Ten Hours Until Dawn by Michael J. Tougias

Author:Michael J. Tougias
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781429909617
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

13

TROUBLES ON THE CAPE GEORGE

The windshield of the Can Do was likely obliterated by the rampaging seas, but it’s possible the windshield’s sun visor played a role. The visor extended over the top of the windshield by four or five inches, and as each wave swept over the bow and up the windshield, some of its water was temporarily trapped by the visor, creating extra pressure. This entrapment of water made the force of the wave slightly greater, perhaps giving it just enough power to shatter the extra-thick glass. On most boats, windshields are very vulnerable components during storms. Fishing vessels often have pieces of plywood stowed onboard that can, in theory, be quickly screwed into place should a windshield blow. For the plywood to hold up against large waves a crew member would have to go on deck outside the broken window and drill through the plywood and the boat. Then he or she would have to insert the bolts while someone inside screwed on the nuts. During gale conditions, however, it’s virtually impossible to work outside without being swept over.

Some Coast Guard men on duty the night of the Blizzard offered a different scenario, saying the Can Do’s windshield could have been taken out by a log. In the week prior to the storm they had seen logs scattered and stacked about the shore of Thatcher’s Island, located just northeast of Gloucester Harbor. They theorized that these logs were washed into the seas and propelled southwest by the northeast winds and one could have been hurled by a wave directly into the Can Do’s windshield.

Blown windshields usually mean that a compounding of events—all bad—follows. Besides the inability of the skipper to see clearly, the incoming water, even if eventually stopped, plays havoc with the boat’s stability. The water in the boat slops around, and based on the topside weight of the vessel or the wind direction, the water gravitates to one side or the other, causing the boat to list. If the boat is listing, more water might find its way in through a loose hatch on the lower side. Countless Coast Guard Marine Casualty Reports mention that a blown windshield was the first problem reported by captains in Mayday situations.

While some boats eventually capsize after the windshield is gone, others manage to stay afloat, but they are still vulnerable. When the windshield goes, a boat that was trying to ride out the storm by heading into the seas must make a turn to be in following seas so that the next wave doesn’t spill more water through the windshield opening. But turning in a storm with barely any visibility has its own set of risks. A fifty-foot wooden lobster boat found itself in this exact predicament off Georges Bank in 1980. After the windshield was blown out the captain managed to turn the boat to go with the seas, but the waves were so huge the vessel broached and one monstrous wave slammed the boat on the port side.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.