Thunderstorms?

Post by **Redbelly** » July 16th, 2007, 9:52 pm

What's the worst you ever got caught in? After getting ran off the water staurday this is on my mind.

Got caught offshore once, we had a cuttycabin, but I never want that to happen again.

So far on the flats I've been lucky to get away. Saturday the one that formed between SPt and Mashes was one quick storm!!
I kept my eye on those clouds and it was a good thing. Started leaving as soon as I spotted rain right at shore by PI. By the time I was entering the LOI bay it was full blown across Oyster bay!! Took only a few minutes.

Don't be skeered!!

Post by **RodBow** » July 16th, 2007, 10:00 pm

at 1st sign - head for the hill!

Post by **bman** » July 16th, 2007, 10:10 pm

About 3 years ago I was scalloping in St Joe Bay-with my wife and dad.
Head down filling my bag. I looked up to see how far I was from the boat to see a lightening bolt come out of a black cloud blowing our way.

Bolts were poppin nearer and nearer as we pulled the anchor.
We hightailed it to the nearest land- I prayed all the way to shore.
We hid under someones house till the storm passed.

I was still nervous as we ran back to the boat landing.

Post by **Dubble Trubble** » July 16th, 2007, 10:22 pm

Went from Ochlocknee state park to Dog Island via crooked river a few years back on the Jetskis. While out on the island, a storm came up at Carrabelle. We could see the bolts hitting all over. After what we thought was the last of it, we headed in to Carrabelle and back up crooked river. At that point, all hail ( I do mean hail) broke loose, we were seeing bolts of light hitting trees as we were riding by. I said a quiet prayer, something about this being my day to go, and just floored it. It was a loonnnng ride back to OS park, thunder and lightning all the way. It finally let up where the Ochlocknee meets crooked river.

After a quick stop at the OSP Toilet facility for a cleanup

, I loaded up and headed back to T'ville.

Dubble

CATCH 22 · Post by **CATCH 22** » July 16th, 2007, 10:29 pm

Had 3 squalls close on me and my son last aug so fast there was nothing I could do but grin and and bear it. Had Clint so scared He was about in tears

"Just call the coast guard and tell em to come get us

" . Had 6-8s inshore w/ 40knt Offshore gail stacking up 10-12s with one so big it dropped down 16' to the bottom, Threw me into the console so hard I dented the Stainless Steel Trim with my knee and jambed my thumbs trying to hold on, still had 30 miles to go

Ain't slowed me down none, Ain't skeered after going through 35' seas while in USN. Beat that suckers

What a mess · Post by **What a mess** » July 17th, 2007, 8:30 am

Was out of Suwanee about six years ago a big one ran down from the land and stalled at shore.

We looked back and it looked like night at the hill. We reeled them in and dropped the hammer about seven miles to get back.

We ran about three miles and the temp fell about twenty degrees the bolts started flying.

We got on it as hard as we could large waves coming in the boat.

It never rained till we got in the truck but the lighting was unbelievable.

I later told my brother that lightning was striking 365 degrees all around us.

He said there are only 360 I said you wern't in the damn boat!

What a mess · Post by **What a mess** » July 17th, 2007, 8:43 am

CATCH 22 wrote:Had 3 squalls close on me and my son last aug so fast there was nothing I could do but grin and and bear it. Had Clint so scared He was about in tears "Just call the coast guard and tell em to come get us " . Had 6-8s inshore w/ 40knt Offshore gail stacking up 10-12s with one so big it dropped down 16' to the bottom, Threw me into the console so hard I dented the Stainless Steel Trim with my knee and jambed my thumbs trying to hold on, still had 30 miles to go Ain't slowed me down none, Ain't skeered after going through 35' seas while in USN. Beat that suckers

I know how he felt I was on a 21' ocean going sailboat at 16 in Lake Ontario. It took thirty minutes to get out of the harbor and 7 hours to get back in a freak gail showed up.

The coast guard said the could get to us but they would never be able to get us out of our boat and into theirs and that we had to ride it out.

I would have pissed myself if I wasn't to scared to piss.

I think you were going through those 35 foot seas in a little different vessel. What was your job in the navy were you the Captain?

I feel for your boy glad you made it back safe sorry for your injury.

Post by RD » July 17th, 2007, 9:35 am

Run into heavy rain just below the LH 2 years ago bad enough I was running using the GPS just to find the LH and when I got beside it the wind hit,looked at the LH and it started going by backwards,seas when to 4 ft in 3 ft of water. Tried to turn around was just going to beach it in the palm trees and the wind got under the boat (24 C Ckiff) and lifted it out of the water,almost flipped me,made it to Sand Cove and beached with all the Shell Island boats. I figure it had to be a small waterspout,been in 60 knt winds before and this was worse,had to have been close to 100 knts for a short time.

Olebiker · Post by **Olebiker** » July 17th, 2007, 10:39 am

Thirty years ago on Kentucky Lake. It's a big, fairly shallow reservoir and when the wind gets up it can get rough in a hurry. Dad and I were fishing back in a creek on the East side of the lake. The wind started getting up and the sky started to get dark in the West so we figured we had better get back across the lake to Blood River before the storm hit.

By the time we got out of the creek and onto the main lake it looked like an ocean with swells and whitecaps. We didn't feel like risking the crossing in our 14 foot Starcraft with a 9.5 Johnson, so we turned around and found a sheltered area to wait out the storm. Problem is, the storm kept on roaring well into the night, forcing us to spend the night huddled under ponchos under a pine tree.

As soon as it got daylight we headed back across the lake to find a flotilla of boats out searching for us.

Post by **Mook!** » July 17th, 2007, 11:24 am

bman wrote:About 3 years ago I was scalloping in St Joe Bay-with my wife and dad.
Head down filling my bag. I looked up to see how far I was from the boat to see a lightening bolt come out of a black cloud blowing our way.

Bolts were poppin nearer and nearer as we pulled the anchor.
We hightailed it to the nearest land- I prayed all the way to shore.
We hid under someones house till the storm passed.

I was still nervous as we ran back to the boat landing.

Me and mojokoko had this same experience this past Saturday 7/14 in the east flats. We were a little SSW of Stoney, bright and sunny all around when we anchored, in the water maybe 15 minutes, popped my head up to make sure I was near the boat and saw lightning around patty's island area. We hit the channel WOT and by the time we got around the lighthouse, I was getting smacked in the eyes so hard by heavy rain that I kept getting bloinded in one eye then the other. The channel was running 3-4-5 wide because people were coming in off the west flats where the storm was already getting nasty. There was so much nasty wake convergence that I couldn't sit behind the windshield; had to stand up to see the wakes because rain was hitting it so hard.

Just before we got back to the fort, lightning struck just off the starboard side maybe a couple hundred feet away, then a few seconds later off the port side at a hundred yards or so. Whe we were about straight out from the fort ramp just turning in to hit the grass, lightning hit a transformer on a power pole a couple hundred feet from the bathrooms, sending up a cloud of black smoke, followed by a fireball that looked just like napalm, followed by some more black smoke.

Ironically, I had made the comment about 4 miles up the river that although the rain hurt hitting me in the face, I was fine "..as long as it doesn't get all Vietnam on us" I've been in worse storms many many times, but that's the only time I've had 3 giant lightning strikes so close in so short of time, and the only time in my life one of them ever caused a giant fireball right in front of me, and hence I think that was the most scary.

Post by **Mook!** » July 17th, 2007, 11:27 am

Oh and by the way, if you ever see Wevans post anything about bad weather in the good morning thread, BELIEVE IT! lol

grim reeler · Post by **grim reeler** » July 17th, 2007, 11:28 am

Made a dash in from piney island in a small duck boat with very little freeboard from a fash squall line. Watched 5 water spouts form from the landing.

We've run thru around many offshore thunderstorms and maore than a couple water spouts.

Rode out squalls with 40+ knot winds in a 27' cabin cruiser sailboat.

Out run storms if you can. If you cant, take your time and ride it out, most boats handle rough seas better than you do. Rushing leads to mistakes.

Post by **Charles** » July 17th, 2007, 3:52 pm

When your mono line hangs in the air long after you cast, it's time to reel in and put the graphite rod down. Sitting down would be a good idea, too.

Mr Flats · Post by **Mr Flats** » July 17th, 2007, 4:08 pm

Charles wrote:When your mono line hangs in the air long after you cast, it's time to reel in and put the graphite rod down. Sitting down would be a good idea, too.

Why is that? I think I have an idea but you know what they say about assumptions....

I have been lucky enough to have avoided such situations thus far. Probably because my kids are all so young and I have been willing to push it at all.

Post by **Redbelly** » July 17th, 2007, 4:10 pm

In the area from Panacea to the LH the news said there was over 1500 lightning strikes saturday afternoon. I lost count early on.