BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Caught Off Guard by a Squall

"Red Cloud®" wrote in message
...
On 30 May 2005 16:10:27 -0700, lid (Jonathan Ganz)
wrote:

I guess I'm wondering how one would not see a squall of that magnitude
coming. Obviously, one would not want to heave to in a crowded spot.

It can depend greatly on the layout where you sail. In the western end of
the
LIS, there is land to the south and west of of you, and that is where most
"weather" comes from in the summer. It can be hard to see things coming,
because
they are hidden by land until shortly before they hit you. In the eastern
LIS,
you have a lot more time to be aware of what is coming in most cases. In
the
summer, almost all forecasts include "chance of thunderstorms". From
around
halfway up the LIS (New Haven) to the eastern end, that doesn't matter so
much,
especially if you have radar. You can see the things coming from a long
distance
and usually sail around them if they are headed your way.

rusty redcloud.

I guess that's true.

Interestingly, the original poster said that after the initial gust was
followed by the "wind ...continuing... to pushing the boat out of irons and
over on it's side." This seems to imply that it wasn't just a gust. The
poster follows with "caused a real mess as all the lines started whipping
around and getting tangled. Eventually, we managed to furl the sails, but
it was a real scare." So, this implies that it wasn't just a gust. I still
think heaving to would be appropriate after easing the sheets initially to
take off the pressue.