A very sad day today:
Above is the wreckage of a Folkboat after a solo racer went overboard in a gale yesterday in Santa Monica Bay between Marina Del Rey and Palos Verdes. I have sailed that route many times, and was knockked down by a 15 foot rouge wave about two months ago out off Palos Verdes. Luckily I saw it coming, was clipped in, and simply headed up into it, braced myself and ducked as it washed over Nomad. It's the only time I've ever shipped green water across the foredeck.
What a mess. His boat fetched up, steered by his windvane, on the beach in Venice. In the photos I've seen, he was on port tack, close hauled under a full working jib, with one reef in the main.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7459342
Note the jacklines below:
That's exactly how mine are rigged: Through the bow cleat. He was obviously not clipped in - the jacklines are still attached to the boat.
Yesterday, peak gusts were recorded at around 40 knots near my slip. It was probably much higher out on the bay. There was also a high surf warning.
I breifly considered going out for a sail in the harbor under double reefed main, but the conditions were sketchy - something just didn't feel right, so I stayed put, and did some electrical work below instead.
The guy had done the transpac. How ironic to be lost in his home waters, a few miles from shore, within sight of land and millions of people. Never forget: The ocean is serious business, and sailing solo ups the ante considerably. He probably figured it was no big deal crossing the 20 mile San Pedro Channel, then the 15 miles across Santa Monica bay to Marina Del Rey.
I always wear a harness, tether, and PFD if I'm more than a quarter mile out - even in settled conditions. My PFD has a light, dye maker, whistle,and signal mirror, and I also carry a Mc Murdo Fast find GPS PLB and a waterproof handheld VHF on my person at all times. It gets a little uncomforrtable and cumbersome sometimes, but I really don't want to die just yet.
I'm considering a new policy aboard Nomad: Wetsuits and helmets on deck when conditions deteriorate into gales. I've been caught out a couple of times, and it get's very rough in the shallow conditions near shore.
The sea is unforgiving.