RedHaus
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- Joined
- Dec 13, 2020
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That is an amazing story @lonetraveler . Thank you SO much for sharing. It is compelling how similar the experience might have been on the Bayesian.Started out sunny and warm with no warning about a storm coming in until we could actually see it coming at us very quickly. My very pregnant daughter and younger daughter was with us. I immediately sent them down into the cabin and locked all hatches. Pulled the anchor and lowered the keel. We tried to beat the storm to the inlet for safe harbor but that did not happen. We had anchored to fish a little bit. Now I'm so glad it was anchored so that we had time to walk about the sailboat and prepare for a storm. We tried to motor in and the boat was on it's side the entire time, I was hanging onto the lifelines to stay on the boat. Steering toward the inlet. The storm overran us and it was a real wild ride for a while. My daughters were screaming because the water was over the windows. We couldn't cut the engine because water would have came over the back of sailboat and swamp us. We made it into the inlet and then tried to stick it on a sandbar so that we would not collide with people's docks. Missed it by inches.
The difference being that you are here to tell your story because you may have done things differently in response to the downburst. And of course your event was during daylight and you could see the approaching storm; the Bayesian's event was during the dark of night, @3:50am and the watchman likely could not easily see the thunderstorm marching towards them.
I wonder if your downburst happened while you and your family were asleep, would you have been able to do all you did in time to save your lives and yacht (drop keel, pull up anchor, close hatches, start engines, steer to inlet)?
I also wonder - since a few of us have tried to no avail to find historical 19-8 data that shows the Bayesian's downburst origin storm could have been predicted by radar or weather alerts - if you had any electronic forewarning?
Lastly, could you estimate the angle your yacht was heeled at while you motored and steered towards the inlet? I ask because we have learned that the Bayesian could not return to upright if it heeled more than 45° (vanishing angle). So many here suspect that design (flaw?) played a role in her demise as she faced a fierce downburst.
Thank you.
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