Captain Judy Helmey
Miss Judy Charters
'Kicking Fish Tail Since 1956!'
124 Palmetto Drive
Savannah, Georgia 31410
912 897 4921 or 912 897 3460 fax
www.missjudycharters.com
September 15, 2008
Happy Fish Day!
Saltwater inshore, offshore, blue water fishing report, Freshies Suggestions, and 'Little Miss Judy's story! Thanks for reading! Captain Judy
'Little Miss Judy Believe It or Not!'
'Jumper and Landers' Waterspouts AKA tornados
Over my many years of fishing I have seen quite a few waterspouts. My definition of a waterspout is a simple one. Waterspouts are basically tornados that have dropped out of the sky and made landing on the ocean's surface. When this happens the tornado starts sucking up seawater as well as anything else such as fish, Sargasso weed, and etc. up into its funnel cloud. This process normally takes about 15 to 20 minutes and at this time the cloud gets so heavy with water that it basically falls apart.
I have noticed that some tornados drop directly out of the cloud and go straight to the water. The bad news is that these clouds are sometimes hard to see if you don't know what you are looking for. Once the tornado 'now water spouts' touches down and they sucking up the seawater. At this time the sucked up water lines the funnel cloud making it much easier to see. Then there are also those that drop out and take a different sort of heading. They drop down about the half the distance between the cloud base and surface of the water to which they then travel a bit paralleling both areas. After the funnel meets favorable winds the funnel then drops to the ocean's surface and start sucking up water. A generic waterspout, if you could call them that, is mostly straight up and down while sporting a little lean.
I remember this one time in particular where there was this one single tornado or at least what seemed like a tornado. I couldn't exactly see which cloud it dropped out of almost stopping me from predicting its next move. The moves made by a funnel cloud AKA tornado/waterspout are very unpredicted to say the least. However, if you have seen as many scenarios as I have you get to thinking that you know a little about them based on your past experiences'. Another serious mouth full!
There was this one time in particular when I was heading home with fishing party and my first mate Captain Ali. As we talked, we had just remarked how big the swells were. The Miss Judy Too was just rolling over them without much notice. They were big rollers not breaker waves. The swells were not real close together making the heading home very comfortable.
I think we both saw this at the same time, because both raised our pointing fingers in cadence. What looked like a small tornado was jumping across the tops of the waves. Now that I think about it, it reminded me of a cartoon where the tornado being fully formed looking like it was playing a game of jumping the top of the waves. Believe me this stuff is too good to make up, because this really did happen.
As we watched this wild tornado jumped the waves as it semi-headed in our direction. Based on what we both know normally a tornado traverses back and forth moving forward with no exact heading. I always watch and head to the right or left of the funnel depending direction of actual above base of the clouds. The means if the storms are moving to the south I take more of a direction to the north.
This tornado/semi waterspout was probably the strangest acting one I have ever seen. It actually, right in front of our eyes jumped from wave top to wave top. It never landed in the trough, which is the space between two waves. The reason we could see it in great detail was because every time it touched down it pick up something. This 'semi lined' the outer funnel with weeds, surface debris, and seawater.
When it became apparent that I wasn't going to be able to out run it or get out of its way we both hoped for the best. I know these sorts of things don't have brains attached to their guidance systems. However, if that though process was ever going to be enacted this would be the time for it! As luck would have it, which no ones knows for which end of the deal, the 'Miss Judy Too' dipped down the back of the wave and started to climb the next wave. While this was going on Captain Ali and I had our eyes on this 'Jumper,' which was getting closer and closer. I tried speeding up and slowing down. There just wasn't enough time to make enough adjustment. As we climbed the face of the next wave while still watching the impending weather situation I knew that our meet-up would be soon. As we made our way down and started to once again make that climb the tornado also now call 1/2 waterspout lightly touched the wave that was lined up two waves away. All the time hoping and praying and thanking at the same time that this wasn't a big forceful tornado. The waterspout touched down on the stern of my boat center deck! If there had been a bull's eye lying back on the deck a prize would have been handed out for this landing!
For this brief moment we didn't breathed, we watched to see what was going to happen next. When it touched down everything on deck that wasn't tied down deck strongly shifted counter clockwise. The noises made by this occurrences still shocks me to this day and to be honest scares me to death. Since I have been around many of these such things the term 'freight train coming down the tracks hard and fast' comes to mind.
With all eyes now as wide as possible and hearts pounding out of our chests the landing visitor left as quick as it came. As soon as the small tornado made that jump from my cockpit to the next wave I knew I was home free!
The bottom line was the fact that this could have been much worst especially if it had become stationary. However, where it landed allowed it to continue riding the force that drove it! Captain Ali and I always talk about this weather experience as if it only happened yesterday. I have to admit if this had been a full-fledged 'freight train coming hard and fast down the tracks' I probably wouldn't be here writing this story for you! I hope I never forget all the wonderful phenomena's that I have experience in my lifetime while out on the ocean!
Happy Fishing!
Captain Judy