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The "P" Word Pitchpoling for the First Time By Brian Hollinger My first boat was a Hobie 16 by the name of "Beach Bum", the "pitchpoling machine". Surprisingly, I never once pitchpoled, even though it felt like I would while on a direct run with the jib blocked by the main. I had the strange notion that sailing in heavy air would teach me quicker. To this day, I can take down BOTH sails on a rocking, ROCKETING H16 in under 5mins. I have had many encounters with storms. My 3rd time sailing my boat was in a storm, with winds steady at 20-25 and gusts to 40knts. (Ever seen a H16 sail itself of the beach?) Even capsized in one. My surprising first pitchpole came on a boat known for its inablility to do just that! I recently bought a G-Cat 5.7M. It came with everything to race and cruise (I wont give an inventory) including the famous front trampoline. I was sailing with a friend of mine (John Kloss, P18 & P19 sailor, 8 yrs exp, started off on H16) in really nice winds, a bit heavy even. We headed upwind to Egmont Key, an island with old naval base ruins. We diced it best to head upwind upon leaving the crowded beach. Istead of tacking to get to the downwind leg I decided to just go and gybe. I pushed the tiller and fell. Rolled right off the boat. Luckily, the mainsheet was still in hand. John pointed into the wind as I practically bodyskiied back onto the boat. We tacked and headed downwind at a VERY broad reach. We were really moving, with both hulls in the water, when the mother-of-all gusts nailed us. The jib was too tight for John to uncleat so quickly, and I headed down thinking slower=safer, and running is the slowest point of sail donwind. Two seconds later I was wondering where John was and if I should head for the mast of the sail. The boat had stuffed it's bows and the forward trampoline continued the job, sending the boat-turned-sub down to the mastbeam. I think the only thing that kept the entire boat from going under is the incredible amount of bouyancy in those HUGE hulls. I slid down the tramp and stepped onto the mast with my left foot, rolling to the right to land in the sail. I think John recieved the 'catapult' treatment because when I saw him next he was swimming back to the front of the boat. I swam the bows into the wind and got the righting line out. John harnessed into the righting line and then wind went under the still-sheeted jib to the underside of the main. The boat came up and put a great effort into going over the other direction, but I grabbed the loop from the extra hammock line (I have a hammock under my boat) that hung from the bows and kept it from going over. One of the hulls went 2 feet into the air before I could finally pull the thing down. We got aboard and did the after-capsizing thing, straightening things up. Half my anchorline spool (2 plant pots bolted together) dissapeared. I had to pull in 100 feet of line to get to the spool. The line was tied to the anchor, which was lashed to the forward trampoline underneath the lifejacket bag. I was the envy of fishermen everywhere as I pulled in the spool, because it looked like I had hooked the "big one" from all the spray it made. We went straight back to the island shore and took down the jib (The G-cat has a taller mast than a Hobie [less roach on the main] and a larger jib [jib ties down to forward beam instead of high on the bridle]). We then headed back out with John at the tiller. He said it was the first time he had ever pitchpoled on an 18 boat, and he'd stuffed his old P18 (may it Rest In Peace) to the mast beam on occasion. We made it back the the 'Mainland' (a barrier island) and hit the beach. We went out later that day and a large (LARGE) sea turtle came up 5ft in front of us and 5in to the left of the windward hull, John was trapped out and watched it pass under his legs. Unfortunately the large flippers hit my large rudder and knocked it up. That's the story of the first time I 1) fell off the boat, 2) pitchpoled, and 3) saw/hit a sea turtle. Brian Hollinger Sycho15@aol.com Brian Hollinger is 16, and has been sailing for 1 year and 3 months. Back to Features |