By wind force, the biggest one in my maritime career.
Even though we were in "kind of " protected water. Just entering of the very wide St Lawrence river. Passing "Gaspe'" to the West and "Anticosti" to the North East.
February 2006, I was woken up by a rumbling sound. The whole super structure was vibrating, I thought there was something seriously wrong with our engines or a funnel fire? Shortly there after the officer of the watch called down and informed me about strong winds and restricted visibility. On the bridge the wind indicator said it all. Hurricane wind forces, the highest reading of that mornings indication stopped at 119 knots, with our vessel doing about 8-10 knots, would give the top recording a bit over 110 knots(50-55 m/s).
The weather forecasters had predicted wind speed up to "35" knots....so they were far off the target.
We where to take pilot later that day so the pilot light was swung out.
I noticed the light from the bridge and thought I'd get a nice close up picture of the building ice, forming around it(bad idea).
I put on my insulated boiler suit, and proper "winter gear" including thick gloves, - 9 degrees C, and hurricane wind force, the chill factor would make it extremely cold...
I managed to "haul" myself along SB side on weather deck against the wind, surprised about not getting more lee from the fan houses along the way. By the pilot light, I had to take the gloves off to operate the camera(even "more bad" idea..)..
The couple of minutes it took to take a few "snap's", caused my hands to freeze to the extent that I could barely put my camera in the pocket, and definitely not put on my gloves again...hands were numb...and now bare. Now I became a bit stressed knowing that I have to make my way, with hast into the superstructure.
Well inside up on the bridge I had the most unpleasant and painful experience. When my body tried to "flow blood" thru my hands again it felt like knives chopping and stabbing both hands. The pain was excruciating. I were still in my coverall, now sweating like a pig (inside the warm bridge), jumping around like a mad man in pain. after a minute or two( I do not know exactly). The pain just stopped, and I thought, we'll that was a shitty experience, not realising that the flow was shut down again, until a minute later when, the pain started again...(together with my Indian like war dance)...my god. This was repeated one additional time until finally...
the pain became constant and finally subsided...
Anyway result below...
and a word from an old experienced man...
Keep your hands and feet warm..
Hypothermia
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The hypothalamus’s mission is to keep the core warm at all costs – sacrificing the extremities if need be. That’s why we feel pins and needles in our fingers and toes in extreme cold – the body is keeping its warm blood close to the centre, constricting blood supply in the outer regions such as the end of our limbs. In extreme cold, and especially if bare skin is open to the elements, this effect can end in frostbite. Blood flow is reduced, and the lack of warm blood can lead to tissue freezing and rupturing.
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Wind speed 109, ship speed 12knots water track (not that accurate)
