Tagged: storm
Storms and Skinny Water
Boating over the past few days has been a mixed bag with some decent sunshine, but also some measurable wind and a continuous thunderstorm threat. Prompted by an interest in returning to the dock quickly to avoid the storms, many inexperienced boaters will try to shorten their route by steering on the wrong side of channel buoys or following a straight path on the inside line between buoys. Either of these approaches can result in problems primarily because the channels are constantly shifting. And although the buoys indicate plenty of water, oftentimes there is not. You may only need 6” [...]
Squall Lines
I was talking to a boating buddy yesterday about an upcoming TV show and our conversation, unexpectedly landed on the topic of Weather. Recently, I shared an incident of fast moving fog that reduced conditions from 2 miles visibility to less than ¼ mile well inside of ten minutes. In our discussion, we focused on storms, summer and winter alike. A point, reinforced by the fog experience, was the speed at which conditions can change. Like the fog, a squall or other aggressive wind storm can arise with little warning and can cause significant harm to the boaters and the [...]
Tropical Storm Prep
The Boston North shore is bracing for the fallout of Tropical Storm Isaias, namely, high winds and heavy rain. It's important to remember that Tropical Storms are only one level below a Hurricane and to prepare accordingly. There are more than a few good tips contained within Smart Boating #203 - How To Protect Your Boat in Event of a Hurricane. As you know, a little prep on the front end can result in substantially fewer head-aches on the tail end.
Cats & Dogs
Years ago, when it rained really hard, people would say,” It’s raining cats and dogs”. It was a somewhat comical image to ponder, but, as with most time-proven expressions, it also carried an important message relating to the volume of the rainfall. A couple days ago, a passing thunderstorm dumped some heavy rain, probably 2-3”, within a few hours. The effect on the dinghies at the dock was immediately noticeable as many of them filled with water to the seats. The effect on the larger boats was more important, but less immediately recognizable. You see, many boats are designed to [...]
Smart Boating 137 – Tropical Storm Preparations
This show illuminates the conditions associated with Tropical Storms and Hurricanes, and highlights many of the actions encompassed in local harbormaster's storm plan which was developed to help minimize injury and loss of property.
Smart Boating 63 – Severe Weather
This show focuses on how boaters can anticipate and deal with severe weather, safely.