"HK" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Jun 4, 9:52?am, "JimH" wrote:
"Chuck Gould" wrote in message

ups.com...

On Jun 2, 3:20?pm, "JimH" wrote:
.............miss this by a safe margin:
http://img244.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stormzl5.png
What winds were associated with that front?
Gusts to about 30-35 mph. The area around Sandusky to Vermilion was
under a
tornado watch also.
Good thing you didn't venture out.

25-30 kt winds *should* keep nearly everybody in port, certainly
including folks with most runabouts. My boat is a bit bigger, but my
personal standard of comfort is to stay put when it's blowing 25 knots
or better.


25 knots or less is an OK standard, but 15 knots or less is best. We
went out in 25-30 knot winds about a week ago south of Marathon,
Florida...and seas were 7-10' with a 4-5 second period. Not fun. I
haven't been nervous in a boat too many times in my life, but dropping
off a 10 foot wave that disappears out from under you will sure get your
attention.





Why would you go out in winds like that?



When you plan a trip for 3 months, travel 260 miles roundtrip by boat, sleep
on that boat for 3 nights, and spend nearly $1000 round-trip on gas, you try
to make the best of it. You get pretty stir-crazy if you just sit at the
dock on a 30 foot boat with 3 adults and a kid.

We could have fished the bridges to catch small snapper and possibly a
tarpon. But we were hoping to troll up some dolphin and tuna. We only
"fished" for about 45 minutes in the evening of the day when the seas were
7-10. I couldn't believe how small a 30 foot boat felt. We took on so much
water, I should have been on a submarine.

The second day brought seas of 5-7'. And these weren't the rollers that
Chuck was referring to. They were white-capping, confused seas. We trolled
for about 4 hours, and then fished the bridge, only to catch a large 8ft.
nurse shark.

The third day, we hit seas of 3-5' on the reef...which means they were going
to be double that beyond the reef. So we turned around, and made the 130
mile run home. Seas were 3-5 for the first 30 miles of that trip, and then
they layed down to 1-3 for the rest of it.

It's been a tough year with the winds. Most of the guides in the Keys say
that this has been their worst money year yet.