Out running Weather..Fact or Fiction

[Tropic Cat]

I've read this thread in it's entirety and didn't read any post advocating outrunning a storm. Why is this even a question? I agree with the majority of posts.

All I have to say is you had better guess correctly when picking your course. No one can predict a storm path within the accuracy a pleasure sailing boat would require to completely avoid it. If you do guess correctly, you aren't going to outrun it, you're minimizing your exposure. That's only if you have enough warning and the storm path is accurate, and you aren't caught on a lee shore..

I once caught a glancing blow from a Hurricane and have been in squalls so intense I had to duck to avoid being hit by bits and pieces off the mast after being struck by lightning. Some of my misadventures are in the archives here and all of it the result of sailing in Florida.

Once caught, you do what you can to survive. There is no "outrunning" involved.

[stillbuilding]

Nice to be able to arrive a day or so earlier on a longer run, might even be able to minimise exposure to nasty systems or events by careful planning and trying to move out of the way, even better if the boat treats you well in the process, have to ensure you and crew can handle whatever comes your way in the process and assume that sooner or later you will get hit by a big one. Simply have to plan on a big hit in doing longer passages and therefore have an adequate boat - this does NOT mean heavy, overbuilt or slow - just well done. Hmmm, so what is "well done"? I guess that is what much of CF is about.

[Jmolan]

My first Capt. was a serious killer machine of a Dane. Salt of the earth, tougher than nail, and probably wringed more saltwater out of his socks then I had sailed in.
He jumped all over my A** when he overheard me bragging about a storm we just came through. ....He told me (something I never forgot) if I wanted to tell big stories to go work on a boat that will give you stories. There are plenty of them out there. They all want more drinking buddies. He told me "good boats don't have scary stories" We don't have any scary stories on here...got it? You go about your business and get it done with me. So what if a storm comes up? So what, you are a seaman are you not? He said when the wind picks up, we slow down, and still get it done. No big stories, no close calls. Pay attention and keep your eyes open and stay sober and you will survive and thive here.
He said "look at the boats that come in and say Whew! Just barely made that one, got a leak, rag got caught in the bilge pump, Got water half way up in the eng. rm. we tore off the upperdeck stuff etc. He said those guys hit the bar when they get to town and Blah Blah Blah all about their close call. Well on this boat we don't go to the bar. We come to town and we hit the tool box and take care of stuff, and we slip out and fill the boat while the braggers are still in the bar...:-)
That was 1979, And my crew hears me say the same things now day's

[Stillraining]

The most boring men I know have no stories....................see you at the bar..

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Jmolan

So what if a storm comes up? So what, you are a seaman are you not? He said when the wind picks up, we slow down, and still get it done. No big stories, no close calls.

You were a lucky man to have sailed with such a Salt. He did his homework and avoided the dramas.....There are no tricks, just a keen awareness of your options and a quiet humility about your fate.

[maxingout]

I believe in storm avoidance, and in 33,000 miles of sailing I never found myself in a position where I needed to outrun a storm. I've sailed into harms way several times, but the thought of outrunning it never entered my mind.

When I sailed across the Atlantic, I sailed south to the Cape Verde Islands to avoid the tropical depressions that hit the boats who took the direct route from the Canaries to the Caribbean.

I carried enough fuel to turn south into the doldrums if any of the Atlantic storms decided to head south.

Storm avoidance works for me 99% of the time.

If I happen to get caught in gale, I deploy a drogue or put out the parachute sea anchor. Most storms will blow by in 24 to 36 hours if I hold position with a parachute sea anchor.