Got caught in. Sailed in it. Flipped twice in it. Survived.

Image from i.redditmedia.com and submitted by DummyThiccc
image showing Got caught in. Sailed in it. Flipped twice in it. Survived.

oorioles09 on July 5th, 2018 at 15:05 UTC »

I’ve seen some dark storms, but I’ve never seen it literally black.

DummyThiccc on July 5th, 2018 at 15:12 UTC »

My family and I go to Dauphin Island, AL every year during the week of the 4th. We take our hobie cat sailboat and sail it as much as possible while we are there. On this day, we took the boat out to a deserted island we like to go to. The island is about 3 miles out. Although we could see a storm up ahead, the radar was showing that it was moving west to east and we didn’t expect to come near it. After a minutes on the island, my stepdad came running back saying “it’s turning - we’ve got to go.” So we left. We were making good speed and weren’t completely under the cell yet... That was until the wind hit. We made a slight turn for home and the combination of waves and wind caused us to flip. My stepbrother and I went under the sail while my stepdad was on top of it. With the sailboat on its side, it was still moving now using the trampoline bottom as the sail. Thankfully, we popped back up and were able to grab a rope that was still attached to the moving boat. By this time we were good in the storm. Wild waves, wind, and rain had reduced our line of sight to a small gray room. We couldn’t really see anything. We were able to get back to the boat but decided not to flip it upright in fear of losing control. So we just held on and decided to ride out the storm. 2 of us were able to sit on a hull while the other was still on the sail. After about 10 minutes, the boat flipped again doing a 180. We all went under. Fortunately, we all held on to our ropes that were attached to the boat. The storm had gotten worse though and we could not get back to our original positions. We all just held on to whatever rope or piece of the boat we could for about the next 30 minutes. Thankfully, the storm eventually cleared. We got a tow back to our house once we were able to sit the boat upright. It was an experience I’ll never forget. I’ve never felt more alive and human than I did that day. We could all leave this earth at anytime and that was the closest I’ve ever felt to it.

Edit: We did have life jackets and thank god for them. I wanted to share that so y'all didn't think we were too big of dummies.

Quicksplice on July 5th, 2018 at 15:38 UTC »

For those of you reading this. If you are on land, stay put. Don’t try to out run a storm.

Source: I’m in the Coast Guard. I have more time to save you on land than I do if you’re in the water.

Edit: If your boat flips. Stay with it if you can. Don’t try to swim for land. It’s easier to see a boat from the air than a head just above water. And wear your damn life preserver. Get at least a Type 2 preserver as it will turn most people face up if you get knocked out. And I can’t recommend EPIRBs enough. They will save your life.

Edit2: Since this has received attention. I’ll try to answer questions and add some advice. EPIRBs are Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons. They send out a 406 MHz signal to satellites and can get us to a position within meters. They automatically go off when a boat capsizes. There are also PLBs (personal locator beacons) that operate on the same principle and can be worn on a life vest. Both are registered with NOAA.

Some more advice. Saving a boat is not worth your life. Stay put. Let someone know where you are going, and when you’ll be back. If you don’t return at a given time they can notify authorities and give them your float plan. Have a marine radio with you. Even if it’s just a handheld. Keep flares with you. Pop off a couple at first. Save some for when you see a rescue asset.

If you are on land or a boat and see a flare, hold up your fist on the horizon. Each fist is about 10 degrees. For example, if a flare tops out about 2 fists above the horizon, the flare was 20 degrees above the horizon from your position. This, combined with a direction of the flare, and your position is extremely helpful to get a better position of the distress.

In addition. Keep a signal mirror on your life jacket. I cannot stress this enough. On a sunny day, aircrews can see a mirror for over 10 miles. It is one of the most important things you can have on you if you’re bobbing around in the water.

Also, I hate that this needs to be said, but NEVER call in a fake distress signal. We HAVE to go out. This takes assets away from people who may need it, not to mention risking our lives for nothing.

Lastly, don’t shine lasers at aircraft. If we are in a 20 ft hover, and a laser washes out a pilot’s NIght Vision Goggles, it could kill our crew.

Edit 3: The Coast Guard does not charge you for a rescue!!! It is a taxpayer funded service. Unless you call in a fake distress and get caught. Don’t do that.