 |
|
Links to Torresen.com Home Page: Subscribe to ATWOS
Around the World of Sailing
20 June 2001
Event News: Chicago NOODS Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0620/st.htm
The second Midwestern Stop for Sailing World's series of NOOD
regattas saw a record entry of 285 boats. A variety of shifty
winds provided challenge under a UV heavy sky.
The boat that handled the conditions best? Noble Buffalo in
the J 35 class with 4 wins in 5 races and an 11 point margin
over Ragtime.
The closest battle for a class win was in the PHRF Racer
class where Bravo IV a Metalmast 30 edged Great Scot, a
Bristol 28 on a tiebreaker. Bravo had 3 wins to Great
Scot's 2.
Winner in the 48 boat T 10 class was Nuts. The team, skippered
by Heidi Backus Riddle, scored an 11 point win to go with their
victory at the Detroit NOODS.
The Great Lakes 70's were the biggest sized entries even
sailing a special longer course. Dick Jenning's Pied Piper
put together a consistent score line to edge Renegade by 8
points.
The Mumm 30 class was won handily by Fuzzy Logic as they won
all 5 races. In 3rd was Asylum the only Mumm 30 place in the
top 3 in both Midwest NOOD regattas.
While the conditions and racing were good the race committee
work received low marks. In the Great Lakes 50 class bad
committee work in the form of a botched course change followed
up by a bizarre redress decision combined to see the top 3
places settled in the jury room rather than the race course.
Links: Complete Results:
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_chicago/results.htm
Reports:
http://www.sailingworld.com/nood/2001/06_chicago/chicago.html
Theme: Weather
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0620/ms.htm
Last week we looked at the effects of High-Pressure systems on
weather. As High's are noted by H's, Low's are noted by L's.
Today's weather map of the USA shows only a single low
pressure denoting L. This is in South Eastern California.
What this means for much of the country is fair weather as
this is what is synonymous with high pressure. This weather
situation gives Muskegon temperatures in the 70's and winds
under 10 knots. Since low pressure systems move and transfer
more energy than highs the weather that accompanies them is
often significant and dramatic.
What types of things happen when a low pressure is near?
Here's a description of a low that came to Muskegon this
winter.
Often times when sailors are travelling the Southern Ocean
they talk of low-pressure bombs. These are not exclusively
Southern Ocean happenings. This weekend much of the
United States was caught up in one. This huge storm system
started in the west on Friday. By Saturday it was in Kansas
and spawned a tornado in Mississippi. Sunday the center of
the low was over Wisconsin with a pressure of 983 MB. This is
typical movement as these systems often move north and
eastward. The lowest pressure in Muskegon was 992 MB,
Sunday @ 0600. The pressure had declined 33 millibars in
Muskegon. The definition of a low-pressure bomb is a drop of
24 millibars in 24 hours and a central pressure of under 1000
millibars. Therefore this system qualified as a bomb, or
rapidly intensifying low. To the west of the storm high
winds occurred. Milwaukee saw 58 mile an hour winds.
Muskegon peaked at 31 knots of wind at noon on Sunday.
Warm air advection also brought warm air from the SE. From a
low of 24° on Saturday, the SW winds brought the temperatures
up to 55° on Sunday.
As opposed to a high, low's have counter clockwise circulation.
They are typically cold on their north and west sides and warm
on the south and east sides.
Remember wind flows from high to low pressure areas. When you
see a low near your sailing area this should heighten your
weather awareness as it could bring more than enough wind.
Weather Map
http://www.intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/SurfaceAnalysis/
News: Great Lakes Short Handed Events
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0620/st.htm
Now online at http://www.torresen.com/lmss is information on
the Lake Michigan Single Handed Society's 2001 events. These
begin 28 June with the Double handed race from
Waukegan/Muskegon with both groups finishing in Port
Washington.
August 17th will be the 20th Anniversary of the Lake Michigan
single handed challenge. The traditional course from Muskegon
to Wind Point off Racine (132 miles) returns. There is also a
double handed division in this race.
September 1st will see LMSS' Women's Solo/Double sailed at
Waukegan IL for the first time. The racecourse will head
north to Kenosha WI. Entry forms and information for these
events are at: http://www.torresen.com/lmss
This weekend the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society will host
its premiere event the solo challenges to Mackinac Island from
Port Huron and Chicago. Last year 18 finished the race that
started in Port Huron with Chuck Storms NM 36 Trim the overall
winner. The Chicago version had 6 finishers with Dave
Rearick's SR 33 Gernomino the overall winner.
Links:
LMSS
http://www.torresen.com/lmss
GLSS
http://webhost.sailnet.com/glss/
Torresen Intersail Short Handed Links
http://www.torresen.com/local-cgi/intersail/intersail.pl?A&&singlehanded
News: Boat Smart
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0620/ms.htm
Boat Smart is a weekly column written by Chief Tom Rau, Group
Grand Haven, U.S. Coast Guard and appears in a number of
newspapers. Chief Rau has been writing and promoting safe
boating since 1986. Many of his columns are taken from real
life experiences from Station Muskegon, where Chief Rau is
currently serving, or from the Group Grand Haven Area of
Responsibility.
Like a shark, Lake Michigan devours its wounded as two boaters
recently discovered over the Memorial weekend. Ironically,
the Lake assaults occurred within miles of each other leaving
the helpless boaters floundering dangerously near shore in
high seas. For both boaters it, indeed, would be a memorial
weekend.
South Haven, MI, Sunday, May 20, 2001, 12:05 p.m. As the
50-foot tug, Whilhelm Baum neared the South Haven Channel
leading into Lake Michigan, its captain, Coast Guard
auxiliarist, Jim Bradley, reported seas breaking over the pier
head. The veteran rescue responder advised the radio
operator, at the Coast Guard Auxiliary South Haven radio
shack, that the seas exceeded the search and rescue limits of
his 50-foot, 20-ton tug and he would not be able to responded
to the Mayday. I listened to the transmission and extolled
the captain's risk assessment.
Meanwhile 20 miles to the south a St. Joseph Coast Guard
47-foot motor lifeboat pounded north into heavy seas to
assist. Based on its reported position three miles off
shore, winds and seas would soon drive the 21-foot aluminum
boat and its two-man crew ashore. And it soon did.
Before departing the radio shack to assist the grounded
vessel, I heard the Coast Guard radio operator at Group Grand
Haven calling to a 34-foot sail boat floundering off Saugatuck
Harbor, not good with a 20 to 25-knot onshore winds. The
Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center directed the Holland
Coast Guard boat to make "best possible speed". My heart went
out to the Coast Guard boat crew at Holland, facing the
eight-mile run to the sailboat under those conditions.
When the crew broke the Holland pier heads, a white wind-swept
sea greeted them. The 25-foot rigid hull inflatable blasted
sea spray skyward as it plowed south propelled by following
seas. At open throttle, the 25-foot inflatable, as coasties
affectionately call the 'rocket', can reach 42 knots; in those
hostile seas, 24 knots was pushing it. I've ran before the
storm with Chief Reed and BM1 Beatty, and between them they
share 40 years of running Coast Guard search and rescue boats.
When they told me later that 24-knots was on the envelope, I
knew only a fool would exceed it. And it was that same
experience that told Beatty and Reed when they spotted the
floundering sail boat close to the surf line, with an anchor
trailing off its stern and seas spilling into its cockpit,
that those aboard possessed little experience.
Seas drove the sloop with its anchor dragging towards the surf
line. For the coasties, the anchor line, far more than the
elemental madness offered the greatest threat. Snag it with
the inflatable outboard screws and it's a joint grounding;
haul it aboard, and accelerate the sloops race to shore. As
six to eight foot seas bolted the stern upward the anchor line
would yank it down creating a violent seesaw effect. What
choices: deal with the violent seesawing, or nearby surf- the
coxswain elected to leave the anchor down.
During Beatty's first approach seas slammed the Coast Guard
boat against the sloop as its crew yanked off the first
terrorized soul. She cried out "thank you" until Beatty
hushed her because he couldn't hear his crewmen over her
adrenaline outbursts. It took four more roller coaster,
knee-popping approaches, before Chief Reed, Seaman Douglas,
and BM2 Alexander yanked the remaining crewman onto the
inflatable.
This old senior chief couldn't be prouder of that Coast Guard
crew. I asked the coxswain later if he was nervous. He said
he was too focused on getting those people off to be nervous-
concerned yes.
Meanwhile down the shoreline, the two crewmen off the 21-foot
boat hiked up a staircase (116-steps) leading to lakeside
homes and a telephone. A Coast Guard auxiliarist transported
them to our Grand Haven facility. As with the 34-foot sloop,
they too had lost power. As the seas drove them towards shore
the captain attempted to set the anchor, but he failed to
secure it to the boat and the anchor line (bitter end) slipped
through his hands. Without an anchor, the best he could do
was steer the bow towards shore and prevent the light aluminum
craft from turning broadside to the seas and capsizing. They
did the right thing by staying with the boat and wearing
lifejackets (water temperature was 49-degrees).
Its skipper, Bob Smith, 31, told me that he suspected
contaminated gas from winter storage may have damaged his fuel
pump, which led to engine failure. He did fire off two
flares, but they went unnoticed. I asked him about future
boating plans and he said: "Park it in my driveway and slap a
for sale sign on it." This experienced boater was definitely
shaken by his ordeal- who wouldn't be?
As for the less than experienced sailboat crew, I talked with
its Captain, John Thomas, and his daughter, Heather, during
salvage operations where their boat beached for the second
time two miles south of the South Haven pier. They graciously
opened their log for me to read. Of the four persons aboard,
three had never been on a sailboat. Sea sickness and panic
rendered two crew members useless.
The skipper, John Thomas, an ex-navy search and rescue
specialist said his daughter, Heather, performed with 'True
Grit'. Conditions forced him to stay at the helm while his
daughter staggered about the vomit-smeared deck. She
struggled to free the anchor and drag it aft. With seas
slamming the sloop about, Thomas feared losing her off the bow
(good call), so he directed her to drag the anchor aft.
Thomas fired off a hand-held flare, but hot ash ran down his
arm; he tossed it overboard. He had a flare gun aboard but no
12-guage flares.
Apparently, an electrical short, cut out his engine and
radio. A crewman made a frantic call to 911; they in turn
hailed the Coast Guard. He could've made port at Saugatuck
under power, but Lake Michigan had mischief in mind, as it did
with the 21-footer that lost its engine. With nearly twenty
years of search and rescue on Lake Michigan, I know in my soul
and beyond a shadow of doubt, she possesses a willful spirit
that is as alive as any breathing thing. I suspect she resents
being called a 'Lake' and perhaps creates mischief to show her
ocean-like prowess. Be what it may, one thing is for certain,
she demands utmost respect. She certainly has mine.
Seemingly, some more than others draw her wrath, as evidenced
by Heather's log entry. "The sloop was struck by lightning
and went to the bottom on Memorial weekend a year ago. She
went aground on a Memorial weekend a year before that, and
this Memorial weekend she ran aground again". Heather further
wrote: "I put my arm around my dad's shoulder and said: the
next time you buy a cursed boat I think a little more research
is in order". And I might add, Heather, a little more
training.
May, I also suggest, next Memorial weekend, plan the family
gathering at a bowling alley. Also, you may want to change
the sloop's name- Freudian Sloop. Could that be what aroused
Lake Michigan? Whatever, one thing is for certain, she
devours her wounded. Boat Smart, deny her the opportunity.