Would You Cross in These Conditions?

That crossing at the Strait of Georgia is something else. We've done it in our 290, and it was interesting keeping a straight heading since the bow would lift so high that I wasn't able to keep an eye on landmarks I was steering to. So glad you made it across M Prod!

We were hoping to go to the gulf islands in September, but alas that will likely not happen. So we will be living vicariously through you! Keep the updates coming.
 
aerobat77 said:
gofirstclass - sorry i forgot you already explained where you boat in another thread , i just got it again after remembering your video . yes its challenging on the video and i believe you the locks may be no fun if the wind blows stiff from wrong direction . your boat is also to big to keep it away by hand if the wind blows you towards the concrete , no question.



well... i do not think so . we of course boat open ocean only at kitty weather , but i assure you the open north sea or north atlantic can easily crush any searay regardless of the model into pieces if it gets angry .

i do not think you wanna taste e.g this with any recreational boat :

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Long ago a safety person who worked for me took job on a rig in the North Sea. He went out by boat. Being from the prairies a 3 foot wave on a river id big. He said waves were 100 feet high. Boat would drive up the waves and fall off the top. At the end of is contract he came back to the prairies and was never happier. I thought he exaggerated about the waves
 
well , unfortunetly the north sea is often subject to huge low pressure areas and generally not very friendly for recreational boating .

that does not mean people going out there have bigger balls than lake boaters , no .

it only means you have instead of a lake or river to VERY carefully watch the forecast and you are often stuck in port waiting for a really kitty day .

that was the point of my question what boating area we are talking since going out e.g the north sea with 'i do not care the weather' is not riding out a chop but suicide.

here i found a video of an oil platform :

 
M Prod said:
We’re headed out This morning on a 16 night trip through the Canadian Gulf Islands. Only issue is to get there, we have to cross the Strait of Georgia and conditions don’t seem ideal today. It’s about a 30NM crossing in open water. There’s a strong wind warning in effect With winds this morning forecast at 15-20kts, but picking up to 25-35Kts this afternoon. We’re trying to get out early as possible here, but the forecast has me nervous. I know the boat will handle it, but might be a pretty uncomfortable ride. Would you head out? The forecast doesn’t get any better over the next several days.
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If the forecast for winds is 25-35 kts, I would definitely not be heading out to anywhere.
 
I once was told the purpose of a PFD was so they would find your body. I fell off the deck once in 9c water. Boat was at anchor. Deck was slippery. I swam to swim platform and then had a large adult drink. I do not think one would live long in cold water.
 
Gofirstclass said:
i agree 100%. I've learned over my many years that the "We gotta get there" is one of the most dangerous phrases a boater can utter.
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We were in Victoria, BC and had to get to Port Townsend for a customs appointment at noon and then on to Tacoma for work the next day. Let's just say the Strait of Juan de Fuca dished it out pretty damn good...
 
M Prod said:
We’re headed out This morning on a 16 night trip through the Canadian Gulf Islands. Only issue is to get there, we have to cross the Strait of Georgia and conditions don’t seem ideal today. It’s about a 30NM crossing in open water. There’s a strong wind warning in effect With winds this morning forecast at 15-20kts, but picking up to 25-35Kts this afternoon. We’re trying to get out early as possible here, but the forecast has me nervous. I know the boat will handle it, but might be a pretty uncomfortable ride. Would you head out? The forecast doesn’t get any better over the next several days.
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Couple years ago the wife and I were on the way back to the Florida panhandle after a great trip to the keys. Got the dreaded work call and of course I told them to count on me. Meaning I pushed the issue of weather effecting a safe crossing of the Gulf. Long story short; my hasty desision to launch in just questionable forecast weather and seas ate my lunch. Found my self in horable conditions, seas so bad all I could do was just make way, powering up the face of a wave only to go over the crest, bearing the anchor with the props spinning out Of the water. Scarry stuff that went on for 4 hours. It weren't suppose to be that bad, not nearly, no way. Thing is about bad weather is unstable means unpredictable as well.
Boating automatically comes with an understanding that schedules are subject to change and that weather and mechanical issues are the pivote points.
My 400DA had a bell hung by the cabin door. If that thing started clanging it was past time to be tied up some where.
 
Gofirstclass said:
i agree 100%. I've learned over my many years that the "We gotta get there" is one of the most dangerous phrases a boater can utter.
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This statement is very true.

If you cruise enough trips in open water, you will encounter rough days. You may find that there are days that you wished you stayed in the slip.

For us, we had to learn when to go and when not to go. When discussing we have reference points: Is this going to be as bad as the time winds changed between Charleston and Cape Fear? How will this compare to the day in Albemarle Sound?

Rough crossings have happened to us for a couple of reasons:

1. We did not fully appreciate wind direction in inland waters. OK, forecast is 15 knots, this is inland not out in the Atlantic - can't be that bad. Until the wind starts exceeding the forecast. What was doable at 15 knots got bad at 20-25 knots. What is the impact of a West wind versus a North wind in specific waters.

2. Weather did not do what it was supposed to. It was a forecast, not an absolute.

3. We let the "we gotta get there" creep in.

Lot of it is understanding what is the impact when the forecast goes wrong. East versus West winds in Hawks channel.
 
northern said:
I once was told the purpose of a PFD was so they would find your body. I fell off the deck once in 9c water.
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yes , a PFD only is limited to summer months at inland areas or very close to shore . going open sea we rent a life raft with an EPIRB for holiday time . non inflated its not bigger than a medium travel bag .

from my experience i agree the wind and wave direction is also very important at least in open ocean since it makes a huge difference in wave height if a given wind blows from coast or from sea where waves had vast amount of room to build up.
 
CaptRonn said:
You answered your own question.

In aviation, we call it Risk Management and Aviation Decision Making. You have identified the risk, now you need to identify the mitigation. If you can't readily identify a mitigation, that should aid you in the decision making.

I'll also add as a part of that, remember accidents don't happen because of one small event, it takes several small events that lead up to the accident.

Look at it like a chain, if you can break one link in the accident chain you can stop the accident from occurring.

Look at all of the risk, then all of the mitigations. You'll probably find a few in there that will make you think.
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yes sir.. we always say
I would rather be on the ground looking up wishing I was up there , then the other way around.. BE smart
 
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