hallucinant récit d'un plaisancier américain à Pago Pago

www.latitude38.com[...]y.lasso

Désolé je ne 'ai pas le temps de traduire mais c'est terrifiant et instructif avec un attitude modèle du plaisancier qui écrit

Quand il a vu le niveau de l'eau baisser et remonter jusqu’ à' à une amplitude de 6 mètres commencer et se bateau successivement toucher le fond ou bien se trouver au dessus du ponton en ciment, sa femme a coupé les amarres qui résistaient encore et lui a mis le moteur à fond et zigzagué dans tout ce qui flottait, parfois le courant le ramenait vers la terre ...

un des ses voisins de ponton a remonté une rue en arrachant les poteaux téléphoniques et électriques avec son mat !!

Tsunami Devastates American Samoa
September 30, 2009 – American & Western Samoa

(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
Just one of many boats left high and dry after a tsunami hit Western Samoa yesterday morning.
© 2009 Cynthia Luafalealo

Yesterday at 6:48 a.m. local time, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake shook awake American and Western Samoa. Several minutes later — just enough time to allow folks to make their way outside to talk with their neighbors about the temblor — a tsunami swept the islands, killing at least 119 people.

Aussie singlehander Nick Jaffe of the Contessa 26 Constellation — who was featured in the July issue of Latitude — is in Apia on Western Samoa. He reports that "the marina and Apia Harbor began to dry as the water went out to sea. Several boats in the marina hit the ground but I don't think there was any damage. I went to Aggie Grey's hotel until things calmed down."

John Neal and Amanda Swan-Neal of the Port Townsend-based Hallberg Rassey 46 Mahina Tiare were also in Apia when the tsunami hit. "Amanda and I were on our morning run when the street started shaking," said John. "Minutes after we arrived back at the harbor, the civil defense sirens went off and the police directed everyone to run for the hills. The water in the marina started to really surge, dropping lower after each surge in. We followed the moving mass of people, cars and trucks up the hills. The smart yachties headed for Aggie Grey's hotel, where staff welcomed them and sent them to the top floors. They had a great view of the harbor going dry for several hundred yards out."

About 300 miles south, in the Vava'u group of Tonga, Eric and Emmy Willbur of the Pt. Richmond-based Flying Dutchman 37 Nataraja said that their anchorage of Kenutu saw some "rather interesting tidal flows with 3- to 4-ft standing waves breaking over the reef. There were reports of major tidal influences at other anchorages with water going out suddenly and dropping as much as 10 feet, then coming back in very quickly. Here in Vava'u, we've only heard of small docks being washed away — no loss of life or major damage."

David Tyler and Fran Flutter of the UK-based Tystie, who were featured in February's Latitude when they passed through the Bay, were in nearby Neiafu Harbor and report experiencing a rise and fall of just a couple feet. "No damage apart from some jetties being washed away," they said.

By far the most comprehensive report came from Puddle Jumper Kirk McGeorge, who is cruising with his wife Catherine and their five-year-old son Stuart aboard the USVI-based Hylas 47 Gallivanter. McGeorge called us via Skype from Pago Pago on American Samoa shortly after the tsunami devastated the island, then sent the following report:

"This morning we were shaken awake by an earthquake which seemed to have no end. We were aboard Gallivanter and side-tied to a big concrete dock. After the rude awakening, Cath and I walked across the dock to chat with a few of our fellow sailors, one of whom said that he's just done a Google search on 'recent earthquakes' and said that it measured in at 8.1 and the epicenter was only 120 miles southwest of Pago Pago on the southern side of the island.

"We returned to Gallivanter and I verified what he said. Just as I was considering the ramifications of that little fact, all hell broke loose. Our boat was on the move! I started the engine and dashed up on deck to see what was going on. I witnessed the water around us rapidly dropping — rapidly! In the blink of an eye, we were on the bottom and the boat was falling away from the dock. Three of our big docklines popped and we fell right over into the mud — the entire basin in which we had been floating only moments ago had completely drained! People were screaming!

"The water came flooding back in at an even more alarming rate, and the next thing I knew we were floating directly above the dock. We were over the concrete slab and drifting toward a young lady we knew from another boat, who was up to her chin in swirling water and desperately hugging a power pole. I told Cath to cut the two remaining dock lines with our serrated bread knife and to be quick about it!

"Right as I put the boat into gear, we were somehow washed back off the dock and into the basin as I advanced to full throttle. We accelerated through a floating debris field of floating docks, fuel drums, sinking boats, a shipping container and a barnacle-encrusted wreck, all of which were spinning in the torrent of rapidly dropping sea level. It was absolute mayhem! As we steered out toward the deep water in the center of the harbor, I looked over my shouder and saw what appeared to be a waterfall pouring off the dock and shore beyond. Not one of the dozen vessels remained at the dock. All were underway in a matter of seconds — with or without crews aboard.

"We motored around in the middle of the harbor watching the waves of floods and ebbs while wondering about aftershocks and our fellow cruising sailors. As we passed one of our neighbors, she shouted to us that her husband had been washed off the dock as they were trying to get away. She was alone and seriously concerned. We found out later that he was confirmed dead. Other boats broke free from their moorings and anchors in the initial seismic waves, and many were driven ashore or driven under by loose tuna boats.

Many boats in Pago Pago were washed ashore.
© 2009 John Newton

"After about three hours, we felt it was finally safe to return to the dock. We were the first to go back in so we started untangling lines and helping others get back alongside the concrete dock. All the storefronts along the water are destroyed, roving mobs of kids can be seen looting, the fence around the dock is gone, and every boat on stands in a nearby boatyard was washed away. Big fishing boats are now in parking lots across the street. Absolute destruction is seen everywhere along the shore.

"Phones and power are down but we got back online right away. I immediately went back to the recent earthquakes website to see if things had calmed down in the center of the earth. A number of aftershocks as strong as 6.0 were recorded over the following few hours — but thankfully no more wave action has been noticed. We've been making Skype calls to our families and letting others use the computer as well to phone home.

"Online news reports say that the earthquake lasted three minutes and the highest flood rose 25 feet above normal! Most fatalities occured in and around the harbor where we live. Boats are battered and nerves are fried. One friend wound up on his boat nearly 1,000 feet inland after breaking from his anchor and sailing right down Main Street, taking power and telephone wires down with his mast! Some people lost everything, including their lives. We came through remarkably well with only minor damage sustained to our toerail when the docklines parted and to our fender basket, which was the only point of contact with a drifting wreck. I believe our hull, keel and rudder suffered no damage from the wildest boat ride I've ever been on. We're all okay — and very lucky."

Residents were stunned at the destruction of the wave action.
© 2009 Fili Sagapolutele

This morning, a 7.6-magnitude quake hit Sumatra, Indonesia — along the same fault line that spawned the devastating 2004 quake that left 232,000 dead. Though more than 1,000 are feared dead, and thousands more are caught in the rubble, a tsunami warning has been lifted.

Un plaisancier américain est disparu, sa femme a réussi à partir au large avec le bateau

L'équipage
01 oct. 2009
01 oct. 2009

Quelles saloperies ces tsunamis
celui-ci semble avoir été d'une grande violence vu les quelques photos vues sur la toile.

Heureux ceux qui sont aux larges.

01 oct. 2009

Tu imagines etre amarré solidement à un ponton en ciment
avoir ton bateau (Hallberg rassy 46) oscillant sur une amplitude de 6 metres avec les amarraes qui explosent, les bateaux qui ont chassé, un vrai cauchemar, ils ont eu beaucoup de chance et l'écrivent

21 nov. 2009

Tsunami en voilier, vu des Tonga
Je viens de lire le témoignage du voillier Gallivanter, qui sont au nombre de nos amis. De notre côté, nous avons vécu le Tsunami aux Tonga, à Vava'u. Précisément, 18°42'51.32S 174°02'27.17W sur Google Earth

Nous étions en train de déjeuner, auprès d'une charmante petite île avec une belle plage, le long d'une zône de récifs et hauts fonds bleu turquoise.
Soudain, nous avons entendu un bruit d'eau, comme un grosse vague qui se brise sur les rochers... Comme celà durait bien plus longtemps qu'une vague normale, Michel est sorti regarder ce qu'il pouvait bien se passer. Je ne me souviens pas exactement ce qu'il a dit, mais ce que je sais, c'est que j'ai immédiatement compris que c'était grave. Le temps que je sorte aussi, Michel était déjà en train de relever l'ancre en me hurlant Tsunami ! Tsunami ! J'ai allumé le moteur, et puis j'ai regardé autour de moi...
Le "spectacle" était impressionnant.
L'eau, autour de nous, était en train de disparaitre comme un torrent. Les voiliers mouillés là - qui ne s'étaient encore rendus compte de rien- commençaient à être aspirés dans le flot,vers les hauts fonds et les récifs.
Le temps que le capitaine atteigne l'avant du bateau pour remonter l'ancre, le niveau de l'eau avait baissé de 2m au moins autour de l'île. Le bruit que nous entendions, c'était le courant et les coraux brisés qui roulaient sur le fond.

Nous hurlons à nos voisins de dégager, tout en remontant l'ancre, moteur à fond. Le courant est tel que moteur au maximum, nous avançons à
peine...Mais le moteur ronronne à merveille et nous tire de là, nous rejoignons des eaux profondes à quelques dizaines de m, où le courant est minime. Nous sommes saufs.

Pendant ce temps, le courant s'inverse et la plage est peu à peu entièrement recouverte...

A ce moment, tout le monde, sur tous les voiliers de ce mouillage est à pied d'oeuvre tentant de se dégager de là. Nous voyons deux bateaux, qui n'ont pas eu le temps de relever l'ancre, et sont aspirés par le courant.Les ancres tiennent, heureusement! L'un est un monocoque. Il talonne et se couche dans le courant. L'autre est un catamaran dont la plaque qui relie la chaine au bateau s'arrache et se coince dans le guindeau tellement le courant est fort. Rien à faire, le courant est tel qu'ils ne peuvent remonter leurs mouillages. Heureusement, le flot se renverse à nouveau et l'eau descend! Ils coupent à ce moment leurs chaines et se dégagent, avant le retour d'une autre "vague". Il y a eu 3 grosses "vagues" en tout (quoi que nous n'ayons pas vu de vagues proprement dites, juste de très forts courants et variations de niveaux, mais bon, nous étions occupés!), et le niveau a varié de 2m80 au dire d'un sondeur traceur de la zône.
Nous n'avons pas été prévenus car :
1, nous n'avons pas ressenti le tremblement de terre.
2, l'alerte a bien été donnée, mais personne n'a transmis car l'info a été reçue à 8h10 alors que la vague était prévue à 8h00. Ils ont donc cru a une fausse alerte. Elle est en fait arrivée à 8h20 à Vava'u, car les Tongas sont vastes...Le nord a bien été frappé vers 8h00, effectivement. Vava'u, plus au sud, une vingtaine de minutes plus tard...
3, de toute façon, au ptit dej au mouillage, la VHF n'est pas souvent branchée...

Rétrospectivement, nous sommes glacés. Comme notre fille a eu son anniversaire le 27 septembre, nous avons organisé une grand fête sur la plage le lendemain (la veille du Tsunami, donc). 16 enfants on passé la nuit sous la tente sur cette plage, autour d'un grand feu. Dieu merci, aucun n'était sur la plage ce matin là, nous aurions eu 16 morts...

Voilà, c'était vos reporters de Graine d'Etoile aux Tonga, maintenant en vacances en Nouvelle Zélande

GdE :cheri:

21 nov. 200916 juin 2020

Photo de la plage en question
Nos bateaux étaient situés sur la gauche et le haut de la photo. Toute la zone à droite de la photo s'est retrouvée à sec.
La plage a entièrement été recouverte ensuite, mais je ne saurais dire par combien d'eau.

21 nov. 2009

oui
ds ces cas là la réaction a interet à etre rapide...
bon séjour ds la sympatique bourgade de whangarei...

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