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#91
Tales and Trip Reports / Sailing with a hurricane
Last post by Riley Smith - Sep 25, 2024, 01:29 PM A few years ago, I wanted to take advantage of the perfect September weather and go for a night on the sand bar at Chemise Bayou. It's a great sandbar and right in the middle of the lower river delta, surrounded by a sea of grass and towns to the east and west. The weather was forecast to be righteous and the temps were great after a scorcher of a summer. A small hurricane was forecast to hit Florida somewhere around Tampa that night but you'd never know it looking at the sky. It was perfect.
So, I hie me to the river about mid-day and launch at Moss Point, upriver from Chemise Bayou. You know, BEFORE the 2pm forecast update. It was a nice sail down and I pulled the boat aground and set up camp. The sky was as clear as it ever gets and I anticipated a great night. I had brought the radio for some music, a chair, and fishing rod. The moon was going to be shining and I relaxed as the quiet washed over me. There was a nice breeze to keep the bugs away and things couldn't be better.
Sonya had decided not to come, so I called and rubbed it in that I was on the river and she wasn't. I drank a beer or two and rustled up some grub before sunset. The wind had started to pick up some and the forecast wasn't panning out. I still wasn't worried, as there are a plethora of ramps about and I actually didn't HAVE to sail if it got too bad. There wasn't a cloud in the sky except hundreds of miles away toward the southeast where the hurricane appeared as a very faint mass of high cirrus very low on the horizon and told the story something was happening there.
The wind kept increasing as the hurricane sucked air toward it. And the temperature started dropping. Now, for those of you that live anywhere else but the Southland, the typical attire of shorts and tee shirt is good here from May until November. Except it wasn't. I started to get cold and the sand on the sandbar started blowing around. I decided to put up the tent and get inside to ward off the chill.
By now, the wind was a full blown gale. With a shocking clear bluebird sky overhead. I was scared to light a fire to get the chill off because it had been so dry and the swirling wind might carry a spark to the thousands of acres of marsh grass. And the strong wind kept blowing the tent down. This was turning into MUCH more than I had bargained for. And I was cold. Not chilly, COLD. The blowing sand was making things miserable and terribly gritty. As the night wore on it just got worse. My wife called and rubbed it in that SHE was warm and comfortable at home in our soft bed.
I huddled behind a stump on the shore to ward off the wind and sand but it didn't' help much. Finally I wrapped a towel around me, and snuggled into the pocket formed by the not-erected tent and wrapped it all around me. It sounded like I was being sandblasted. And I itched all over. But at least I got some warmth going on and began to think about some of the snacks I'd brought. Let me assure you, snacks covered in sand are not very palatable. This went on ALL night. I listened to the radio for a long time to try and take my mind off my misery and finally got sleepy and turned it off. I must have finally nodded off around 2am, but suddenly the dang squawk box came on full volume and scared me half to death.
It was a VERY long and VERY miserable night.
Finally, dawn came and I was so glad to see it I was happy for all of thirty seconds. Until I discovered the north wind had blown the water out of the river and the catboat was hard aground. I mean, ON DRY LAND. And a look at the river made me quiver because I've never seen it so rough in such protected water. I was in a real fix. Going back upriver to the trailer was definitely OUT. My stomach did flip-flops looking at the whitecaps that shouldn't be there.
First things first. I had to line my wife up to go get the truck and trailer and head to a ramp downwind. My wife is NOT a morning person so that took a while, as well as requiring me to be a diplomatic as humanly possible because of involving her in MY catastrophe. Coffee was out of the question and it was just one more thing in a long list. I packed all the camping stuff back aboard the catboat and began wiggling her toward water. I realized it wasn't going to work, it was too heavy. So I UNPACKED everything to lighten the load. After what seemed like an eternity and barely avoiding a heart attack from the exertion, I was able to get her afloat. Then I had to repack everything once again.
I called and coordinated and got Sonya on the way to the Hwy 90 ramp. I got the outboard fired up and with great trepidation, climbed aboard and pushed off. The boat scraped the lee shore for two hundred yards at a frightful wind-driven speed before I got her in water deep enough to navigate. And then it was as easy as pie. The catboat is built with a good bit of rocker and it'll take some rough water. The outboard purred. The adventure had been weathered. Literally. The ride to the ramp was as easy as it gets.
That was the worst night I've ever spend camping. It was AWFUL. The sandbar at Chemise Bayou is a popular camping spot but I was the only soul stupid enough to be out in such conditions. I've since made it a solemn promise not to put the boat in the water if a hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico.
So, I hie me to the river about mid-day and launch at Moss Point, upriver from Chemise Bayou. You know, BEFORE the 2pm forecast update. It was a nice sail down and I pulled the boat aground and set up camp. The sky was as clear as it ever gets and I anticipated a great night. I had brought the radio for some music, a chair, and fishing rod. The moon was going to be shining and I relaxed as the quiet washed over me. There was a nice breeze to keep the bugs away and things couldn't be better.
Sonya had decided not to come, so I called and rubbed it in that I was on the river and she wasn't. I drank a beer or two and rustled up some grub before sunset. The wind had started to pick up some and the forecast wasn't panning out. I still wasn't worried, as there are a plethora of ramps about and I actually didn't HAVE to sail if it got too bad. There wasn't a cloud in the sky except hundreds of miles away toward the southeast where the hurricane appeared as a very faint mass of high cirrus very low on the horizon and told the story something was happening there.
The wind kept increasing as the hurricane sucked air toward it. And the temperature started dropping. Now, for those of you that live anywhere else but the Southland, the typical attire of shorts and tee shirt is good here from May until November. Except it wasn't. I started to get cold and the sand on the sandbar started blowing around. I decided to put up the tent and get inside to ward off the chill.
By now, the wind was a full blown gale. With a shocking clear bluebird sky overhead. I was scared to light a fire to get the chill off because it had been so dry and the swirling wind might carry a spark to the thousands of acres of marsh grass. And the strong wind kept blowing the tent down. This was turning into MUCH more than I had bargained for. And I was cold. Not chilly, COLD. The blowing sand was making things miserable and terribly gritty. As the night wore on it just got worse. My wife called and rubbed it in that SHE was warm and comfortable at home in our soft bed.
I huddled behind a stump on the shore to ward off the wind and sand but it didn't' help much. Finally I wrapped a towel around me, and snuggled into the pocket formed by the not-erected tent and wrapped it all around me. It sounded like I was being sandblasted. And I itched all over. But at least I got some warmth going on and began to think about some of the snacks I'd brought. Let me assure you, snacks covered in sand are not very palatable. This went on ALL night. I listened to the radio for a long time to try and take my mind off my misery and finally got sleepy and turned it off. I must have finally nodded off around 2am, but suddenly the dang squawk box came on full volume and scared me half to death.
It was a VERY long and VERY miserable night.
Finally, dawn came and I was so glad to see it I was happy for all of thirty seconds. Until I discovered the north wind had blown the water out of the river and the catboat was hard aground. I mean, ON DRY LAND. And a look at the river made me quiver because I've never seen it so rough in such protected water. I was in a real fix. Going back upriver to the trailer was definitely OUT. My stomach did flip-flops looking at the whitecaps that shouldn't be there.
First things first. I had to line my wife up to go get the truck and trailer and head to a ramp downwind. My wife is NOT a morning person so that took a while, as well as requiring me to be a diplomatic as humanly possible because of involving her in MY catastrophe. Coffee was out of the question and it was just one more thing in a long list. I packed all the camping stuff back aboard the catboat and began wiggling her toward water. I realized it wasn't going to work, it was too heavy. So I UNPACKED everything to lighten the load. After what seemed like an eternity and barely avoiding a heart attack from the exertion, I was able to get her afloat. Then I had to repack everything once again.
I called and coordinated and got Sonya on the way to the Hwy 90 ramp. I got the outboard fired up and with great trepidation, climbed aboard and pushed off. The boat scraped the lee shore for two hundred yards at a frightful wind-driven speed before I got her in water deep enough to navigate. And then it was as easy as pie. The catboat is built with a good bit of rocker and it'll take some rough water. The outboard purred. The adventure had been weathered. Literally. The ride to the ramp was as easy as it gets.
That was the worst night I've ever spend camping. It was AWFUL. The sandbar at Chemise Bayou is a popular camping spot but I was the only soul stupid enough to be out in such conditions. I've since made it a solemn promise not to put the boat in the water if a hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico.
#92
TSBB General Talk / Re: Helene
Last post by Captain Kidd - Sep 25, 2024, 01:24 PMQuote from: Ed on Sep 25, 2024, 09:08 AMWe are leaving North Georgia very early Friday morning for the drive to southern Indiana for my 50th High School Reunion, and it looks like we'll be in rain all the way. I am supposed to run a small golf tournament at noon on Friday, now talking about switching to 10am on Saturday, but either way it's going to be a wet one. On the bright side we have not had rain in weeks and they have started dumping water from Lake Allatoona, down 5ft so far. I did get the garden rototilled just in time.
Funny, this year marks our 50 anniversary of HS graduation though no reunion that I've heard of (we did have a 30th), and we're leaving N. GA Friday morning headed to S Indiana. Our 38 y.o. daughter lives in Bargersville just south of Indianapolis. She's running in her first marathon Saturday morning in Columbus, IN. I promised her I'd be there to cheer her on. She and a friend have been training for at least a year if not longer. They don't run for speed but to finish. Still a great accomplishment. They've done as much as 22 miles in training but have tapered off per training strategy in these last 3 weeks leading up to the race. At their pace, will take close to 5 hours. Five hours at any pace would kill me!!
Yep, I'm expecting a wet ride but they really don't want to run in the rain.
#93
TSBB General Talk / Re: Helene
Last post by Riley Smith - Sep 25, 2024, 11:08 AMIt's perfect here, although still hot at 80F @ 10am. Yes, the NHC and GOES East is my first stop every morning. This one appears to be the real deal. It's much more concentric this morning. Forecast is for winds to pick up here from the north as it gets closer and sucks air toward it, but the temperature is supposed to go down and that'll be a big relief. It's times like this that I am so thankful that my boat fits inside my shop and that's one thing I don't have to deal with. I remember a storm sorta like this a few years ago. Turned into the worst camping outing I've ever had. From experience you can't trust a forecast with a hurricane on the loose. I'm fine unless the thing doesn't turn. Stranger things have happened. Watching closely.
#94
TSBB General Talk / Re: Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Re...
Last post by Frank B. - Sep 25, 2024, 09:50 AMI've sprayed a lot with mixed results. Couple of vehicles, several boats, new and restorations, and mostly furniture which I build as a hobby. With the furniture, I usually dread getting to that point for fear of diminishing fairly good work up to that point. The one regret is that I didn't go ahead a spring for very good equipment and the quantity and quality of air to drive it. The best equipment is in the five hundred bucks plus range and takes a lot of CFM's of clean, dry air. I shoulda bought that Satajet years ago, now don't know how much I would use it. Furniture with apologies for serious thread drift. These are 11 coat, lacquer based coatings, that can be done in a long day because of the drying time with lacquer:
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#95
TSBB General Talk / Re: Helene
Last post by Ed - Sep 25, 2024, 09:08 AMWe are leaving North Georgia very early Friday morning for the drive to southern Indiana for my 50th High School Reunion, and it looks like we'll be in rain all the way. I am supposed to run a small golf tournament at noon on Friday, now talking about switching to 10am on Saturday, but either way it's going to be a wet one. On the bright side we have not had rain in weeks and they have started dumping water from Lake Allatoona, down 5ft so far. I did get the garden rototilled just in time.
#96
TSBB General Talk / Re: Helene
Last post by Doug SC - Sep 25, 2024, 09:03 AMHaving grown up in Florida with a WW2 pilot for a father, I learned at a young age how to track a storm on those paper hurricane maps. Now I use the My Radar and Windy apps as well as looking at the forecasted tracking models and satellite views. They have been predicting this potential outcome before it become an organized storm.
When Dad was 3 and the Miami hurricane of 1926 came ashore blowing most of the houses on his street down and flooding the area, their warning that day was the darkening skies and the radio reports of ships offshore. Times have really changed during his almost 101 years on this earth.
When Dad was 3 and the Miami hurricane of 1926 came ashore blowing most of the houses on his street down and flooding the area, their warning that day was the darkening skies and the radio reports of ships offshore. Times have really changed during his almost 101 years on this earth.
#97
TSBB General Talk / Helene
Last post by Frank B. - Sep 25, 2024, 07:04 AMWhen you have interests in areas that are often affected, the first thing you do every morning from June to November is bring up NOAA Hurricane and look for the little X's then follow them to their ultimate finish. Helene very close to Mexico Beach, currently tracking to have MB be on the "pull" side so maybe ok, Not goiing to affect my family members in OS or Riley thankfully. Hope it doesn't track too much further East to drop it into Charles' world. One can only watch and wait and let the drama play out. Oh and Captain Kidd, watch out for the potential for flooding.
Stay safe out there.
Stay safe out there.
#98
TSBB General Talk / Re: Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Re...
Last post by Captain Kidd - Sep 24, 2024, 11:16 PMQuote from: Frank B. on Sep 24, 2024, 09:40 PMthe model was a Bateau FS (fast skiff) 14.
Bateau! How about that! My Semi Dory 11 was a Bateau design. In fact, they feature my boat on the SD 11 page on the header and the first three pics of the gallery.
Your finish looks superb! I always wanted to spray a boat. Brushed and tipped all of my builds. I actually attempted to spray the CIY but it wasn't going so great so I reverted to my tried and true method.
Oh, and I've always used epoxy purchased from B&B Yacht Designs. Not sure what brand they use and sell. I figured if it was good enough for Graham Byrnes, it was good enough for me.
#99
TSBB General Talk / Re: Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Re...
Last post by Frank B. - Sep 24, 2024, 09:40 PMCaptain Kidd, nice work, the model was a Bateau FS (fast skiff) 14. Fast skiff differentiated it from the other version which was a flat bottom. I used all system three silvertip epoxy products including quick fair. A little more expensive but user friendly for those without a lot of experience working epoxy.
#100
TSBB General Talk / Re: Almost-A-SCAMP Progress Re...
Last post by Riley Smith - Sep 24, 2024, 07:04 PMThose construction hands knew what I wuz sayin' 