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DANA Storm
September 1, 2024 · 14 min · 18K views · Formentera
What this video covers
A DANA storm — an isolated upper-atmosphere depression — struck Formentera on 14 August with gusts exceeding 60 knots, driving dozens of boats onto rocks and beaches while the author sailed through the worst of it near Espalmador and Illetes.Watch The storm is believed to have included a downburst, which drove winds from 8–10 knots to over 50 knots in under a minute — too fast for crews to react.3:36 The boat's anemometer recorded 52 knots.8:56 Forecasts had predicted northerly winds that would have left the anchorage sheltered; instead wind arrived from the west then veered northwest, putting anchored boats on a lee shore.5:52 The author's strategy: weigh anchor before the storm arrived, avoid raising sail entirely, motor past Espalmador as fast as possible to clear the dangerous lee shore, then bear away with wind on the quarter and run to shelter at Playa de Migliorne on Formentera's south coast.7:24 Key anchoring advice: maximize chain scope, maintain wide separation from neighboring boats, and never anchor downwind of other vessels whose holding is unknown.12:36 When conditions look threatening and shelter is uncertain, the recommended action is to leave the anchorage entirely and ride out the storm offshore, away from any lee shore.11:49
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