Lake Havasu monsoon storm hits at night

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It would be interesting to get others opinions on best how to handle this? I guess we don't know all the circumstances, and being at night it would be 10X more dangerous, but would you have untied from the dock and headed straight into the storm to take the waves "bow-on" and slowly make your way to the far shore to get out of the waves?

I guess the absolute best way to handle this would have been to watch the weather forecasts and trailer your boat hours before.

But if you were about to get caught in this, or if you found yourself in the middle of this, what would you do?

Maybe just stand back and call your insurance agent?
 
Gem Morris said:
It would be interesting to get others opinions on best how to handle this? I guess we don't know all the circumstances, and being at night it would be 10X more dangerous, but would you have untied from the dock and headed straight into the storm to take the waves "bow-on" and slowly make your way to the far shore to get out of the waves?
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Gem, I was in a situation that you describe last year in Warm Creek - storm came up and our 25' Cobalt was about to start taking waves over the bow (anchored to shore bow out). I grabbed my first mate, shoved off and cruised 'bow-up' to the other side of the channel where the waves were smaller and waited out the storm. About an hour later, storm is over, went back to the beach where the bigger boat was safely anchored. This approach worked perfectly in this situation and I believe saved our boat from sinking, but if it were dark out when this storm hit as in the situation in the video, I would not have left the beach as it would not have been safe in my opinion.

Overall, situational awareness is key. Generally, I would much rather be away from the beach or dock in bad weather on Lake Powell, especially in the summer months when my Plan B and Plan C involve getting wet. But I also always try to remember, boats are replaceable, life isn't.
 
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Not as big a deal as the media makes it out to be here in Havasu. We have had a lot worse. The boats you see are on the expose side of the island cause by high winds which can happen anytime anywhere, just because it happened on a holiday weekend it got more exposure.
 
Gem Morris said:
It would be interesting to get others opinions on best how to handle this? I guess we don't know all the circumstances, and being at night it would be 10X more dangerous, but would you have untied from the dock and headed straight into the storm to take the waves "bow-on" and slowly make your way to the far shore to get out of the waves?

I guess the absolute best way to handle this would have been to watch the weather forecasts and trailer your boat hours before.

But if you were about to get caught in this, or if you found yourself in the middle of this, what would you do?

Maybe just stand back and call your insurance agent?
Click to expand...

I watch the radar for incoming fronts. I have been caught in a bad weather situations in Powell and Havasu I then get in a small tight cove and hang tight depending on direction of the front.
 
We just had dinner with friends last night and we remenisced (sp?) about our harrowing (sp?) storm at Lake Roosevelt about 30 years ago. I had 5 kids under 8 in my 210 Sea Ray while wives and buddy were anchoring his 21 Formula at camp near shore. A tremendous monsoon roared in. The three of them fought in about chest high waves to keep the Formula off the beach, unable to get in the boat with bow on winds. I kept the bow in the wind taking some waves over the bow. Only one kid got really scared, but it was about an hour of terror.
Probably got caught in a dozen dangerous storms at Powell to rival this one, including the July 1981 reported 80 mph winds that broke loose Wahweap docks and gas lines. We were trying to get to ramp in 21 Nordic day cruiser, in the dark after fighting our way down lake unable to plane for the previous 4 hours. Only four seriously concerned adults on board, in life vests, so we convinced ourselves we would survive the capsize in 80 degree water. It was horrible. Didn't get surprised by storms much after 1983 when we all got VHF radios so we could get weather warnings from the German guy on WX1.
 
Gem Morris said:
It would be interesting to get others opinions on best how to handle this? I guess we don't know all the circumstances, and being at night it would be 10X more dangerous, but would you have untied from the dock and headed straight into the storm to take the waves "bow-on" and slowly make your way to the far shore to get out of the waves?
Click to expand...

Do not risk your life (or anybody else's) to save your boat. I have seen storms, wind, and waves in Padre Bay and Neskahi powerful enough to sink boats and kill people. Stay safe and call the insurance company.
 
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The problem with thunderstorms, the weather can be quite local. Most days in late summer have a x% chance of thunderstorms, unless you have the mis-fortune to be right under the storm, the weather could be very pleasant otherwise. The point is, you can't haul your boat at every thunderstorm warning.

Notice in the attached picture (taken from a Marine Weather site), the water is perfectly calm in the foreground. Looking further out at the right edge of the rain shaft, you can see a "rain foot" where the water is near horizontal indicating severe wind/weather (likely what was experienced at Havasu.)

Unless you want to haul your boat all monsoon season, you won't have time to haul your boat before these hit. If you happen to see it coming and have time, pulling out of the slip and riding it out at sea may be your only option. The problem at Powell with the high cliffs is you "don't" get to see these coming....


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Beachin It said:
I watch the radar for incoming fronts. I have been caught in a bad weather situations in Powell and Havasu I then get in a small tight cove and hang tight depending on direction of the front.
Click to expand...
It is pretty rare for me to camp in an area that has cell phone service to watch radar (unless I am in the marina, I can only think of two times in dozens of trips with cell service). Plus, as stated, the canyons make it very challenging to see what is coming. Only point is that Powell is a different beast than just about any other place I can think of.
 
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