Class Act takes the scouts to a deserted island!

[newt]

Well I learned a lot from this one...
I volunteered my 23 to take the boy scouts over to a island out in the Great Salt Lake. Those that know the lake from earlier posts know that it can get really hairy out there. I knew that too, but they had been looking to go for months, to get out of the winter blues- and I had not visited this island in years...Oh come on pleaseee...
So watching the wind forecast over the last week. First they said no wind. Then light wind. Finally some forecast as breezy- up to 18 knots at one point. Perfect sailing conditions! But I knew better! It was just after a huge storm had put down a ton of rain and snow- and had lasted for 3 days....
We get out there and there are small whitecaps in the marina, and bigger ones outside! Hey, this is going to be great they say! One scout leader and two boys. They had all been sailing once. I should have called it there- but instead I just smiled and said "Your going to learn a lot about sailing today" (Who do I think I am, Clint Eastwood?) We put a ton of provisions into the boat, I tie in the first reef on the main, everyone gets into thier lifejackets , and we are motoring out of the marina.
The wind is dead on the nose, and it isn't 15-20 knts. My little boat bend over as I let a little out on the jib, and she starts battling the swells- big swells for Utah. She come to the top of a swell, gets overpowered and then slides down the back off tack. The scouts grab a bag of Doritos and head for the cabin. The vomit over the rail started about 45 minutes later... I head off to the middle of the lake to find wind that is not blasting us into the shallows. Now lets see...5 miles out here and we should be able to tack and come back to the island, but the wind is clocking and strong. I find after bashing for 3 hours that we have gained about 3 miles....
It is getting dark (930 pm) and the Nav lights to the marina look so inviting...Their little green and red winking. I could turn her around and be home in bed in an hour. Just then the wind clocks around again- to NE. Now if I can just tack back over to east and then Bingo- I have a broad reach straight for the island. The wind even calms down to 15 knts or so, as I shoot up to our isolated harbor in the dark. Unfortunately, I only have shadows to talk to in the cockpit... All of them are down below hoping this nightmare to be over soon.
We anchor at midnight in a unprotected harbor in 3.8 feet of water. If we drag- we drag back to the marina. I am so tired I check the anchor once and wake up the next morning. There is a gentle breeze and a clear day. The island was fantastic, and soon we were motor-sailing home.
Post-mordem: The weather agency recorded winds up to 35 knots yesterday with gusts about 50.  When we were sailing, it was a constant 25-30. And it had been blowing like that for 12 hours before- thus the swells. And water on the rails does a great job of cleaning vomit. The Compac is just one great boat. Just don't ask me to do this again OK?

[Billy]

Great story! And thanks for taking out the kids, good karma is heading your way!!!

[Salty19]

Funny story, thanks for sharing. 

[newt]

Whats funny is everyone of them is telling their parents what a great time they had.  Selective memory is a marvelous thing isn't it! Even the scoutmaster is bragging it up- I do not know which trip they were on- it didn't sound like mine!

[MomentSurf]

Good story!  I've been out in a couple similar situations where I should have called it at the dock, but proceeded to continue like a moron.  Eh, live and learn.  Those situations aren't as bad when you have a few knowledgeable helping hands...but when its you and three newbie’s, its hell.  Lots of responsibility!

My number one rule, if I fall overboard, throw everything that floats into the water...everything.
 

[Craig Weis]

The three of us who have Com-Pac 19's offered to take both Scout masters, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts sailing this summer. The powers that be said, "No way." Think your going to molest them.

Too bad people have become so up tight, sew happy, and law suit orientated.
What a pile of crude.

skip.

[newt]

That is too bad. Maybe you could volunteer as merit badge councilors for "Small Boat Sailing". I did that at a scout camp in the summer. What a blast. I would feel safer with 3 sailors on a deserted island than I would with some scoutmasters I have seen.

[curtisv]

Great sailing with the scouts story.

I found the same thing with scouts.  We'd camp out in miserable conditions, raining and 35 degrees was the worst.  The scouts all had a good time.  We'd go white water rafting in April and the we'd get young scouts with a touch of hypothermia but they still had a great time.

As to Skip's experience, before I was married someone I worked with suggested that since I was an avid backpacker I should see if I could help with the scouts.  He did and he was single.  I got similar treatment, suspicion and a "no thanks".  I can understand with all that's been going on that there is a need for caution so I didn't let it bother me.

Anyway, years later I was doing the "scout leader" thing with my son's troop.  In 2005 the troop, in a non boy scout "troop activity" (some of the activities fell outside of BSA insurance restrictions, so non-BSA), chartered three 50 foot Beneteaus (one 510, two 505) and sailed for two weeks in the Virgin Islands.  We had good wind and a great time.  Tropical storm Dennis passed south of us and gave us a day or two of 25 knots but was far away.  Dennis became Hurricane Dennis to the west of us but was far enough away to have no effect.  We could see the hurricane though, most clearly at sunset.

Curtis

Photo is Hurricane Dennis in July 2005 taken from a mooring off nroth side of St. John.  Dennis became a hurricane on July 4.  At the time of the photo, Dennis was near or had hit Cuba.  The land in the photo is the island of St. Thomas.  Dennis is more than 1,000 miles away at this point.

[newt]

Cool picture, although I am not sure I understand it. Is that cone in the middle Dennis? Can you see any hurricane effects from that far away?

[jimyoung]

Cool Picture! Perhaps a waterspout caused by the effects of the weather around the edges of the hurricane?

[curtisv]

Waterspouts don't remain stationary and not change shape for the entire sunset.  At least as far as I know.

It would also be a darn big water spout as the other side of St. Thomas is about 10 miles away.

So maybe its a darn big (supertornado sized) water spout that stays in the same place for the whole evening and just happens to be along the line of sight of the nearest hurricane.  That seems unlikely.

Maybe someone can do the math.  If a lighthouse that is 100 feet above waterline can be seen from 15 miles, at what distance are we seeing the bottom of a high cloud cover?  1,000 miles is 600 times further away.  Its not linear but 600x100 is ten miles up (60,000 feet).  Could hurricane cloud cover be well over 60,000 feet?

Whatever it was, the setting sun is reflecting off the far side of the cloud cover.  It is otherwise past sunset at this point as the cloud overhead are dark.  Looking again at it, it looks like what appears to be a long funnel is really the shadow of a cloud formation way in the distance.  That this is a shadow from the horizon up stays that this has to be hundreds of miles away.

In any case, that is what we saw.  If it turns out that this was not a hurricane I appologize for saying it was.  I've never really been able to figure out what this is but it is line of sight toward where the hurricane was residing.  Maybe I can send it to a hurricane expert and ask.

Curtis

Here is another photo with a little more red in the sky.

[jimyoung]

"Waterspouts don't remain stationary and not change shape for the entire sunset."

True, they usually (or at least the four or five I've seen) don't last long and are fast moving.

"It would also be a darn big water spout as the other side of St. Thomas is about 10 miles away."

Again true, but I have seen them off Ft. Lauderdale beach out 4 - 5 miles but none the size of this and I am not trying to dis your shot, it is truly impressive, I wish I were there to have seen the sight but having witnessed more than a couple of hurricanes up close they are 50 to 150 miles wide and really don't look tornado-ish other than by satelite.

Anyway, a great shot of nature at her finest.

[brackish]

That is too bad. Maybe you could volunteer as merit badge councilors for "Small Boat Sailing". I did that at a scout camp in the summer. What a blast. I would feel safer with 3 sailors on a deserted island than I would with some scoutmasters I have seen.

I did the same thing at summer camp, became a merit badge councilor for "small boat sailing".  I think it is just a matter of signing up and going through the simple process of registering as a councilor.  In the local council, they are always looking for folks with knowledge of a specific subject to lead merit badge groups.  You could do that badge on an overnight trip with a little pre study by the scouts.