Sunbeam shipyard manager Manfred Schöchl and his wife have experienced it. Last August, their boat was caught in the maelstrom of a gigantic waterspout off the coast of Istria. They were lucky to escape unscathed and the boat was not too badly damaged.
However, the involuntary rendezvous could have turned out very differently. Because in the centre of a waterspout, the wind is swirling at up to 12 Beaufort - hurricane force!
But why do waterspouts form so frequently along the Croatian coast? And during the sailing season, of all times. Marine weather expert and climate researcher Dr Michael Sachweh has studied this unusual natural phenomenon. He explains how, when and where tornadoes can be expected at sea - and how sailors can recognise early on whether danger is imminent.
Sachweh's report can now be read in the new issue of YACHT (issue 2/2015, available now at newsagents and in the app store).
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
