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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/11/2010 : 06:27:01

Sailed out Friday afternoon on Lake Lanier with a mild warm wind from the south. They predict winds out of the WSW to build to 20, gusting to 25 by the Saturday afternoon. Sailing a lazy downwind run, inspecting the east shore of a large island on the lake looking for a suitable anchorage, I motor into an inlet with high ground to the south. The pines buffer the wind as I set 2 anchors out from each other in 20 feet of water. The boat rides back and ends up in 10 feet of water, after resetting the anchors twice till I’m happy. She rides aft to the shore, the bow points out to break the big boats wakes as they ply aimlessly back and forth across the lake. I look to port and see a light brown area in the water and checking the aerial pictures of the island realize it’s a rock ridge extending out from the island that might be 5 feet deep. Not good but I’ve beat out a houseboat for the anchorage and the coves are filling fast with overnighters.
Lovely moonless night that goes calm and I sleep like a baby, awaking once around 3 to see an orange sliver of a moon rising from the east. More sleep and the morning brought coffee and calm but then you could feel the storm coming as a very slight breeze and then a cats paw would show on the water as the gusts moved across the lake. I was not up for the gusts that day so I motored out and set sail. I could see the gust coming but had no forward motion to do anything and it hit me, BAM, knocking me over more than I was expecting. It is such a violent feeling to have the boat pushed down so suddenly. I was spooked so sailed back, dropped the main and motored back to the slip. I worked on the boat all day and night, relaxing and sleeping onboard that afternoon and evening. Somebody went out, reefed main only and I wished him well, and later learned they blew out a 30 y.o. mainsail in the gusts. The winds were predicted to clock to the north and calm down on Sunday, but they remained from the west. I took some family out for a great day of sailing.

Ray in Atlanta, Ga.
"Lee Key" '84 Catalina 25
Standard Rig / Fin Keel

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2010 : 07:21:01

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redeye
 . . . and later learned they blew out a 30 y.o. mainsail in the gusts . . . <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Great justification for a new main sail!

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.