Buckethead905
Well-Known Member
Pics and videos really don’t offer much justice to how bad conditions really are. I think a safe rule of thumb here would be to almost double how big the waves look in the pics and videos. 
Rough water videos and stories
- Thread starter sasqman
- Start date
cracked_ribs
Well-Known Member
Very hard to catch waves on film for sure. A lot of times I would try to get a good look at them but it never looks like anything. I was glad to get the flybridge back there to get a bit of a reference, but it sure doesn't convey the experience.
SpringFever552
Well-Known Member
cracked_ribs
Well-Known Member
I do have a history of exactly that - I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here but years ago I built a sailboat with pretty traditional wood construction, screwed something up and cracked a couple of ribs on it while it was glueing up...that same week I had a fight and caught a knee in the fourth round that just leveled me and cracked a couple of my ribs (incidentally a liver shot so hard you crack ribs, is about the worst thing you ever want to experience, and doing it in front of people and flopping down to the canvas and crying in public does not improve the moment at all). Despite this injury, I agreed to stick with plans to go out with a friend and do some dumb stuff with an inflatable in weather that was probably worse than that crossing, and we dropped it off a big wave, obviously jarring the hell out of my ribs which sucked out loud, but also putting a big crack right in the hull just inboard of the float tube...a cracked RIB. I'd probably leave it there but the following day my wife thought she would improve my by-then somewhat miserable state by experimenting with a finer dining experience, and made what would ordinarily have seemed like a fantastic dish: pork spareribs rubbed with rock salt and cracked pepper.I think your profile name conveys the experience
But under the circumstances, that was more cracked rib action than I was emotionally equipped to handle, and I could not bring myself to eat them.
Corey_lax
Crew Member
That was awesome!!!!
Sea Chaser
Crew Member
Crazy mother truckers
Bonefizz
Active Member
I have crossed the strait in my uncles 40 tolly a few times like that over the last decade. maybe not that rough but close. not fun. when i was a kid i remember ripping across on his 27 magnum and we would go down in between swell and only be able to see a wall of water on either side of us. I would never even think of going out in conditions like that now that i have my own boat im way to chicken.
Fixit
Well-Known Member
I remember one trip coming down from Lund to Lions bay. winds were 15 dropping to light at noon then picking back up to 20.
Girlfriend wanted to stop off on thormanby for an hour to visit relatives, and despite knowing that we didn't have time in the weather window I agreed. 1 hour turned into 2 and as we left welcome passage I though this isn't good. Sechelt to Gibsons was 1.5M, 4 second swells, and in a 20ft boat with following seas that's not good. As waves built more and more while heading south I found myself using full throttle (300HP) climbing waves, cutting throttle just before cresting the wave, steering hard to correct as the stern picked up and the bow dug in, darting left or right, then as soon as the bow started to climb it was full throttle to keep the nose up to climb the next wave, and repeat for about 40 minutes.
I think the others in the boat realized it was serious when I turned the music off and said I wanted everyone in lifejackets and the ditch bag being held at all times. it was a scary white knuckled ride the whole way. I very clearly remember looking at green water through the windshield several times. Next time I said we can't stop to visit there was no argument
Girlfriend wanted to stop off on thormanby for an hour to visit relatives, and despite knowing that we didn't have time in the weather window I agreed. 1 hour turned into 2 and as we left welcome passage I though this isn't good. Sechelt to Gibsons was 1.5M, 4 second swells, and in a 20ft boat with following seas that's not good. As waves built more and more while heading south I found myself using full throttle (300HP) climbing waves, cutting throttle just before cresting the wave, steering hard to correct as the stern picked up and the bow dug in, darting left or right, then as soon as the bow started to climb it was full throttle to keep the nose up to climb the next wave, and repeat for about 40 minutes.
I think the others in the boat realized it was serious when I turned the music off and said I wanted everyone in lifejackets and the ditch bag being held at all times. it was a scary white knuckled ride the whole way. I very clearly remember looking at green water through the windshield several times. Next time I said we can't stop to visit there was no argument
Rain City
Crew Member
Last year I crossed to French Creek on my way to Bamfield in conditions like that. I almost felt better that I was solo so I wouldn't have the added stress of passengers. Not a chance I could go straight there with a SE hammering me broadside. I had to point out to Gabriola, then straight back into Sechelt until finally I could get her pointed back toward French Creek. I can handle straight on big stuff but there's always that one angle of attack that really puckers the old b hole.
Gong Show
Well-Known Member
French Creek can be wild.
Out with young family, 4 year old, 1 year old and pregnant wife.
Big southeaster and we were heading south, so decided to tuck into French Creek and chill out.
Breaking 6 foot waves coming into the first stretch of the breakwater, wife gets the wide eyes when I increase throttle significantly to turn the Canoe Cove 41 while surfing towards the breakwater. Turned out okay, puke was isolated to one cabin.
Wife still does not want to hear anything about French Creek.
Out with young family, 4 year old, 1 year old and pregnant wife.
Big southeaster and we were heading south, so decided to tuck into French Creek and chill out.
Breaking 6 foot waves coming into the first stretch of the breakwater, wife gets the wide eyes when I increase throttle significantly to turn the Canoe Cove 41 while surfing towards the breakwater. Turned out okay, puke was isolated to one cabin.
Wife still does not want to hear anything about French Creek.
RiverBoy
Well-Known Member
i’ve been in so many sketchy situations. Johnstone Strait on a flood with any opposing winds….Nahwitti Bar on an ebb into a NW….Kyuquot hali jigging in waves so big we were disappearing in between troughs where all we could see was water 360’
I was working for the band in Alert Bay and i was chatting with this very large Native gent. he spoke so softly you could barely hear him but i remember his arms and wrists were bigger than my legs. he was a commercial fisherman and he told me about this time he and several other boats from Alert Bay were fishing on the west coast of the island somewhere between Kyuquot and Cape Scott where they were loading up on salmon.
They had their fish iced and stored and were heading for the barn when they encountered some brutal weather. they lost at least two commercial boats that night including all on board.
He said they couldn’t even stop to help as turning around would have meant certain death for him and his crew as well. He said at one point the entire nose of his heavily loaded boat went under water and the water was covering half of the windows in his wheelhouse. he could hear the wheelhouse creaking and groaning and was expecting the glass to implode in on him, when his boat slowly pulled out of the ocean.
they finally got closer to the cape and took shelter in Guise Bay and waited for Coast guard to help with the other boats but they were all goners.
they were all his family members. don’t know the year this happened. the ocean is a moody *****…
I was working for the band in Alert Bay and i was chatting with this very large Native gent. he spoke so softly you could barely hear him but i remember his arms and wrists were bigger than my legs. he was a commercial fisherman and he told me about this time he and several other boats from Alert Bay were fishing on the west coast of the island somewhere between Kyuquot and Cape Scott where they were loading up on salmon.
They had their fish iced and stored and were heading for the barn when they encountered some brutal weather. they lost at least two commercial boats that night including all on board.
He said they couldn’t even stop to help as turning around would have meant certain death for him and his crew as well. He said at one point the entire nose of his heavily loaded boat went under water and the water was covering half of the windows in his wheelhouse. he could hear the wheelhouse creaking and groaning and was expecting the glass to implode in on him, when his boat slowly pulled out of the ocean.
they finally got closer to the cape and took shelter in Guise Bay and waited for Coast guard to help with the other boats but they were all goners.
they were all his family members. don’t know the year this happened. the ocean is a moody *****…
Fixit
Well-Known Member
Those kingfishers need a higher bow
sasqman
Crew Member
Agreed, he burried it pretty good a couple times.
I think that’s more the captain. Gotta power up n down with the light kingfishers. He just plowed.
Cookie's Cutter
Well-Known Member
The bows on some of those kingfishers are 18 inches from the waterline
