Roger Long wrote:
I've been kind of interested in some of the posts about Lake Erie conditions
to see references to 12 foot waves. I know the waves are shorter and steeper
there due to the lighter water and shallow depths. Twelve footers would
considered pretty big however, even on the ocean.

Like my new pal Wally, I've been on, in and over Lake Erie for 50 years.
I worked as a lifeguard at Pt. Pelee National Park for 5 years in the
mid- 70's and we used to see lots of 6ft-8ft days. It was great for
body-surfing but not so hot for sailors. One day we watched a guy in
what looked like a Sirius 15 or 17 trying a beam reach to outrun a
westerly squall. Lee shores can be a bitch. When he finally got pushed
into the breakers, his small boat got pitched over and he got tossed
out. You can imagine the scene when a boat with a 20ft mast is being
turned turtle in 5 ft of water. The next breaker lifted the boat up and
onto the tip of the mast, which snapped under the pressure. As the boat
dropped, the broken section of the mast punched a hole through the hull.
Most impressive! He was wearing a PFD and got pushed safely in the
last 200ft or so to shore, but the boat was beaten to pieces over the
next few hours.
I can only recall one event where the waves may have reached the 12 foot
level and maybe even higher. In the 80's there was a ENE storm that ran
up the length of the lake. When it hit the eastern shore of Pt. Pelee,
it washed away approximately 1 mile of the tip. It also knocked flat a
construction block building situated behind cedars approximately 100
feet back from, and about 6ft higher than the water's edge. It also
ripped out about 1500 ft of asphalt roadway also located well back from
the water's edge. I think 12 footers are once in a lifetime events on
Erie, but I could be wrong.