Waterspout!

[Weil Thing]

I took 8 kids out Saturday for an afternoon of boarding and surfing, and unfortunately got cut short after 2 hours by lightning and thunderstorms seemingly everywhere. As we pulled the boat out at the ramp, a friend of mine drove up and asked if we had seen the waterspout...it was less than a mile from us! We couldn't see it because of the heavy rain, but here it is-

And a question for all - how much damage can these things do? The paper reported winds of 50 - 70 mph in this one, which I'm sure could tear up your bimini, throw loose stuff around, etc, but are they truly dangerous??

[skyski_tige]

I would think it would sink your boat in a hurry if it got too close...

[da.bell]

Not sure but I do know that you should stay away or drive the boat in another direction.

[Fast1911]

that looks like the skyway bridge in Tampa

[dogbert]

And a question for all - how much damage can these things do? The paper reported winds of 50 - 70 mph in this one, which I'm sure could tear up your bimini, throw loose stuff around, etc, but are they truly dangerous??

You could always drive in one and let us know how it goes for you

Seriously, most water spouts are gonna be a bit stronger than that and even an F0 tornado (like what you described) can do plenty of damage. We've had a couple at my lakehouse and I've had jetskis/sailboats/dock lockers thrown about. The jetski was actually picked up off of a lift and the sailboat off of it's trailer.

[Tequilasun]

You guys got it all blown outta proportion, I saw Helen Hunt survive an F5 tornado by tying herself to a well pipe with a belt. Do the same to your tower and you are golden!