A freind called and asked if I'd seen it, but I hadn't. Water Spouts are more common than you'd think and they sem to have a homing instinct for sailboats. The Great Lakes sailors have seen plenty over the years and Bill and I encountered one in '87 on Erie. It missed us but the storm that spawned it was pretty fierce in and of itself......it had about blown out when the spout appeared and we were both kinda' feeling, ""What next?"

The boat in the Hobart race is an 80 foot Maxi with a veteran ocean racing crew and from all reports they were pretty shaken......I can believe it. All sailing is about 95% boredom and 5% sheer terror. Encountering bad weather is a part of the sport....after all, who wants to go out on a sunny, hot, and cloudless day? Yacht racing is the only sport ever cancelled because of beautiful weather!

Spaw