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Hey all...thought this would be of some interest. Yesterday we had a group of 3 young guys who had just bought a 1980's vintage 35' sailboat pull into the marina after dark and hoping to leave today for points south.
Well the day broke as predicted with storm conditions offshore and full gale here with gusts to storm force...and of course the young guys decided to leave on their journey.
5 minutes later as they got out of the channel...they turned back and it took four of us to get them tied off to a dock with their 1/4 inch docklines.
So the wind dies down a bit around 4:30 PM as dusk was approaching and they decide to leave again near dark to head down the narrow channels and into the Pamlico sound. Where they planned to end up tonight god only knows. Mind you the gale warnings remain up THROUGH tomorrow night and if you look at the NWS Morehead city radar you can see what is still to come.
Anyway...to make a long story short...I got a call a little while ago that they are hard aground and called SeaTow for a rescue about 5 miles south of here. Sea Tow tolld them it is too rough to go out tonight and to put out an anchor and hang in there till morning. I am a friend and he will take off at first light for the rescue in conditions that will remain gale force and I will join him to lend a hand. Hope they are OK through the night but I'm sure they will have learned a lesson (an expensive one at that) or two by morning. Will keep you posted on the adventure. Oh yeah...the forecast:
...GALE WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY...
THE GALE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY.
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING SOUTH OF THE AREA WILL MOVE NORTH
TONIGHT...THEN STALL NORTHEAST OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. THE LOW WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ON THURSDAY. THE
LOW WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS OVER THE AREA THROUGH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A GALE WARNING MEANS WINDS OF 34 TO 47 KNOTS ARE IMMINENT OR
OCCURRING. OPERATING A VESSEL IN GALE CONDITIONS REQUIRES
EXPERIENCE AND PROPERLY EQUIPPED VESSELS. IT IS HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED THAT MARINERS WITHOUT THE PROPER EXPERIENCE SEEK SAFE
HARBOR PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF GALE CONDITIONS.
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Well the day broke as predicted with storm conditions offshore and full gale here with gusts to storm force...and of course the young guys decided to leave on their journey.
So the wind dies down a bit around 4:30 PM as dusk was approaching and they decide to leave again near dark to head down the narrow channels and into the Pamlico sound. Where they planned to end up tonight god only knows. Mind you the gale warnings remain up THROUGH tomorrow night and if you look at the NWS Morehead city radar you can see what is still to come.
Anyway...to make a long story short...I got a call a little while ago that they are hard aground and called SeaTow for a rescue about 5 miles south of here. Sea Tow tolld them it is too rough to go out tonight and to put out an anchor and hang in there till morning. I am a friend and he will take off at first light for the rescue in conditions that will remain gale force and I will join him to lend a hand. Hope they are OK through the night but I'm sure they will have learned a lesson (an expensive one at that) or two by morning. Will keep you posted on the adventure. Oh yeah...the forecast:
...GALE WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY...
THE GALE WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY.
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING SOUTH OF THE AREA WILL MOVE NORTH
TONIGHT...THEN STALL NORTHEAST OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. THE LOW WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ON THURSDAY. THE
LOW WILL PRODUCE STRONG WINDS OVER THE AREA THROUGH WEDNESDAY
NIGHT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A GALE WARNING MEANS WINDS OF 34 TO 47 KNOTS ARE IMMINENT OR
OCCURRING. OPERATING A VESSEL IN GALE CONDITIONS REQUIRES
EXPERIENCE AND PROPERLY EQUIPPED VESSELS. IT IS HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED THAT MARINERS WITHOUT THE PROPER EXPERIENCE SEEK SAFE
HARBOR PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF GALE CONDITIONS.
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