Tsunami report from San Diego bay

[luckydave215]

Unlike Hawaii, the tsunami caused by the Chilean earthquake was a real event in San Diego.
San Diego bay is 26 miles long, with a narrow entrance pointed due south.
Currents above 20 knots were reported in several places in the bay, we saw 7-10 knots SIDEWAYS to our slip, with white water and many vortices filled with swirling mud and bottom trash (old waterlogged wood, bottom weeds, plastic trash, Jimmy Hoffa, etc). The (floating) docks were surging up and down while enduring tremendous side loads, the barnacles being scraped off the pilings by the docks were flying through the air like stray bullets bouncing off the sides of the boats.
1 mile away at the back of our basin, the current was nil, so it all depended on exactly where you were.
In the next basin over (America's Cup Harbor) several boats were sunk and docks shredded. Apparently a 90 footer got loose and smashed/sunk a few boats in the 30' size.
The slowly decaying currents ("sloshing") were still apparent last night.
It was wild!

 

[Vincentc]

Thanks Dave,
20kt currets. Very interesting.
Vincent

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Thanks Dave,
20kt currets. Very interesting.
Vincent

Yeah, my boat couldn't even overcome that at WOT.

 

[Genesis]

That would be BAD. Beyond the current there's the debris in the water - attempting to make way against that not only would likely fail in most Hatts (mine would have been near WOT to do so!) but one log in the props and...

 

[SKYCHENEY]

That would be BAD. Beyond the current there's the debris in the water - attempting to make way against that not only would likely fail in most Hatts (mine would have been near WOT to do so!) but one log in the props and...

But it sure would be one heck of ride with the current.

 

[Genesis]

Got a good anchor - that will BITE where you are?

Hope so!

Oh, and that nobody else gets loose and hits you (at 20kts)

This of course assumes the rode holds.... I wonder what the load would be on that thing? Don't think I want to know....

I'm not sure what the right strategy is on something like this if you're caught in it.....

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Planing while on the hook. Now that would be a sight.

 

[luckydave215]

7-10 knots sideways, the best plan was to stay in the slip with extra lines and fenders, but be ready to run at moment's notice, and that's what I did.
If it was going to be 20 knots where I was, the best plan is getting out of the slip and heading to sea whatever it takes, hull scrapes and gouges be damned.
We don't have logs floating here (that's up in the Pac Northwest) but there were plenty of 2x4's and plastic junk.
A waterlogged 2x4 probably wouldn't hurt my props (much) but plastic sucked into a raw water intake can stop ANY engine.
The only problem with the above is.....is it going to 7 knots....or 20? My crystal ball has a dead battery.....

 

[Vincentc]

Dave,

20 kts, 7 kts whichever. If it is sideways to your boat . . . imagine being towed sideways at 7 kts. I've heard of tugs getting sideways and being capsized under the rake of a barge in the Miss River current. I don't think the river current reached the velocity range you had.

Glad you got through it without serious damage.

Regards,
Vincent

 

[Bob Bradley]

That's unbelievable, Dave. I'm glad to hear there wasn't any significant damage to Ohana.

 

[Ross Macdonald]

That is amazing...Down from Dave's boat about a mile farther into Shelter Island we didn't notice anything and we liveaboard. Either I'm more out of it than I thought I was or I slept through it. Glad there was no damage out there by the Police dock. Ross