Anyone get caught?

[Hillcountry]

Anyone get caught In that storm that blew through West Alton on Monday?
It was a bluebird day in every sense when we motored into Alton bay for a rest stop dog walk and ice cream.
Coming back out toward the main lake I noticed a black cloud hovering from the Southwest...hmmm...that doesn’t look good!
Tapped the throttle a bit harder and hoping for the best, our luck was dampened with a sudden downpour a few minutes later. Then all he’ll broke loose as I headed for the nearest cove to escape the wind. We had forgotten our Garmin but I was confident about traveling the lake as I have been doing a lot of fishing.
The shoreline looked to be deep water with a couple of rocks here and there closer to the rocky shore. I did my best to keep my bow into the wind with the motor running as the rain and wind pelted us unmercifully. About 15 minutes of that along with numerous thunder and lightning strikes nearby, it began to clear. It was pretty intense but my wife (who is afraid of thunder and lightning) was a trooper and our 3 year old granddaughter actually slept through it all!

Completely drenched, it was great to see the sun and even another downpour on the way past Welch with no thunder and lightning didn’t keep us from making our way back to The Weirs. (Notice the empty Garmin Mount!)

[MaryS]

yes it gets tough in a boat during a T storm, especially the wind.....We always check our weather radar app before going out......
Glad you were all safe.....

[upthesaukee]

Find a dock that looks like it can handle your boat, dock your boat and secure it.

We had the same thing, sort of, happen to us. We were out on the boat and our outboard lower unit snapped. Called for a tow. By the time to tow arrived, there was bad weather approaching. The tow was to be from the Rum Point area to Alton Town docks. The weather was bearing down on us as we got inside Little Mark. The tow captain headed for a dock along rte 11D. He tied up on one side and we tied up on the other. After the storm passed, we continued our tow with no further issues.

We did try to make contact with the owners but could not make a connection. We ended up writing a thank you note along with $20-25 in an envelope and taped it to a door. Note had our name and contact info. Never did hear from gen.

Dave

[Descant]

Yup, yup. I've headed to the nearest dock more than once. Everybody hospitable. And probably a similar number come into our dock.

[jetlag100]

Have to say I agree with just finding a dock and securing the boat...I grew up in "The Hole in the Wall"...for decades, people would come through, and pull up to our dock...we'd bring them inside to ride out some of the worst storms...a few drinks later and no one cared about the storm...LOL...Good times!

[Hillcountry]

I didn’t want to escalate a bad situation by trying to dock in that wind (the closest dock was pretty small as it happens) and we were already soaked so my wife did her best to protect the little one under the Bimini and I opted to ride it out by going forward and letting the wind blow us back til it cleared.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Anyone get caught In that storm that blew through West Alton on Monday?
It was a bluebird day in every sense when we motored into Alton bay for a rest stop dog walk and ice cream.
Coming back out toward the main lake I noticed a black cloud hovering from the Southwest...hmmm...that doesn’t look good!
Tapped the throttle a bit harder and hoping for the best, our luck was dampened with a sudden downpour a few minutes later. Then all he’ll broke loose as I headed for the nearest cove to escape the wind. We had forgotten our Garmin but I was confident about traveling the lake as I have been doing a lot of fishing.
The shoreline looked to be deep water with a couple of rocks here and there closer to the rocky shore. I did my best to keep my bow into the wind with the motor running as the rain and wind pelted us unmercifully. About 15 minutes of that along with numerous thunder and lightning strikes nearby, it began to clear. It was pretty intense but my wife (who is afraid of thunder and lightning) was a trooper and our 3 year old granddaughter actually slept through it all!

Completely drenched, it was great to see the sun and even another downpour on the way past Welch with no thunder and lightning didn’t keep us from making our way back to The Weirs. (Notice the empty Garmin Mount!)

Sounds like you made good decisions for the circumstances. Glad it all worked out. Perhaps a full enclosure canvas is in order? I have seen 'toons with side curtains that are "stored" hanging from the Bimini top. Easy to drop and bottom fasten quickly.

[ApS]

A few years ago, a similar circumstance happened in Winter Harbor.

An ocean-racer failed to detect the usual signature of an approaching thunderstorm, and saw the futility of trying to outrun it.

He came close to shore, tossed his anchor and anchor line out through the hatch and proceeded to drag his anchor throughout the storm until he was out of sight.

Nobody knows how many water-lines he damaged or disrupted during his escape from the "sudden" storm.

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by ApS

A few years ago, a similar circumstance happened in Winter Harbor.

An ocean-racer failed to detect the usual signature of an approaching thunderstorm, and saw the futility of trying to outrun it.

He came close to shore, tossed his anchor and anchor line out through the hatch and proceeded to drag his anchor throughout the storm until he was out of sight.

Nobody knows how many water-lines he damaged or disrupted during his escape from the "sudden" storm.

Yup...admittedly, I was so preoccupied with the "bluebird" conditions, I never thought to check the radar app on my phone. By the time the storm was on us it was too late to escape.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Yup...admittedly, I was so preoccupied with the "bluebird" conditions, I never thought to check the radar app on my phone. By the time the storm was on us it was too late to escape.

This happened to us in Alton a few weeks ago--with enough time on the lake, it'll happen.

Does anyone here think about their exit strategy at all times?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[Descant]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

...Does anyone here think about their exit strategy at all times?

Sure. When I was learning to fly, various instructors would pull the throttle and ask where I was going to land, and tell me to set up my approach. Good habit patterns stick with you. For example, depending on wind, weather and the boat I'm driving, I plan routes that take advantage of island protection, rather than taking the most direct route from A to B.

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

This happened to us in Alton a few weeks ago--with enough time on the lake, it'll happen.

Does anyone here think about their exit strategy at all times?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Mother Nature fooled me once! I will be more aware of things like a fast moving storm that caught me off guard and have an escape plan! (For what it’s worth) as no one can predict mother nature’s antics precisely!

On a lake the size of Winni, you need to be aware of every possible situation.

[8gv]

Another option is to motor into the wind out into the middle of the lake.

In a lightning storm this could be dangerous.

Managing the waves in the wind, far from anything hard to crash into, can work.

Flame suit on..

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by 8gv

Another option is to motor into the wind out into the middle of the lake.

In a lightning storm this could be dangerous.

Managing the waves in the wind, far from anything hard to crash into, can work.

Flame suit on..

This is not an "option"--it is a last resort if you cannot make it to shore/cove (in an area that would almost surely have to be larger than Winnipesaukee). The boat in the middle of the Broads could take on water or lose power--extremely dangerous. Not even worth debating. You should remove this post.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

This is not an "option"--it is a last resort if you cannot make it to shore/cove (in an area that would almost surely have to be larger than Winnipesaukee). The boat in the middle of the Broads could take on water or lose power--extremely dangerous. Not even worth debating. You should remove this post.

Disagree. I think the post is fine. Slow and headed into the wind is accepted practice. A lot less likely to take on water compared to riding sideways in the trough or having water come over the stern. You can certainly quarter the wind and make slow progress to a protected/lee shore. Storms that come quickly usually go quickly, so you're not doing this for hours.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Mother Nature fooled me once! I will be more aware of things like a fast moving storm that caught me off guard and have an escape plan! (For what it’s worth) as no one can predict mother nature’s antics precisely!

On a lake the size of Winni, you need to be aware of every possible situation.

Some years ago, I took some students to a planetarium show and, before we even sat down, a few had started a discussion about where the exits were and how they'd escape an emergency. It was the first time I'd discovered just how different my students' experience of the world is from mine.

This is what I meant by the question: do y'all have an escape plan at every moment? I find it very hard to, both on the boat and off.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

[Top-Water]

Originally Posted by Descant

I plan routes that take advantage of island protection, rather than taking the most direct route from A to B.

Thank you good advice. I still do it today and each and everyday when out on the water, it's called planing ahead.

[jbolty]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Some years ago, I took some students to a planetarium show and, before we even sat down, a few had started a discussion about where the exits were and how they'd escape an emergency. It was the first time I'd discovered just how different my students' experience of the world is from mine.

This is what I meant by the question: do y'all have an escape plan at every moment? I find it very hard to, both on the boat and off.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

One of my good friends is a retired navy seal, 20+ years. Going anywhere with him where there is any sort of crowd is an interesting experience because he is looking and seeing everything and usually explains to me what he is observing and who and what to keep an eye on.

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Some years ago, I took some students to a planetarium show and, before we even sat down, a few had started a discussion about where the exits were and how they'd escape an emergency. It was the first time I'd discovered just how different my students' experience of the world is from mine.

This is what I meant by the question: do y'all have an escape plan at every moment? I find it very hard to, both on the boat and off.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

When in a public place, I always look for an escape route (or several). For example, Weds I was at the bar at Tap House Grill in Hooksett when the thunderstorm rolled through. Every cell phone in the place got a tornado warning message. At that time it looked like nothing was really going on weather-wise outside (no wind and very little rain). But I took the opportunity to look around the restaurant for a place to hide, just in case. I let my wife know where we were going, just in case. Of course nothing ever came of it, but we were ready.
But what really amazed me is that when the tornado warning came through on the cell phones, nobody did a damn thing. I didn't see any scared faces, no one really looking around. If there were a real tornado there, it would have been a real disaster.
Counter that information with this: I read on social media that when the tornado warning went off, the management at Bass Pro Shop in Hooksett had all customers and staff huddled up in a back corner of the store. Now that is being prepared.

Back to the lake: I only have a PWC, so if I get caught in a storm I have to find safe harbor somewhere. Would have to find a friendly dock to hide at.

[8gv]

Originally Posted by 8gv

Another option is to motor into the wind out into the middle of the lake.

In a lightning storm this could be dangerous.

Managing the waves in the wind, far from anything hard to crash into, can work.

Flame suit on..

Quoted rather than removed...

I'd like to add that rollers out in the depths can be easier to manage than surf near the shore.

In 80' of water the troughs might be 76' from the bottom.

In 6' of water the troughs might have you in contact with the bottom.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by 8gv

In 6' of water the troughs might have you in contact with the bottom.

...and thanking God that you're not in the middle of the Broads with water coming in on every wave...