Clear Sky Squalls

[rebel heart]

Crazy. Could be the katabatic winds; that's generally what the Santa Anas shape up to look like so there might be other localized versions out there.

Just to add to my weird weather story, I was backpacking in the Sequoia National Forest and got knocked down by a crazy powerful wind. My friend was there too and he had to drop down to a knee. Came out of nowhere, lasted maybe twenty seconds, some gear that was tied to our packs broke free and flew 50' away. We'd been in the area for three days and had seen nothing like that.

Got back home and found out there was a huge earthquake maybe thirty seconds before we experienced that wind. I asked an earthquake scientist about it, he told me there was no correlation.

Crazy stuff going on out there.

[gjordan]

This happens all over the world. I was in the Marquesas passing an Island about 3 miles offshore when I looked behind me and thought the water was smoking. That was the only description I could come up with. The wind was tearing the surface of the water so that it looked like a layer of smoke. It hit me with only a minute or so notice and I turned DDW and hung on for dear life. I was hammered with spray and could barely keep control of the boat. It only lasted 10 or 15 minutes with no damage other than the hour it took my heart rate to return to normal. If it had been at night it could have been a disaster. The trades were 12 knots before this event and went back to 12 knots soon after. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN!_____Grant.___PS Rebel Heart recommended a great book TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST.

[zeehag]

rebel--remember that all the way down baja there is a mountain range, and here we have sierra madres--continental divide--we have downdraft and updraft winds--not always predictable--be safe and reef early.
do you have crew coming with ye?' or ye short handing it?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by zeehag

rebel--remember that all the way down baja there is a mountain range, and here we have sierra madres--continental divide--we have downdraft and updraft winds--not always predictable--be safe and reef early.
do you have crew coming with ye?' or ye short handing it?

I'm basically single handing, plus I have my family to watch out for. My wife can stand a couple watches in the day time but other than that I'm running the show.

Waiting on USCG paperwork at the moment. Once we get that, we're adios San Diego.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by gjordan

This happens all over the world. I was in the Marquesas passing an Island about 3 miles offshore when I looked behind me and thought the water was smoking. That was the only description I could come up with. The wind was tearing the surface of the water so that it looked like a layer of smoke. It hit me with only a minute or so notice and I turned DDW and hung on for dear life. I was hammered with spray and could barely keep control of the boat. It only lasted 10 or 15 minutes with no damage other than the hour it took my heart rate to return to normal. If it had been at night it could have been a disaster. The trades were 12 knots before this event and went back to 12 knots soon after. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN!_____Grant.___PS Rebel Heart recommended a great book TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST.

That nuts. Well, at least it won't be boring out there.

[Captain Jeffry]

Safe travels! What Zee said!

[gjordan]

A bit of thread drift here! I think every sailor should read Richard Henry Dana,s TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. It will make you realize that our worst days at sea are a day in the park compared to what sailors went through 200 years ago. I read about taking 3 weeks to get from Santa Barbara to Montery and I usually do it in 1 1/2 days. Thank you Mr Diesel, thank you Mr Dacron and all of the other advantages that we have now.Sorry for the drift.____Grant.

[donradcliffe]

After the Santa Ana's, the next named winds you will probably encounter will be the Coromel, the Chubasco, El Norte, the Tehauntepecer, and the Papagayo. Any wind with a name deserves your respect.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

After the Santa Ana's, the next named winds you will probably encounter will be the Coromel, the Chubasco, El Norte, the Tehauntepecer, and the Papagayo. Any wind with a name deserves your respect.

That's a great line, I'm going to steal it.

[Hud3]

Reb,

I've experienced "white squalls" or something similar twice in the Caribbean. Once when anchored in Prince Rupert Bay, Dominica. The easterly wind suddenly went from 15 or so up to 40 kts sustained, and held there for maybe 30 minutes, then dropped off just as quickly. It took me a while to get the anchor out of the sand when it came time to move on--it was really buried. Dominica is pretty tall, so there could *perhaps* have been some katabatic component. There's maybe a 10 degree C difference between sea level and the mountain tops.

The second time was in the Grenadines. I was motor-sailing past the northern tip of Mayreau heading east (into the wind) to the Tobago Cays. I could see the water turn white up ahead (to the East), and it was coming my way. I just barely managed to get the mainsail furled before 35 knot winds hit us. Thank goodness for a roller furling main! That one lasted about 20 minutes before dropping back to normal. There are no high-elevation land masses around there, and the cloud patterns were the normal puffy Tradewind cumulus, so I have no idea where it came from.

[svseachange]

It's quite normal to experience changes in wind speed like this on Lake Superior without obvious sky based tell tales.

We've learned (the hard way) to watch not only the sky but also the water. We can usually "see" big changes in wind speed on the water early enough to reduce sail before the 20-30s hit.

[bobconnie]

The whole west coast has these winds at no real anouncements Ive ever been able to figure out yet !! Not to bad during the day when ya have help to get things done !! But they are the reason I have always reefed at sunset LOL I learned to sail off the North Cali coast and these winds kick up at all hours, and it's nice to do it early, be able to sleep off watch !! Anyway that ship of yours will love em !! Have fun !!

[zeehag]

rebel heart--the winds here on our lee shore is main reason i have been sailing well reefed--that 60 kt hit just north of cabo was a gas, but it would have been more serious had i not been well reefed. i had mizzen to first reef point, an d jib to 70 percent.
you will do fine--just remember that exhaustion isnt a good thing, and reef at night!!!
is looking like we have potential bad nasty weather forming nov 5th just of cabo corrientes-- be safe. is still too soon to see what its plans are and who is in the bullseye--or if it will even grow .. ocean still HOT, and storms are still forming.
if this thing grows, could be interesting south of cabo, and into gulf. might be a good call to stay in ensenada to monitor this potential activity, as it will be supposedly forming just over our heads--eeps! and hugging coast for a bit, i will be watching very very closely, as we will be leaving this marina nov 1, and storm allegedly begins to form nov 4-5---
northers have begun to cool gulf of california, now is cooler there than pacific ocean! northers carry a usual wind speed varying between 20-50 kts, have been recorded by patricia belle at 70kts. downhill, they can help your passage .
marinas in mexico monitor 16. the cruiser net and hailing for cruisers is 22.