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RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

bamasam — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:31:41 GMT

Typhoon Omar while in Guam, the only thing woorse was going through the North Atlantic in the middle of winter on ship.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

PompNewbie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:28:08 GMT

Hurricane Ivan was hands down the worst for me and my family.. We live in a above grade house that was built in the 40's and during the buildup we decide to go to her moms house (2 houses down from us) since they have a brick house w/ a foundation...come to find out her brother and thier 3 kids had the same Idea....

So we have 7 adults and 7 kids in a 3 bedroom house with no power and the windows rattleing so bad some of them are crying..not fun

One of the Adults is my wifes 80 yr old grandmother (who is all juiced up on snuff and a pharmicutical enhancment) and she is wired for sound ..keep in mind its pitch black in the living room where we are all huddled and every 5 min she would flick on her flashlight , nerves were on edge and after about the 12 time of seeing lights and loosing our vision my wife threatened to turn her into a firefly if she turned it on again...

Couple of hours before the end of it in the wee morning hours there was a loud crash and the house shook like it was getting ready to leave the ground pictures fell off the walls and everyone was screaming whille me and my wife covered our kids with our bodies.

After that passed I got up and moved to the front door *its around 5am* I open the door and its black as night I cant see anything I turned on a flash light and Im staring at the root ball of a 100 yr old oak tree that was in my father in laws front yard the ball was about 10-12 foot high and around, the house shaking was when it fell...the tree was around 6 ft in diamater and when it hit the ground it landed on his chainlink fence post which went all the way through the tree.. The tree went all the way across the road and took the rain gutter off my brother in laws house but otherwise his house was un-damaged.

The worst part was the realization that if the tree had fell the other way we would all have died.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

sniper — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:13:50 GMT

Today tops my list. After the air show a storm came in that brought fear to me for the first time on the water. We left after the air show andby the time we got under Bob Sikes all hell broke loose. Visability was 5 feet in front of the boat and there were boat all over that were dead in the water or too scared to move. The water was rough but the lightning was the scariest. I felt the hair raise up on my neck a few times them BAM lighting not 50 yards from us over and over again. I knew we were gonna get hit. I can handle 10 footers in a boat if I can read them. But lightning is too unpredictable. It was very scary. I put the kids in he cabin and April and I stayed at the wheel. We got hit with hail and rain all the way back to Bayou Chico. Idiot boaters almost hit us a few times not paying attention to where they were going. I had to make sudden turns to avaoid them with my horn blazing then I get the sudden realization look after they see they were gonna wreck. I was never so happy to make it back to land. The show was awsome but I would have gave it up if I knew what was coming after ward. I hope everyone made it back ok. It was nasty. Thank You to all my friends that called to check on us!

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

bigruss — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:50:56 GMT

I don't know I got caught in that storm on saturday on my little jon boat. Had problems with my outboard on my way back. Lighting was hitting down everywhere we pulled to the nearest land right there before the channel going to sunset ramp. We parked the jon boat far away from us and we were clinged to the rocks watching lighting smack the water.. Pretty damn scary lol.. You might have seen us(3 guys paddling a jon boat back to sunset)

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

true-king — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:29:55 GMT

[quote][b]P-cola_Native (7/12/2008)[/b][hr] Camping out without power after the storm was fun though.[/quote]

If you say so! I'd say the week long power outage was the worst part of it. We rode out Ivan too. We live on a big bluff on the south side of east bay. We have a lot of trees, so they took the hit. The yard looked like a jungle after the storm, took for ever to clear even the driveway. The storm surge was contained by the bluff we live on, but it destroyed half our dock and tipped the boathouse over.

I'd say hurricane dennis was equally ba for us. We were on the west side of the storm as it hit, so the winds were coming from the north. We had a little space to peer out above a board on our living room window. In the eyewall, were were facing 100+ mph winds coming right at us (no protection when right on the water). The full force of the wind built up across the bay and blew right at us. There were hickory nuts flying off the trees and smashing into the house at high speeds. After a while, it all stopped. The eye came over us and we walked outside. The sun came out and a bunch of bugs were flying around, I guess they were trapped in the eye. Pretty crazy experience.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

Midnight Rider — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:09:38 GMT

[quote][b]FlounderAssassin (7/12/2008)[/b][hr]At home would have to be Ivan for me. on the water...when i was little probably 10 or so my cousin took me fishing at gulf state park...we were fishing in the middle lake and started to head back to the main lake...we were about half way through the little channel that goes between them when a storm poped up...we hit out underneath the bridge there and the wind started blowing so hard that we couldnt hold the boat anymore...my cousin cranked up the motor and was probably at about 3/4 throttle just to keep us still (25hp). it only last like that for about 5 min thank god. that would have really been bad if it had lasted like that for longer![/quote]You stole my thunder Flounder Assassin. That was the story I was going to tell when I first read the topic....Good Times Good Times.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

oldflathead — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 05:01:17 GMT

Hey Curtis,

Man you come up with some dillies. Here's three, pick one.

Thanksgiving, 1973 - Spousal unit and I sailed our 25' sailboat/racer over to the Isthmus of Catalina the day before. A Santana wind came up during the night,off shore from the SoCal coast which put us on a lee shore. We decided to run for the other side of the island. Since our boat was a racer, we did not have any small sails, so we motored the five miles or so to the west end of Catalina. I had to sit on the 5.5 Johnrude to keep it in the water. We had tied ourselves to the boat, which was a good thing since we were knocked down several times. We finally rounded the west end and got into calmer seas, but still could not get back into the lee of the island until we got a few miles and under the mountains wind shadow. Winds were reported at 70 knots. You bet we carried storm sails after that.

November 1965 - We flew over to Spain to join some friends sailing their 50' ketch back across the Atlantic. Mostly a wonderful voyage, except when those ugly black squalls sneaked up from behind. Then it was a holes and elbows getting the sails down with rain coming off them like a waterfall. It sort a makes you wonder why you are 1,500 miles from land.

September 2004 - (*$%#@ Ivan I rode out this storm on my Cal 46 MS tied up behind my house on Bayou Chico. My place is in a slight cove on the north side, Edgewater Dr. I had placed dolphins at the end of my dock and my neighbors docks. Before the storm I attach chain near the top of the dolphins to keep out the stupid alpha hotels who abandon their boats in Bayou Chuco, the poorest holding ground anywhere. I blow my 75# Danforth and 66#CQR anchors in with my work boat pump, then bury the chain on the way back. I run 3/4" three strand nylon to several pilings, plus have my heavy dock lines covered with hose and rings of PVC so they will ride up the pilings. So, all is okay until the wind shifts south, then west after the eye passes.
This one stupid SOB had anchored his 43' Hatter -ass on one 25# anchor and 285' of 1/4" chain. Naturally he drug and snagged one of my upwind neighbors anchor line which held as all of his chain pulled out. When the wind shifted he passed over a neighbors 43' sailboat. I saw it on it's side, he then rode over my neighbors big catamaran and drug them down on my boat.
The transom of the Hatter-ass was dragging up and down the side of my boat as I tried to
hold it off. Fat chance, one old man, even totally enraged could do little. Twelve friends and neighbors had taken refuge in our new home, completed in March '04 and built to Dade County standards. Friends, Matt, Navy NFO and Tom, Air Traffic Controller, put on PFD's, got a long 1" line I had and swam it out to me. I jumped on the Hatterass and cleated it, while they swam over to a tree and tied her off when it swang back. That held it off my boat, but the damage had been done, all of my west side hold off pilings were broken off and boat took a beating.
The stupid SOB owner of the Hatterass got off with minimal damage, but I have a mean, hungry lawyer on his ass, lawsuit pending. I have reinforced my new pilings with sisters and huge beams that floated up after the storm. The next boat that drags down on me will sink.
I was a Boy Scout, so am prepared this time.

Hell, I've been in worse situations and people were shooting at me.

Tom:blownaway

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

FlounderAssassin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:42:51 GMT

At home would have to be Ivan for me. on the water...when i was little probably 10 or so my cousin took me fishing at gulf state park...we were fishing in the middle lake and started to head back to the main lake...we were about half way through the little channel that goes between them when a storm poped up...we hit out underneath the bridge there and the wind started blowing so hard that we couldnt hold the boat anymore...my cousin cranked up the motor and was probably at about 3/4 throttle just to keep us still (25hp). it only last like that for about 5 min thank god. that would have really been bad if it had lasted like that for longer!

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

P-cola_Native — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:42:11 GMT

[quote][b]Garbo (7/12/2008)[/b][hr]Not just on a boat, but at home, work, in the woods. [/quote]

At home- Hurricane Ivan

We rode it out in Edgewater, on Bayou Chico. It was pretty scary when the eye was coming by and you could actually feel a strong breeze circulating through the house. Our house is kind of old, so it was making all kind of noises. I thought the roof was going to blow off at one point. Camping out without power after the storm was fun though.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

Garbo — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:27:04 GMT

Not just on a boat, but at home, work, in the woods.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

FlounderAssassin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:03:44 GMT

[quote][b]Tuna Man (7/12/2008)[/b][hr][quote][b]Tuna Man (6/26/2008)[/b][hr]My absolute worst trip, bar NONE (and I have been in a typhoon where waves were over 60 feet high, coming over the bow) was one February, a buddy of mine from Mississippi and I went to Venice, LA to hit the lump. Our trip was to last a week, which it did. On one of those days we went out Tiger Pass during the daylight and got caught out on the water as time was approaching darkness. Well I was unfamiliar with the whole area and decided to come in the SW Pass (Mississippi River main pass). As we turned to head basically North into the pass a rogue wave (just one) came out of nowhere and we went airborne, well if that wasn't enough a winter thunderstorm, a mother of thunderstorms moved in. I was lucky enough that two days earlier I had navigated down the Mississippi and had my track saved on my GPSS. As the storm moved in it was raining so hard that I had to cup my hand over my eyes and look through the cracks in my fingers (we could do only about 5 Kits). From the mouth to Venice is TOTAL darkness, NO shore lights. Here I am navigating by GPSS saved track only, thunder and lightning all around us and all of a sudden I hear the loudest horn I've ever heard in my life. I do a quick look over my shoulder and what do I see but a DAMN LARGE cargo ship coming upriver, and directly on my ass. My first thought was how far can I move to the East without running into something like rocks, rock dikes and or pilings that are stuck out from shore, and If this SOB doesn't hit me I can tag him back into port. Since I only tracked down river, my track was on the West side, and I didn't have enough time, speed and distance to move to the west side. By the grace of GOD two things happened...he didn't run over me and I didn't hit anything. Good..now to tag his ass back to port. I kicked the pig and was doing quite well, only to think (I have many hours on the upper Mississippi) what should happen if this cargo ship should kick up something, and we run over it. See, trees have been known to be holding below and all of a sudden release and come airborne, large ones at that. So with that I had to back off. It took us about 3 hours to get from the mouth to Venice, and as we pulled off of the SW Pass and into the small pass to the marina the sky broke open. No kidding aside, if I was in a car driving I would of pulled off the road and waited for the storm to pass it was that bad. Pucker factor..... 8.7 on a scale of 10. Pulled into the marina and my buddy says to me "damn you did good getting us back in" ......I replied "no worries man" and didn't say another word till we tied up.[/quote][/quote]

you did do a damn good job getting through all that. i have been up and down from vinice through SW pass a few times. those ships haul A$$ through there and they cannot move from the center and cant slow down. i can just imagine what must have been going through your mind with all of that. my pucker factor would have probably been a little higher then yours lol.

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

Tuna Man — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:18:35 GMT

[quote][b]Tuna Man (6/26/2008)[/b][hr]My absolute worst trip, bar NONE (and I have been in a typhoon where waves were over 60 feet high, coming over the bow) was one February, a buddy of mine from Mississippi and I went to Venice, LA to hit the lump. Our trip was to last a week, which it did. On one of those days we went out Tiger Pass during the daylight and got caught out on the water as time was approaching darkness. Well I was unfamiliar with the whole area and decided to come in the SW Pass (Mississippi River main pass). As we turned to head basically North into the pass a rogue wave (just one) came out of nowhere and we went airborne, well if that wasn't enough a winter thunderstorm, a mother of thunderstorms moved in. I was lucky enough that two days earlier I had navigated down the Mississippi and had my track saved on my GPSS. As the storm moved in it was raining so hard that I had to cup my hand over my eyes and look through the cracks in my fingers (we could do only about 5 Kits). From the mouth to Venice is TOTAL darkness, NO shore lights. Here I am navigating by GPSS saved track only, thunder and lightning all around us and all of a sudden I hear the loudest horn I've ever heard in my life. I do a quick look over my shoulder and what do I see but a DAMN LARGE cargo ship coming upriver, and directly on my ass. My first thought was how far can I move to the East without running into something like rocks, rock dikes and or pilings that are stuck out from shore, and If this SOB doesn't hit me I can tag him back into port. Since I only tracked down river, my track was on the West side, and I didn't have enough time, speed and distance to move to the west side. By the grace of GOD two things happened...he didn't run over me and I didn't hit anything. Good..now to tag his ass back to port. I kicked the pig and was doing quite well, only to think (I have many hours on the upper Mississippi) what should happen if this cargo ship should kick up something, and we run over it. See, trees have been known to be holding below and all of a sudden release and come airborne, large ones at that. So with that I had to back off. It took us about 3 hours to get from the mouth to Venice, and as we pulled off of the SW Pass and into the small pass to the marina the sky broke open. No kidding aside, if I was in a car driving I would of pulled off the road and waited for the storm to pass it was that bad. Pucker factor..... 8.7 on a scale of 10. Pulled into the marina and my buddy says to me "damn you did good getting us back in" ......I replied "no worries man" and didn't say another word till we tied up.[/quote]

RE: What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

gcrbama — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:12:34 GMT

10 to 12 foot seas coming back from a wreck 30somthing miles out of p'cola. it was kindof exciting but two weeks earlier i had my nuts clipped. the stiches busted so i had fish guts, saltwater, and sweat just brewing in a opening that is pretty sensative. infection another doc appointment and i was all better. it must have took. no more kids yet. lets go fishing

What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?

Garbo — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:07:16 GMT

I always go north. We pack everything best possible and go to the hunting camp.

I bet there are some cool stories out there of the bad storms some of you have been through without leaving.

As I mentioned, we pack and leave.

It doesn't have to be a hurricane, but it may be a boating trip turned bad. But, we have all been there. Once at Crooked Island my oldest son, myself and my best friend beached a Hewes Flats boat and took cover up the beach. We covered in raingear and when it was over the Hewes was on Dry Ground. A tornado had passed within 200 yards of the spot we chose to ride it out.

Not just in a boat, but anywhere. I am sure there are some that stayed through Ivan, Katrina, Opal and such. We went north.

What is the worst weather you have ever rode out?