whats the worst weather you have been in?

[gar26lw]

and do you have any pictures ? :)

in the bay and in the ocean

[jman2016]

I helped a mate deckhand a trawler back in the '90's and we got hit by a sudden storm 100 nm east of douglas shoals.

lots of large waves on top of a large swell with a couple of rogue waves. A round bottom trawler too! Minimum keel depth. Ahhhhh!!!

Sorry no photos. Too busy keeping my balance!

Had a few nightmares after that one!!

[blaze]

60knts winds, wind against tide, 4m waves with no backs, 55km from home ramp. $10 000 for boat repairs to a 6m boat and dont want to ever go there again.
cheers
blaze

[revs57]

Ahh but you got home safely Blaze and that's all that matters! How is the restored beastie going?

[Aigutso]

When i was younger i did a lot of offshore sailing around england. During a crossing of the Bay of Biscay we had 4 days straight of Force 7 to Force 10 gales, got knocked over twice and like blaze said wouldnt want to go there again, it got to a stage where when it died down to Force 7 winds it was a relief.

cheers
mike

[Noelm]

gees been in some "doozies" over the years, probably the best/worst was in about 1975ish we were in an 80' Tuna Boat a "million" miles at sea and in a "thousand" MPH Westerly ,of course the wind speed and distance from shore are "embelished" a tad, but you get idea! we were leaving the water and smashing down like a 10' tinny, but worse off still was a "small" 40' Boat a few hundred yards away, we did not see it for two days because of spray and waves, gees they must have been doing it tough, another time was with an Abb diver in a 23' Sharkcat, we were doing the "run" across the big bay between Crookhaven and Gerroa, along 7 mile Beach in once again a fierce Westerly, the wind was that strong that everytime to bow left the water, even for a Jiffy, we would be blown around and pointed out to Sea, now that is a wind!! don't know how THIS happened, but the Cowling off one of the Mercs blew off and vanished into the spray, never to be sen again, now anyone who has had an old Merc will know that you need to be an Engineer to get it off on land! so here we were with one engine now completely exposed to the spray, which was like a fire hose, but thank God, it never stopped! finally got into the lee of the cliffs near Kiama and it was as flat as a tack (by comparison) so we hugged the shoreline and "gave it some" as all Abb divers do!!

[plaztix]

On a vehicle ferry between Cork in Ireland and Swansea in Wales (from memory). Departure was postponed for an hour or 2 while they apparently 'assessed the weather conditions'. We left at about 9 @ night and the whole night it felt like we were a toy boat in a washing machine.
No chance of sleeping cause you would end up falling out of the bed, had to hold on to the rails to prevent your head slamming against the head board every 20 seconds.
I went up to the restaurant / bar area when it felt like it was getting worse to see what it looked like outside. The upper decks were almost empty and the bar was closed and all the booz were smashed all over the floor. Keep in mind this is a boat designed to cross one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the world twice a day, every day of the year.
The one staff member who was able to be found said that the word was getting around that the captain had said they were the worst conditions he had been in and they were supposed to turn around but by then the wind/wave direction and current direction made it unsafe to do so!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o:o What the ........:-[:'(

A couple of us sat up stairs all night watching huge waves smash us around and wave peaks tower over the boat. You could feel the boat riding down the side of bigger waves then back up and over the peak, smashing down the other side and pitching and rolling all over the place. The massive waves that we could see through the horizontal sea spray were just the chop on top of monster waves that would be at least 20-30 seconds in between peaks. Every now and again you could hear some BIG crashes from inside the boat which made the whole episode even more frightening.

By about midday the next day we were coming into Swansea and the wind had died right down (to about 20 -30knots i guessed, which felt like glassed out conditions) and people started emerging from down below. This boat must have held at least 300 people but only 5 of us were up stairs the whole night. I dont know how they did it but there was a lot of rather green faces.

The crashing sounds down below were from a bus that had been thrown on its side and crushed about 5 or 6 cars.

Apparently the winds reached over 70 knots at one stage and it made the news and all. They usually pull the pin on wind over force 7 (about 35 knots i think) but the predictions were for the wind to ease not strengthen.::) Sounds like they got the report from seabreeze.;)

I was spewing i left my video camera in the van down below (where we weren't allowed, wonder why?), it would have made great footage.

Anyway, it was one of the scariest nights of my life and was glad to see land again.
Geez, sorry for the length, didn't realise how long it takes to explain in text.:P:P;)

[manchild]

On a vehicle ferry between Cork in Ireland and Swansea in Wales (from memory). Departure was postponed for an hour or 2 while they apparently 'assessed the weather conditions'. We left at about 9 @ night and the whole night it felt like we were a toy boat in a washing machine.
No chance of sleeping cause you would end up falling out of the bed, had to hold on to the rails to prevent your head slamming against the head board every 20 seconds.
I went up to the restaurant / bar area when it felt like it was getting worse to see what it looked like outside. The upper decks were almost empty and the bar was closed and all the booz were smashed all over the floor. Keep in mind this is a boat designed to cross one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the world twice a day, every day of the year.
The one staff member who was able to be found said that the word was getting around that the captain had said they were the worst conditions he had been in and they were supposed to turn around but by then the wind/wave direction and current direction made it unsafe to do so!!!!!!!!!!!!!:o:o What the ........:-[:'(

A couple of us sat up stairs all night watching huge waves smash us around and wave peaks tower over the boat. You could feel the boat riding down the side of bigger waves then back up and over the peak, smashing down the other side and pitching and rolling all over the place. The massive waves that we could see through the horizontal sea spray were just the chop on top of monster waves that would be at least 20-30 seconds in between peaks. Every now and again you could hear some BIG crashes from inside the boat which made the whole episode even more frightening.

By about midday the next day we were coming into Swansea and the wind had died right down (to about 20 -30knots i guessed, which felt like glassed out conditions) and people started emerging from down below. This boat must have held at least 300 people but only 5 of us were up stairs the whole night. I dont know how they did it but there was a lot of rather green faces.

The crashing sounds down below were from a bus that had been thrown on its side and crushed about 5 or 6 cars.

Apparently the winds reached over 70 knots at one stage and it made the news and all. They usually pull the pin on wind over force 7 (about 35 knots i think) but the predictions were for the wind to ease not strengthen.::) Sounds like they got the report from seabreeze.;)

I was spewing i left my video camera in the van down below (where we weren't allowed, wonder why?), it would have made great footage.

Anyway, it was one of the scariest nights of my life and was glad to see land again.
Geez, sorry for the length, didn't realise how long it takes to explain in text.:P:P;)
Same thing on Spirit of tasmania in 1997.When we finally reached devonport and turned the radio on they called it the storm of the decade.We try to go down to have a swim ,when the elevator stopped water was coming in :o .That how much the boat was tilting .The pool was half empty.Needless to say we used the stairs after that.Our cabin were just under the deck and white foam was smashing up all night wind was howling and you can feel the big wessel dropping when the waves ran out from under her at the same time and ithe whole thing shook .
Funniest thing was how everybody was having empty tea and plain toast for breakfeast the next morning at the buffet.
George
ps:next time i take the plane

[Evil Monkey]

8-10m rounding Wilsons Promontory November '99.....thankfully I was in an Ocean Liner (Pacific Sun from memory???) heading down for Melbourne Cup. The tub handled it remarkably well.

[Dezzer]

2 foot Moreton Bay chop just about everytime I go out.

[Far side]

2 foot Moreton Bay chop just about everytime I go out.
I reckon your right 2 to 3 ft chop in a trailerable boat on the bay is the pits. not unsafe but just a pain dosent matter what type of small boat they all bang despite the marketing hype its only the bang that varies

[aussiefool]

For me it would have to be the first trip to sea while I was in the Navy. I was serving on the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the wave were rolling along the flight deck. ..... Welcome to the navy son :)

[reidy]

Goodday all,
10m southerly swell with 2m of wind chop on top off Tasman Island (Tassie)around 1990.
50 foot charter boat tuna fishing.You could look over the transom and see your lures below you.
took the skipper (fool) around 5km to get enough gap to turn her for home.
Bloody scary day that one.
Cheers Reidy

[Cheech]

2 foot Moreton Bay chop just about everytime I go out.


LOL. I still remember that thread as well.

[Chimo]

6 m swells with 2 to 3 m waves in a 5 m Al runabout off SA pulling 3 cray pots that we had to retrive before leaving at the end of the weekend.

The boat handled it very well and we came out of it pleasantly surprised and alive which made us and ours really happy.

Chimo

[Timfishin4fun]

I went to the daintree, and we fished offshore around rudder reef and pratt rock. Each day got a bit bigger and bigger. In the end it was easy 3+ mtrs and the worst part is the bloke that owned the boat wouldn't use the anchor bouy. So every time we up anchored I had to go to the front of the 23ft shark cat which luckly had a 1m bow rail around it, pull the anchor as tight as possible, vertical, then hold on so he could give it some and soon as it come loose pull like hell to stop it grabing again, all while waves breaking over me.

But gee we got some fish. Pity I was unexperienced and didn't know better.

Tim

[wadeo]

cyclone justin onboard a spanner crabbing boat out of gladstone. 48ft boat steamed full noise in calm water at 11kn. Got up to 18kn on the down side of very angry swells heading into them for 48hrs straight. Was counting to 20 before the wheel house popped back up after hitting the bottom of the wave nowing it was under water, Then the vertical climb up the next one. SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME.
regards wadeo

[boatie]

hey guys,

my first ever trip offshore was the worst weather ive ever been in. My boss and his mate took me out to Fitzroy (about 45nm out from 1770) The saturday was nice with about 1-2m chop and i cought some nice fish. on the saturday night a storm blew up with about 50knt winds (thank god we were anchored in the lagoon) the sunday trip back was bloody wild, 3 to 5 mr swells with absoloty no patern to them they were comeing from every direction. we were in the 24 foot Searay and the boss reckons that it would have been nice to have a boat twice the size! lucky i was (still am) 16 and didnt realy know what was happening (bit different from the river in the tinny!) it took us about 4hrs to come home from Fitzroy in the boat and then a 3hr tow home. it was a long weekend!

well thats my experence and some of you other fellas have had some wild ones!

Boatie

[TCSunCoast]

Went to Moreton once on te combie trader about 7 years ago. As we got there the lighthouse was getting 70 knot gusts. They cancelled the rest of the trips.

Going to tassie once on the ferry and we were up in the bar drinking away complaining how when we left Melbourne the sun was out but now it was raining. Barman promplty closed bar as it was the waves starting to build up and spray over. This was on the old boat and they actually had rails over the basins so you could hang on while chundering.

[Guido]

Crossed the Whitsunday Passage in an underpowered 4.5m CC tinny with a strong wind warning. Were loaded with camping gear, but had to come home for work. Not a pleasant experience being down in the trough of a 3-4m side on rolling swell and not being able to see the top of the next wave because of the canopy.

Guido

[Fixation]

When I was about 11 years old we went out on the MV lady Musgrave to do the tourist thing on Lady Musgrave Island.

About lunch time everyone was snorkelling and playing round the island when jet black clouds started forming on the horizon. By that stage everyone was called in to lunch on the boat and we all hooked into a big smorgasbord lunch. Then the captain said we had to go back to Bundy early cause there was a massive storm on the way.
Anyway we must have left it a little late to leave cause not far off the island we hit the storm and it was the scariest 5-6 hours of boat travel in my life.
Just about everyone lost their lunch. Every bottle in the bar got smashed. The place smelt like a brewery.
Some people that got up from there seats were thrown around like rag dolls. A guy beside me got knocked out on the air conditioner on the ceiling when he got up to go for a spew.
I know when your little everything looks bigger but I remember the captain at the end saying the seas where about 7 meters. We would climb up a wave and then skate down it and the boat would submerge into the next one. Sometimes if the captain didn't back off the whole boat would leave the water and we would smash down like a giant tinny.
Anyone who knows the boat would know that it is quiet a large vessel (75ft cat). Not sure if the same boat is still going out there now.
About half way through we lost one of the new zodiac's off the back. We couldn't turn the boat round to get it either. It was too dangerous.

Made be appreciate how fast conditions can change out wide. It was glassy in the morning and then white foamy squall by late arvo.

Regards,
Craig.

[Alex9797]

HMAS Brisbane in 1984 off Sydney. Nearly everyone was crook. The ships props were cavitating as the following waves lifted the stern. In the main cafe about 10 fire fighting foam containers ( 20 litre containers I think) were thrown around the place and split open and the soft drink machine broke from its bolted mounting and crashed into the main galley narrowly missing a couple of blokes.

One of the heavy brass fire fighting nozzels with red hose attached ended up above the bridge ( the aac for Gary and others) having started its life on the focsal. Being a newbie I was trying to figure out which side of the ship I was going to jump from as I was convinced she was going to roll over.


cheers


Alex

[black runner]

First ever cruise - Pacific Sun from Sydney 2 years ago. Closed Sydney and Newcastle ports 1/2 hour after we left. 60 knot winds and 10 metre seas. The captain said the next day to spare a though for him - he got thrown out of bed 3 times during the night. The sick bay was open all night with passengers getting the jab. On one dinner sitting they lost about 200 glasses, you could feel the shudder as the props broke the surface of the water and the bow dug into the next trough. Very specky watching the foamy waves all lit up by the ships lights through the porthole of the cabin.

The other time sailing on a 40 footer on the Derwent in the winter series. Blowing 40 knots and snowing down to the 300 metre level. Character building to say the least.

Cheers - Fred

[BrewGuru]

check out my photobucket link bought the boat in Mackay Cruised down over Easter when the brisbane to Gladsone was on, a couple of yachts capsized. we heard on the VHF
my photo's don't show that weather but it does show what we were heading into, we had full on greenies hitting the wheelhouse windows...scary stuff!!

[mik01]

i just watched a show on national geo on foxtel about the sydney-hobart when all those boats were lost and people died.
unbelieveable stories of insane winds and huge waves.
the chopper rescuing one man overboard had to maintain clearance from the ocean which measured 100ft (they have like a depth sounder to measure the distance from the ground/water). a wave went under the chopper and the gap dropped to 10ft!!! I can't even imagine what a 90ft wave looks like. probably very scary to say the least!