NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Waterspouts
From: Frank Swift
Date: 2003 Sep 18, 16:32 -0700
From: Frank Swift
Date: 2003 Sep 18, 16:32 -0700
In December 2001, during the third leg of the Volvo Ocean race from Sidney to Hobart a waterspout through the fleet. I believe there is a video out there somewhere. http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/sailing/12/28/ppl.twister/index.html http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/2001/Dec2001/Dec27/Dec27.html http://www.sailingsource.com/scuttlebutt/973.html * Team News Corp was hit by a waterspout overnight that left broken battens and blocks in its wake. The tornado swept over the leading yachts in the Sydney - Hobart Race leaving Kiwi offshore racing veteran and Team News Corp navigator, Ross Field, reeling. "It was an unbelievable sight and nothing like anyone has experienced before," he said. "A waterspout - tornado - came through illbruck, Assa Abloy and ourselves giving us wind up to 58 knots. It was really scary to see this long vertical round spinning cloud charge towards us with the bottom of it sucking up water. There was nowhere to go. We dropped our main and left up a small headsail and in the meantime broke battens and blocks." Team News Corp meterologist, Nick White (NZ) commented on the event. "A waterspout is a tornado that forms over the water. It occurs under a severe thunderstorm and in the presence of cumulo-nimbus clouds. There is a potential for wind speeds of hundreds of kilometres an hour at the centre of the spout. The tornado was unexpected and violent. Hot winds came off the Australian mainland and mixed with the sea-breeze to cause this phenomenon." Nick White remains on-shore during the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, as short-course tactician, Peter Isler (USA) steps into the nav station along side Ross Field. - www.TeamNewsCorp.com frank Frank Swift ==================================================== ~ _) ~ The world is not interested in how many storms you survived, only that the ship arrived. ~ _) ~ ====================================================