Rib in Rough Water

[indaba1991]

Rescue Boat Accident - YouTube

Having a big dispute with a mate regarding throttle control in heavy weather. Having bought a sea-going rib we are pretty sure one day to have to make our way home in bad weather.

I am of the opinion that going down wind / waves (if possible) is the only way to go when conditions are extreme. He thinks good throttle control upwind is totally safe. Does the video above prove my point?

[C2 RIBS]

Your start point has to be rough water training as a boat may need to be helmed, beam seas, following seas or into the waves. Here is a good reference start from a fine trainer
The Powerboat Training Website

and also here on earlier postings
http://www.rib.net/forum/f39/rough-w...tzel-9591.html

Just as a note to your thoughts, going as you say "downwind/waves" can be as dangerous by planting/stuffing bow into a wave and effectively stopping the boat and filling with water and at worst rolling over the bow!

[indaba1991]

Originally Posted by C2 RIBS

Your start point has to be rough water training as a boat may need to be helmed, beam seas, following seas or into the waves. Here is a good reference start from a fine trainer
The Powerboat Training Website

and also here on earlier postings
http://www.rib.net/forum/f39/rough-w...tzel-9591.html

Very useful and thank you!

[Starovich]

To be honest, the first thing you need to know in when to stay put.
The vid is extreme and anyone thinking of "making your way home" in that needs to think again.

If you are thinking "is this too much for me?" then the answer is yes, stay put and wait or find a different way home. 99% of the time the boat will out last you, the question is very rarely "can the boat take it?".

Upwind as your vid suggests can cause the issue illustrated, but you are in just as much danger if you run down the back of a big wave and stuff the nose of the boat, it can pivot on the bow and roll as the following wave overtakes.

I would suggest taking some advanced training, if you can find some one who is flexible to wait for the "correct" weather you'll learn a lot.

I did similar in a 15 dell quay dory launching in surf (Little haven, Pembs) for the Regatta's, Mad Mackerel Race when i was 14, luckilly we washed back on to the beach and no one was hurt, flipped the boat back over and re launched, but were too late to catch enough fish

I've also buried the nose of 1 or 2 boats in my time, the "green room" is a pretty, but concerning place to be :P

Tim @ Griffin Marine gets my vote if you need some pointers.

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by Starovich

Tim @ Griffin Marine gets my vote if you need some pointers.

Another vote for Tim here. Had some interesting conditions to return to 'England' in a few years ago!

[jyasaki]

Personally, I'm way more afraid of following seas than head seas. Beating into the weather may be unpleasant, but going downhill is treacherous.

jky

[Squid Boat]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Personally, I'm way more afraid of following seas than head seas. Beating into the weather may be unpleasant, but going downhill is treacherous.

jky

Amen to that brother.

Cheers

[neil.mccrirrick]

+1 I'd much rather be heading into the wind. I feel there is much more control. A following see is fun when your "surfing" the wave, but that's it, its just for fun

[Cookee]

When you're racing you have no choice - in reality another coming from the beam is actually a real issue, especially with a strong wind. As has been said above you can adjust your driving to suit the conditions and different hulls respond differently so some are better in head seas and some not.

The thing to remember is the best decision you will ever make is not to go out when it's too rough - judging when it's too rough is the hard part!

[lukewhiting]

Id rather be heading down wind in mine. Cause mines so light at the nose you have alot more close calls! Going down wind we just shift our weight back and go. The nose does go under sometimes but usually if the waves a decent size it gets jumped anyway!

On my level2 powerboat course they told me to hit waves at a 45% angle & just zigzag up & down wind in large swells.

[biffer]

Sometimes when you have to be somewhere else you have to brave the weather. Practice makes perfect and trust your boat springs to mind. You need a good boat to start with though. Personally I don't like beam on high wind seas

[Nasher]

Whenever I've seen that clip over the last few years it's always reminded me of a certain Ribnet cruise to Yarmouth quite a few years ago.

It was a bit rough and windy to say the least, and we should have all been sensible and stayed at home.

Most of the smaller boats stayed tied up in Pompey harbour and we all piled onto my Ocean and Old Spice back when Pete7 still had her.

Those on my boat I remember were Olyit, Jimbo, TimM, and his girlfriend.

We got out of the harbour and headed along the wall straight into a really confused sea.
We hit a particulary steep tall wave and went completely vertical.
To this day I don't know how we didn't go over backwards.

The sensible thing to do is stay at home if you have the option.

Nasher.

[dpround]

I'd go for beam seas being the scariest in general.

David

[Crusher]

As to when to stay put, someone once said to me........

It's better to be on shore wishing you were out on your boat than to be out on your boat wishing you were ashore......

[Andre]

with the right length to match the beam and weight and with the right power on the transom even F6 /7 should not be a problem - as for the crew on board in such conditions than that is another matter.
By the way I am not on board this Parker 900 Baltic rib only my brother Philip with his son Chris having what seems to be fun for some and punishment for others.

[SeaSkills]

Originally Posted by indaba1991

I am of the opinion that going down wind / waves (if possible) is the only way to go when conditions are extreme. He thinks good throttle control upwind is totally safe.

Neither is totally safe, of course. It does depend what boat you're in. I used to drive an RNLI Atlantic in some fairly big seas - many years ago now - and I feel for the Whitstable crew in the video!

The problem with going down wind and waves is that it usually ends up on the beach. In the big stuff, you may find you have no choice but to make your way to (relative) safety into the waves

As so many have said already though - best of all, just don't be there in the first place

[Lee argyle]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Whenever I've seen that clip over the last few years it's always reminded me of a certain Ribnet cruise to Yarmouth quite a few years ago.

It was a bit rough and windy to say the least, and we should have all been sensible and stayed at home.

Most of the smaller boats stayed tied up in Pompey harbour and we all piled onto my Ocean and Old Spice back when Pete7 still had her.

Those on my boat I remember were Olyit, Jimbo, TimM, and his girlfriend.

We got out of the harbour and headed along the wall straight into a really confused sea.
We hit a particulary steep tall wave and went completely vertical.
To this day I don't know how we didn't go over backwards.

The sensible thing to do is stay at home if you have the option.

Nasher.

We went out to watch the round the island yacht race a couple of summers ago, sat off the needles in some nasty oncoming seas – got blown backwards off a very steep breaking swell and dumped right on our arse, I’m helming and a mate stood immediately behind me virtually went under…………….the boat landed right way up and after fanatically starting the engine we went into the shelter of alum bay for a shaky cup of tea!

[captnjack]

Originally Posted by indaba1991

Having a big dispute with a mate regarding throttle control in heavy weather. Having bought a sea-going rib we are pretty sure one day to have to make our way home in bad weather.

I am of the opinion that going down wind / waves (if possible) is the only way to go when conditions are extreme. He thinks good throttle control upwind is totally safe. Does the video above prove my point?

No it doesn't prove your point.

Going upwind or down, at a certain point the waves are so steep you either stuff the bow or go end over end as shown. However in the clip shown, the steepness is a direct function of the beach/shore which is causing the wave to break in the first place. If you are crossing a bar or shoal that's when you get these types of waves. And going downhill on the exact steep breaking wave they flipped on would have been equally dangerous IMHO. They would have raced down the wave, buried the bow in the tough and then the breaking portion of the wave would have pushed the stern of the boat over their heads. The waves are too steep and high for that vessel's waterline length and they probbaly would have flipped regardless of direction of travel. As others have said, sometimes it just not safe and you shouldn't be out there period.

[Bigmuz7]

I have to say, I rarely take a big sea head on .. but then I'm mostly in deep water for my cruising .. I'll tack or follow but to me, the risk of a lot of your hull suddenly becoming visible to the wind is a very dodgy position to be in, because you cant be certain of the shape of the wave sometimes, particularly if the wind isnt with the tide, and therefore how quickly it will dissapear under you, and then neither do you know the strength of the wind/gust coming behind it. So its my least favourite option.

In the North Minch .. sometimes, heavy sea seems appear from nowhere, despite the best forecast, and prefering 'not to be out' isnt always an option, so knowing how to deal with it, and balance your boat appropriately for the conditions is an absolute must.

[indaba1991]

Originally Posted by Cookee

When you're racing you have no choice - in reality another coming from the beam is actually a real issue, especially with a strong wind. As has been said above you can adjust your driving to suit the conditions and different hulls respond differently so some are better in head seas and some not.

The thing to remember is the best decision you will ever make is not to go out when it's too rough - judging when it's too rough is the hard part!

Interesting thing in strong wind! I have been doing trials in the past few days on the Protector which is a relatively heavy boat. The weather has been pretty windy, wet and pretty rough because of some unusually high tides. In protected water in the Solent I noticed a very strong squall coming towards the boat - as it hit the attitude of the boat changed dramatically and the course made good altered about 30 degrees forcing me to turn hard into the squall to correct direction. I was travelling around 25 kts