Fw: [Alberg30] Hail

[Mike Lehman]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mike Lehman 
To: Alberg 30 public list 
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 11:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Alberg30] Hail


I was in a race once on a J24. We were in the lead with with the chute up. From behind, the storm was approaching. This was the kind of storm where the clouds turned green with black fingers reaching toward the ground. We knew it was going to be bad. In the cockpit was my friend Andy on the helm and I was trimming, while the other three crew members were positioned arounf the mast to balance the weight on the boat. Andy told me to look aft and *give the call* when we should douse the chute. Within minute the chure backed toward the boat as the storm approached. I call for the take down. We started the 6HP outboard, dropped the chute and turned the bow toward the storm. Two crew members worked hard to drop the main. As the storm hit, the jib started to hoist itself. Knowing that a jib up would capsize the bow, one crew member launched himself forward and *spead eagle* on the bow to hold it down. The wind came, the rain came. The rain hit so hard that hurt exposed flesh. We all scrambled toward the windward side of the boat to keep it from going over. The hatch boards were in place with locks, so when we went over the boat would not fill with water. I saw the bottom of the keel as the boat heeled over. The cockpit was flooded. The sreams from other boats could be heard over the howling wind. Our concerns turned to a collision from another boat out of the 20' visibility. I was sure we were going to swim home that evening. When the storm passed there were 2 boat sunks and 12 dismastings. Winds were reported at 66 knts. We were in the protected waters of the Magothy River. I cannot image how bad it must have been in the Bay. My advice - don't be there! Seek shelter. Watch the weather and find a place to hide. It is exciting though - just be prepared to swim.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Blevins 
  To: Alberg 30 public list <public-list at alberg30.org> 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 8:41 PM
  Subject: [Alberg30] Hail


  I was just at the dock aboard Sabrina around 7:15 p.m. Tonight and took
  cover below during a thunderstorm that had very large hail. Two rounds of it
  lasting about 10 minutes each ending around 8 p.m.

  The winds weren¹t too bad and nothing broke so all is well, but it started
  me thinking what I¹d do if I were caught on the water out in golf-ball (or
  larger in this case I think) hail if I could not go below to take cover.

  Have any of you dealt with that situation?

  Bill Blevins
  Sabrina #158
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