I said, "a lot"; not "most". I would agree that anyone who sails regularly
or cruises any distance has probably seen 30 or higher. A lot of people who
daysail occasionally and pick their weather may think they have seen 30 but
probably haven't.

I realized today that I've forgotten just how strong 22 gusting 32 feels and
how easy it would be to thing it was much more, especially if you were
banging around in a boat. I've spent most of the last decade flying and I
mostly stay in when it gets over 20.

I know I've seen more. I remember trying to head out in a catboat when I
was really young and foolish. Two reefs weren't enough so I put in the
third which put about 18 inches between the tack and throat, basically just
the peak of the gaff as a storm sail. I couldn't make any progress to
windward so I dropped the sail and started running back into Tenants Harbor
under the bare pole.

I started the engine and couldn't seem to get it to go into gear. It just
kept racing like the prop wasn't engaged. I was in a panic because the end
of the harbor was coming up fast and I had no power. I realized just in
time that the boat was going so fast under the mast alone that the prop was
being pulled through the water faster than the engine usually pushed the
boat.

The engine took hold when I rounded up fast to grab a mooring. It wouldn't
push the boat to windward but it held it long enough for me to run forward
and grab the buoy. Otherwise, I would have been on the beach. I have no
idea what it was blowing that day but, just before I turned around, the
splume blowing across the surface looked just like snow blowing across a
road, not streaks on the water but streams of spray blowing at wind speed.

BTW the airport says it's 22 gusting 45 now. It's a dark and stormy night
for sure.

--

Roger Long



"Max Mustermann" wrote in message
age.info...
On Thu, 23 Dec 2004, "Roger Long" wrote:

Snipped

When I got back inside, I got out my cell phone and dialed the weather
number in the control tower. "22 gusting to 32" and this is measured 50 to
60 feet up in the clear air above the wind gradient. I'll bet there are a
lot of sailors, probably some in this newsgroup, who have never seen 30
knots of wind while out on the water.

--

Roger Long


Roger, you have to get out more. You're referring to a barely Fresh
breeze.
Have a look at the following link:

http://www.world-of-islands.com/Info...eaufort_en.htm

I would have to say most of us regular boaters have been on the water in a
30+ breeze. Might not have liked it, but dealt with it OK.