NE Storm Report from Chatham, MA

[ron.c]

Some Senior Citizen Ladies were look'n for somethin to do.

I told them to get in the car and drive to ground zero and report back with specific findngs. Here's their early afternnon facts:

Pleasant Bay - Solid low 4m range, good angle, right down the Chatham side, Round Cove - Inaccessable! The high tide along with storm surge had buried the entire parking lot

Chatham Light - Same Wind - standing "voodoo like waves" in the middle - tide running briskly - too many people with too little to do, walking on the beach

Scateree - Wind dead on shore - shore break ok - a wicked side shore out-going current with the strength of a freight train - Some nut job in a Ford van with wire rim glasses had a wild look in his eyes. The old ladies thought to themselves that that poor old (young) basstid should have been working (hanging weather vanes???) not thinking about sailing!

unedited, RC

Now I did a spell check, RC

[ron.c]

WTF

Am I the only one who has the slightest inkling of saillng this weekend?

I'd love to hear where people think they might go. It might even be nice to see a few of our dwindling tribe congregate at a common beach.

RC

[grahamfedd]

Ron,

I'm game for sailing this weekend. Is Saturday the best day? Where will people be sailing? Got a low volume board tonight (Hifly Madd 90 in near new condition). Really itching to try it out!

Cheers,
Graham[/img]

[ron.c]

Congratulations Graham on the board.

It looks like I've got to take advantage of everyone laying low this morning. I'm off to the hum-drum old standby of Pleasant Bay before the tide builds up too high.

RC

[sailingjoe]

Funny, I was down there yesterday afternoon. From about 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. I drove around Pleasant Bay and into Chatham, checking out the sites. It was high tide. That launch area at the extreme S.E. part of the Bay (Round Cove?) was totally flooded and allowed no access. I drove out past the Eastward Ho!!! country club to the landing facing Strong Island. The water was right up to the parking lot and there was serious beach erosion. The windmeter was showing an average of 22 with gusts to 29, definitely sailable. However, with the high seas, directly on-shore winds, lack of a good rigging area, moored boats being tossed around in a dangerous place and my minimal experience there, I decided to err on the side of caution and check out Scateree. I had never been there, but it was easy to find and looked like an interesting place to windsurf. However, again the winds were on-shore, the rigging area rather crappy and the parking lot was busy with gawkers. I really didn't want to rig and launch with so many people around offering their pedestrian observations and opinions given that they were out there in awe of the conditions. The view of the far surf was rather impressive. I pulled the expensive windmeter out and took a good reading. The winds were averaging 24 and gusting to 30, again do-able for me. I had taken most of my high wind gear along: three boards, four sails, but not the hurricane stuff. Now, I hadn't really considered the water temps although I had taken my thickest suit and all the accessories knowing it would be colder than that with which I was accustomed on the south shore of the Cape. I drove back to that launch area in Harwich at the SW end of Pleasant Bay, it was still flooded and windy there. I proceeded to the boat launch in Orleans and was amazed to find the waters there rather calm. After looking around and using the binoculars, I was rather incredulous that there would be wind on the main part of the bay given so much flat water and calm there. By now the rain had also stopped. Consequently I drove back to Harwich and took a wind meter reading. Of course it was still blowing in the twenties with high gusts.
After returning to Orleans, I rigged the biggest sail I had with me, a 6.5 which was the right sail for the conditions on the meter. I also put my Sumo 125 in the water knowing I would be challenged to balance on it in the light winds I was facing. I put on all my wetsuit gear except the hood. The air temps weren't all that bad. Lulled into thinking this was just another pleasant early fall day, I started to slog out into the bay, riding the few light gusts that came along. At that point I slowly came to the realization that the whole bay was flat and relatively calm. The flag at Eastward Ho!!! was showing a good breeze at kite height which was deceiving to say the least. Once in the middle of the bay, I couldn't hold the slog and fell in the water. What a shock that was :shock: . I was fully stunned by the cold. Dazed, I couldn't water start. There wasn't enough wind. I have suffered from hypothermia and insulin shock, but this seemed a new sensation. Light headed with blurred vision, I attempted to water-start uphaul futilely on this borderline sinker of a board. I wasn't suffering from the cold so much as I could keep my head above water, but definitely I was exhausting my resources. It was a fight not to panic and to conserve my energy. I actually begged the Lord for help. Finally, the prayer was answered. By catching a gust on a water start, this desperate dude was able to wobble back near shore and the launch. A couple of groups of spectators had come out of their houses on their docks. They shouted and asked me if I was alright of course. I flew them the bird. From there I swam and waded back to safety. This morning I discovered a pulled pectoral muscle. That's it for this sixty year old fella and the outer cape this year. He's looking forward to Florida and the palm trees.

[spyder]

[pueno]

[scooper]

Ron, I'm staying off Cape this weekend. I hope you have a good one!

[phazer]

Sailed out of mayflower, by 1 it was 4.7 but a little light and by 1:45 it was solid wind, by 5pm it was 4.0 to dark on a 72L board. Only 4 windsurfers and the kites got blown off the water by 4. Where was everyone?

[WaterKook]

We sailed the ocean in Chatham. Logo high waves 4.7m was the call. Some good down the line rides. 2pm-5pm