[C320-list] Water spout

[Jack Brennan]

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone





So here's a sailing story.

We're on our spring cruise, heading north along the west Florida coast.

We anchored off Anclote keys in a semiprotected area, believing a gentle forecast as we tried for an early start the next morning.

About 12:30 am, I heard a roaring wind louder than any hurricane I have been in. Got up and found the boat spinning wildly. Started the diesel and tried pointing into the wind with only some success.

With a Rocna, 30 feet of 5/16 chain and 50 feet of rode in 8 feet of water, we were pushed a 1/4 mile until the Rocna grabbed a few hundred yards from a shoal.

An Island Packet 37 with a 60-pound Bruce and 80 feet of chain was pushed a half mile over a slightly deeper shoal into an empty anchorage.

A third boat, a large cat a few hundred yards away, got strong winds but never budged.

We think the IP got the brunt of a water spout, while we got part of it.

No damage to the boat except for some disconnected ss tunes in the solar panel structure.

Some night, though. I don't recommend it. The proximity of the shoal kept me up all night.

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G, an AT&T 5G smartphone