Liveaboards, how did you sleep last night?
Jan 25 2012 in Weather by Deborah Bach
The winds tore through the area so fiercely last night that at one point, I could feel our townhouse in Ballard shudder slightly.
It made me wonder how liveaboards were doing. Did the gusts rock your boat last night? Did your power go out? (According to the Seattle Times, the wind caused another 38,000 power outages around Puget Sound, where some people have remained without power since last week’s snow and ice storms.)
And how did you handle it? Did the wind lull you to sleep or cause you to toss and turn, worrying about your boat? Do you have any strategies (i.e. wearing earplugs, going outside to check your lines) to help get you through powerful windstorms?
We’d like to hear about how you (and your boats) coped through last night’s gusty winds.
Robert Bruce Blumenstein said on January 26, 2012
Being anchored out in a sailboat is not so bad as the boat is shaped for the wind. However with the wind we had in Liberty bay, the excitement was too much, and I had to force the hatch open to check with a visual on my neighbors boats.
At that moment my boat was lifted out of the water in a ferosious gust and the keel was crossing the white capped surface like an ice skate on a kite string. Balanced in air the boat smoothed to a lullaby, so I closed the hatch and crawled back in bed and slept like a baby. The dog slept through the whole thing without a worried hair on it’s back.
-Bruce
Scott Wilson said on January 26, 2012
After last Friday’s blast, everything this week seemed pretty sedate. I admit I’m getting a little worn down by getting all of it squeezed into a couple of weeks… snow, wind, rain, wind, freeze, wind… it’s getting a little repetitive.
s/v Eolian said on January 26, 2012
I slept OK, but Jane slept fitfully. The worst was before we went to bed – it was just shrieking then out at the end of G Dock.
Check your lines, and then have a glass of wine and enjoy the show!
bob
Greg said on January 25, 2012
Last night wasn’t so bad, only gusting about 30 here in our marina. We did have 60-70 on and off last Friday and Saturday, and that kept me awake for a bit. The big sheets of ice peeling off the mast and crashing to the deck last night were a little annoying as well.
Brooks said on January 25, 2012
As the wind rocked my boat in its moorings on Lake Union last night, my dog and I tried to sleep but were kept awake until about 4.00 AM with heavy, wild gusts of wind and a series of odd creaks and groans – some from the boat, some from me. I knew the winds were coming and checked/re-tied all of my mooring lines before I went to bed so I was able to not worry, but that didn’t stop the dramatic movements of my boat, nor the ghostly howling of the winds as they passed. Tonight, as I walked back to my home/boat and saw the lake was relatively still, I sighed and looked forward to an early bed free from creaks, groans and howls. I did, however, just eat some really spicy food so there might be a few odd noises in the middle of the night.
Ron Barrow said on January 25, 2012
I slept fine at Elliott Bay Marina but was woken up at 4am with whistling wind and boat rocking…Knew i was secure…so I just rolled over and went back to sleep! Though not a live aboard, I like to ride out storms on my boat, so i can be there if attention is needed.
Laurie Lyon said on January 25, 2012
The wind was strong and frisky around La Conner, on the channel. Side winds were very strong on highway to Anacortes!
kemp said on January 25, 2012
Slept fine in the palatial apartment in Queen Anne.
We landed at Seatac in a 737 coming in from Baja around 10:30 and enjoyed a view down the runway from the side windows slightly before touching down.
That was exciting…..
Kerry said on January 25, 2012
We’re moored at the end of the dock in north Lake Union – took the wind and waves pretty hard last night, but with a sleep aid and ear plugs, slept ok for the most part…
Deborah Bach said on January 25, 2012
I can’t believe anyone slept soundly through that. It was incredibly loud, even in a house!
Jason said on January 25, 2012
Just for the record, the eight lines were on Mr. Andersen’s boat, not Mr. Anderson’s.
Susan said on January 25, 2012
Was reminded after my head hit the pillow that I forgot to tighten that halyard that thwaps against the mast when the wind picks up. Too lazy to get up, I tried to ignore it all night. :p
Dylan Lippert said on January 25, 2012
True Love points South and with the wind SW in Commencement bay, this was the first time at the marina with a stiff beam wind blowing me on the dock. I had to put out my big fenders as I was bumping the dock as well as tighten my windward bow line. After that…and a couple glasses of red wine around midnight, I too slept like a baby…as for the toast, well said Mikey!
mikey bamboo said on January 25, 2012
Mr Anderson and his 8 lines of overkill cracks me up : )
Hey Chicken, there has been enough drama from you this month so shut it : )
Out at the end of F dock winds were gusting to the mid 40′s and it was a pretty steady 30 all night. With some of the incliment weather that has been happening, there are a few of us connected up and down Puget Sound marinas. It usually starts with FB post at Shilshole like …you feel it? A reply in Des Moines with a “yup”, then a few minutes later someone from Commencement Bay will start a toast, thus initialting a not so virtual and rather real toast …as was done last night.
Last week one of the sailing lubbers got in on one of these threads and she said “oh, the liveavboards are all awake, it must be blowing down there”.
For the record, after the Sailor Jerry’s around midnite I fell asleep like a dead dog awaking only to my alarm in the morning.
Sascha Schilbach said on January 25, 2012
I always enjoy how the wind sounds at night. You can’t see past the Shilshole breakwater but you can hear all sizes of booms, slaps, shrieks, and howls–a symphony of doom.
Ariel’s five lines were all fine last night. I turned off my wind generator. After dinner I watched The Darjeeling Limited and drank Cuba Libres. I slept great.
Courtney Kirchoff said on January 25, 2012
I did not sleep like a rock or like the dead. I envy you dead rocking sleepers. The wind was so strong it pushed my boat over pretty good (I’m docked), but that wasn’t what kept me up. The wind howling through all the masts and halyards made this port a concert of ruckus. As it blew through, I wondered how strong and fast the wind was, and was so thankful I wasn’t anchored out, but tied tight to a dock!
Rado said on January 25, 2012
40kt+ gusts tend to get me out of slumber, but aside from that no worries. Some Shilshole boats sport really flimsy tieups, but I have yet to see a boat with a parted line – I’d be really pissed if my quadrupled stern line gives way while these guys do fine.
the other Jason said on January 25, 2012
In the past, we have sat through that kind of wind at anchor with a single 5/8″ anchor snubber holding us to our ground tackle and did not sleep well. However, having 8 different 5/8″ lines tying us to 6 different cleats on the dock, I slept like the dead. I love me some howling wind when we’re tied to a dock.
Jason
s/v hello world
Jason said on January 25, 2012
I’ve witnessed the gentleman above sleep like a rock, but we got bounced around quite a bit and I didn’t sleep very well. However, we put out extra load-bearing spring and stern lines, and I think helped us sleep better that we would have otherwise.
chickenbone said on January 25, 2012
I slept like a rock. Sorry for the lack of drama.