speed out of control. We did not, however, feel we needed a drogue. I guess one force more and that would have changed.

In the event we got caught by a breaking crest and knocked down -- a few hours after those photos were made. Tons of water like a house collapsing on top of your boat. Fortunately no damage.

The moral of the story is that a fully developed sea state in a F9 can already be quite dangerous for a small (<20 meters, or even <25 meters) vessel.

Whereas a sudden squall of F10 or F11 may not really be a big deal. As Ping said -- it's the sea state.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Seeking shelter in hard conditions can sometimes be more dangerous than staying at sea...

I think he meant get out of the way of the long fetch, if there's a land mass you can get interposed to make it an offshore wind. This can dramatically reduce the sea state, and I agree with him. Obviously you don't want to run into shallow (<100 meters) water, or get into an area where you could have some tidal effects.