As last week’s tragic sinking of SY Bayesian continues to make headline news, weather events in Formentera and Ibiza just days earlier are rapidly fading into memory.
However, the DANA storm — or, ‘Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos’, to give the phenomenon its full name — that struck the Balearics on 14th August wreaked havoc with a large number of yachts. Thankfully, no casualties were reported, despite the dramatic images circulating in the media.
The largest among them was a 31-metre sloop, thrust onto Cala Saona in Formentera. Pictures showed the sleek, piano black yacht beached precariously at a 45° angle on its starboard side for several days before being refloated.
Accurate forecast
The DANA had been forecast in good time by the Spanish weather office, Aemet. Due to the high-risk ‘danger to life’ weather warning issued on Wednesday, 13th August, the local port authority, PortsIB, also took the unusual step of cancelling all reservations in its eight Balearic buoy fields for Thursday.
Given that captains had at least 24 hours’ warning of the incoming storm, what were these boats doing out there?
At ESTELA, we wanted to understand how weather forecasts are communicated and interpreted by captains and crew, and what measures can or should be taken in anticipation of a heavy storm. We were curious whether it was possible that some didn’t receive the warning, opted not to heed the warning, or simply underestimated the storm’s potential severity.
Of course, online yachting forums were abuzz with all manner of commentary on the beached or wrecked vessels and their captains, mostly unprintable here. However, we examined the more constructive comments and contacted several experienced captains with local knowledge for their input, which may prove useful in the future.
We also asked insurers about their expectations of captains, and under what conditions insurance claims may be contested.
Captains’ analyses
“In Ibiza, forecasts were more or less accurate. However, if you know there is a big change in weather coming, with temperature differences of more than 10°C, as captain, ALL alarm bells should be going off in your head.”
“60 knot gusts are a lot, but we had been looking at the sky all morning and following the weather closely. As a precaution, we had extra lines on, staying in port, prepared. Fenders were ready with neighbouring yachts, and everything passed without incident.”
In the ‘Yacht Masters’ Safety Society’ Facebook group, Chief Officer Ivo Sabev posted this lengthy analysis, together with some diagrams to illustrate his point.
“According to Aemet, after 10:00h wind gusts reached 86 kmh in Formentera and 89 kmh in Ibiza. Most weather forecasts present a general picture of what to expect in a given area over a period of time. We rely on such forecasts to provide basic information, but the actual weather and sea conditions we experience don’t always tally with the general view.”
“Local tides, topography and sea breezes interact with this basic picture and give rise to the actual conditions we experience out on the water. Making more accurate weather predictions requires in-depth knowledge and skill.”
“This section through a depression has wind moving from left to right. High cirrus is followed by layers of cloud which gradually become lower as the warm front passes, bringing rain. Thick stratus cloud in the warm sector is followed by heavy rain and eventually cumulus cloud appears, eventually giving way to sunshine.”
“It is up to the skipper to make a calculated interpretation of the available forecasts and to decide whether it is safe for their vessel and crew to go afloat. At the same time, by studying the weather conditions, they can check:
- Where in the forecast weather pattern they actually lie?
- Has the predicted front passed yet?
- Has actual wind strength changed over the last few hours?
- Is atmospheric pressure rising or falling?”
Before setting off
“Study charts and estimate when and where to expect wind against tide. Are the elements going to clash severely, and, if so, when is this going to happen? Will you need to avoid being in that area or will the conditions be manageable?
Always study the weather forecast thoroughly before going afloat, in order to remain safe and to make an efficient passage plan. Before departure, download forecasts to cover the anticipated length of your passage. Be prepared to delay your departure or change your destination if the weather forecast is unfavourable.”
“Once committed to going, ensure that you have the means to get regular, reliable weather forecasts if you’re at sea for any length of time. This will allow you to change your plans and head for a safe haven if the forecast is for stormy weather, and to take advantage of detailed weather information when planning your route.
Tips:
- Study the Beaufort scale and use it to judge wind strengths.
- Practice how to interpret barometric pressure charts.
- The barometer is arguably the most useful forecasting tool. Keep a note in the log to monitor the change in barometric pressure.
- Learn how to observe cloud formations to forecast the weather.”
A captain shares his DANA experience
Adam Kittel, Captain on M/Y Diane (43m Benetti) was at anchor off Porroig in Ibiza, and shares his detailed account of the storm:
“While there was an orange alert over the Balearics generally, there were no local forecasts of oncoming imminent storms on any apps. Because this vessel always drags in high winds, we anchored the night before the storm at 300 metres from shore, in enough space to drag anchor.”
“In the morning, radar picked up heavy rain approaching around 10:30h and we could see the oncoming weather, clouds and rain dropping off the land into the ocean. We ordered our chase boat to leave twenty minutes before the storm struck.”
“I wanted to lift the anchor so as to not be tethered, but the process was interrupted by heavy rain, hail and wind hitting the deck, and we were unable to weigh anchor and make way. The chef received an open cut in his forehead from a hailstone! My main engines were on and ready.”
”Guests had been having breakfast on the aft deck, so as the wind hit, all cushions, plates and other materials were quickly gathered up. I noticed that the wind speed had gone from 0 – 93 knts in 3 seconds! We got the guests inside and lifejackets ready.”
”I battled against the weather, trying to keep the nose into the wind with bowthruster and steering pumping. I noticed another 40m vessel that was broadside to the wind and dragging rapidly towards a catamaran that it hit at 90 degrees on its midships, with a loud cracking of the catamaran’s fibreglass ringing out.”
”After ten minutes, the rain and hail became a whitewall with restricted visibility. Checking my plotter, I could see that we were dragging, and the only bit of nav equipment that stopped me foundering or hitting another vessel was my plotter and the AIS, which showed the other vessels in my vicinity.”
“I had the engineer on the bridge, a lookout on the stern, and other crew trying to prevent chairs and sun loungers from taking off over the side. We had dragged 300m when the chef shouted over the radio “go go go!” as a sailboat loomed out of the fog. We came within a metre of it. I pumped the throttles and got away from the imminent impact. Around me were tenders, chase boats, sailing yachts and motor yachts looming out of the 15-metre fog that I had to avoid.”
”I had a decision to make whether to drop a second anchor, cut away the anchor, or try and hoist it. I decided on the latter, which I think was the best practice for that specific time. The experience lasted 40 minutes.”
“We sustained light damage, with two deckheads dropping from the main deck due to engine vibration, as well as some interior scratches, a broken perspex panel, and a couple of dings in the deck. It was very intense, and in my 35+ years of yachting, I have never experienced such a rapid deterioration of the weather, into a force to be reckoned with.”
ESTELA: “The weather warning had been sufficiently bad for PortsIB to cancel all buoy reservations. Did you calculate that you were big enough to ride out any storm or was it just much worse than anticipated?
Captain: “In my experience, I knew that it would be a limited amount of time that the front would pass through, so that was in my calculation and preparedness. I would say that it was worse than anticipated.”
“Southwest Ibiza was the best place to anchor, because the weather seemed to be coming from northwest, but it whipped around the island from the west. For those without this experience, it must have felt like a lifetime. It was like a prolonged squall!”
ESTELA: “Was this your first ‘DANA’? Would you say the phenomenon is more unpredictable than other types of regional weather patterns?
Captain: “This was probably my first DANA. Once a year in Ibiza and Formentera, there is always one day where it gets gnarly, but this phenomenon is more unpredictable.”
ESTELA: “What would you do differently next time?”
Captain: ”I don’t think I would do anything differently, perhaps anchor a little further out, try and get the anchor up earlier, to ride it out.”
ESTELA: “How did your guests react during/after the event?”
Captain: “The guests were all in good spirits. I had warned them the day before that a storm was approaching and we would better off in port, but I couldn’t say how long it would last.”
“The afternoon of the preliminary hit we did go into port for two nights, as it was still raining and the alert was still signalling bad weather.”
“Ports had been fully booked the night before, so that option wasn’t available at the time. Had a berth been available, that would have been the best option of course.”
Another captain writes
Since publishing this article, another first-hand account appeared in the Mallorcan magazine, The Islander. This interview with Captain Andre Gumuchdjian on S/Y Asana, a Swan 62, describes in detail how even an experienced helmsman can be caught out by a surprise 70 knot storm. Destruction by DANA – an eyewitness account
Observations from the online commentariat:
- “On the morning in question, the barometer dropped 15mb in a little over two hours. Sadly, with all the latest weather toy technology, crew see it as gospel. Just as they do chart plotters and suchlike. Paper charts are critical, and even more so, the barometer. They work!
- “At anchor near Puerto Portals on a 65′ sloop, we knew about the winds coming, so everything was battened down correctly, anchor checked, and it was all perfectly safe and sound. MY Venus was anchored off our port bow. Their guests had breakfast as the storm raged on; these guys are all naive, to say the very least.”
- “I saw a smart crew on that motorboat. At watch at the deck helm, probably engines running, perhaps even in gear, at anchor.”
- “Forecast was max 30 knots. Luckily we saw the signs; massive and fast pressure drop, temperature drop, huge clouds, lots of lightening. We reanchored in the right direction just before it hit our anchorage in north Majorca. Saw 60knots.”
- “I watched many boats in STP frantically adding extra lines and attempting to remove awnings. Someone was even up a mast! Surely these crews watch the weather? STP even sent an email to everyone warning them, and still some were not prepared.”
- “The Med is one of the most dangerous places to sail. Accurate weather forecasts are around 4 hours. It can change literally on a dime. It looks like this has happened.”
- “I experienced similar conditions in Mar Menor in Spain, at Vliko in the Ionian, and in Cagliari in Sardinia. In Vliko, the anchor dragged with 45m of chain in 5m of water in mud. Reset with 55m of chain and it held. The next morning, the shore looked like this video.”
- “It’s the same every year, which is why we shifted behind Isla Torreta, six miles away, to be safe. People never learn. The warning time for shifting weather is short in the Med, but long enough to change anchorage.”
- “A lot of people were inadequately anchored for the conditions. I’d have put out to sea and weathered the storm in open water, well away from any lee shore.”
- “There was no time, and the storm was expected to be north-east, but came from west. Don’t think all these people are stupid.”
What yacht insurers say
We asked Imme Schwarze at Pantaenius Yacht Insurance what insurance policies typically include about responsible navigation, monitoring and responding to adverse weather forecasts.
We wanted to understand the tests for negligence on the part of yacht captains in such circumstances; what precautionary steps would be expected of captains in light of severe advance weather warnings; how insurers assess the validity of any claim.
Pantaenius: “Most All-Risk Superyacht insurance policies from reputable insurers will include cover for extreme weather events in the Mediterranean and Europe. There are specific clauses for the Caribbean and East Coast USA for Named Tropical Storms, and often loss or damage due to a named storm will be excluded for the hurricane season, or they could be insured but with very strict conditions. The same applies in the Pacific area for typhoon season.”
ESTELA: “Is it likely that we will see similar clauses being introduced in the Mediterranean, given the more frequent extreme weather events in the region in recent years?”
Pantaenius: “Possibly we will see something similar in the Med in years to come due to climate change, but we are some way off this at the moment, as they are still freak/rare events here.”
ESTELA: “Is there any guidance contained in a policy about expected precautions in light of severe advance weather warnings?”
Pantaenius: “Most insurance policies will have clauses concerning mandatory Flag State and Class compliance and conditions of cover relating to the Captain’s qualifications and the manning of the yacht when navigating, at anchor or in a marina.”
ESTELA: “How do insurers assess the validity of any claim and any possible blame on the part of the vessel?”
Pantaenius: “Claims are assessed on an individual basis, looking at all the contributing factors. Often there’s a series of happenings that lead to the loss, which need to be investigated before any claims decisions are made. We do this using our in-house team of claims experts and surveyors.
Ultimately, responsibility for the safety of all persons on board lies with the Owner and his/her Captain and, therefore, the onus is on them to ensure that they have acted as a prudent uninsured.”
For more information about Pantaenius, contact Imme Schwarze on +34 971 70 86 70 or email ischwarze@pantaenius.com
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