Capsize management in a breeze

I/we use #2. I also move to the back of the boat so I can steer the boat into the wind if the smaller team member misses their opportunity to get on the boat. Once my team member is on and has stablelized the boat I move to the windward outside hull and haul myself onboard with the trap handle. For me this is the most efficient way to get on the boat and it conserves my energy, I'm 51 and overweight and I sail on an F18 so if I can do it anyone can.

Grabbing the tiller cross bar will likely break it. Don't ask...

I've gone to the back of the boat and held on to the foot strap and steered the boat with my other hand a few times. The i20 was probably easier to board in the back than the newer f18 boats though.

This is not a stupid problem. I've been there too...barreling across Charleston Harbor by myself hanging onto a rudder. The newer boats like to bare away with no weight onboard and sails eased. I suspect, however, that if you leave any sheet on the main that the boat will likely continue to roll over and re-capsize when you right it.

If I'm on a course race where help is available, here's my process: the first thing I try to do is get a crew on the low hull and have them roll over the hull as the boat comes up so they're on the deck ready to get things under control. If that fails, I make a solid effort to make sure I'm clear of any lines and QUICKLY duck under the hull (with a foot on the daggerboard if possible) and get to a trap line before the boat has a chance to start accelerating.

If I'm in a distance race where help may not be available, I came up with a system a couple of years ago where I had a pocket sewn into the bottom of my trampoline that houses a

drift sock

, some line, and two carabiners. If we capsize in breeze that leaves us at risk of the bear-away happening - or if one of us got separated in the capsize, the idea is that the bitter end of the line for the drift sock is clipped to the dolphin striker and a second flow-through carabiner clipped to one of the forestay bridles. Then the drift sock is thrown off the bow. It will do a couple of things - 1) it keeps the bow oriented into the wind to make single handed righting easier. and 2) keeps the bow to the wind once righted so you don't risk having the boat bear away. Once the boat is righted, you haul in the sock (from the line clipped to the dolphin striker) and can just leave it dangling at the forestay while you go back to pick up your crew.

That's how I drive it when in the water too, and yes the back of an N20 is easier to deal with than the back of an F18.

If everything is loose (as it should be), hanging onto the dolphin striker crossbar near the windward hull should cause the boat to pivot into the wind right away.

The other thing to consider is the angle at which you started your righting attempt. Ideally, you want the wind to be ahead of the mast when the boat is on its side. 90 degrees, or wind behind the mast will put the boat instantly on a reaching angle when it's righted.

As mentioned, we've all been there. Like anything else, the best thing is to practice under controlled circumstances. Capsizing a boat is usually the last thing anyone wants to do intentionally, but the peace of mind is well worth it in the long run. I wish I didn't ignore this advice when younger.

Hope this helps.

Mike

to get back on my mystere 5.5 I grab a trap handle .... and get my feet on board first... one they are on the hull I can pull my torso up and on the tramp

For what it's worth. After loosing my crew at Hiram's a couple of years ago, he went floating by grabbing at the tiller and rudders to no avail. Afterwards I went back and tied a line from rear beam bolt to bolt. I laced slack in the tramp ties going to the back side of the beam. In other words I have slack loops tucked up in the lacing, so when you go over, now you can pull the line down and it drags behind the boat just past the tiller tie arm. This allows you to drift under the tramp and catch it going out the back side and right at the tiller/rudders. Now, got to see if it works. <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />

mental note: beware of skipper tossing crew overboard unexpectedly under the guise of

trying to see if it works

...

I was always taught to go hang on the dolphin striker on the windward hull to keep the boat from continuing to roll over. It does make sense that it also creates a pivot point. I really cannot think of a time where the boat tried to sail off without us onboard - it has probably happened but I don't recall it.

In our case, we hung on to the dolphin striker immediately as the upper hull came down. Boat took off on us anyway. I don't think we righted at the wrong angle - perhaps an untimely wave pushed us that way. Regardless, we only had about 5 seconds between

up

and

moving quick...

Frankly I was quite surprised. I've righted my TheMightyHobie18 more times than I care to admit and never had this issue...

Edit: I know the difference is due to the self tacking jib.

5 seconds is it (if you're lucky), once the boat is up you need to execute whatever plan you have to get back onboard otherwise you're off on Mr. Toads Wild Ride.

I've only had this problem with the F16, which happens to be the only flat top sail I've owned.

It happens more often than not.

You ARE old!
MTWR has been closed since 1998.
(See, Siri is good for something.)

Exactly. At the moment the crew doesn't make it on the hull, I'm working toward my duck under the hull to get to the outside. You don't have long (which is one of several reasons I don't hook into the righting line).

Yes I am but I have a huge dong.

That's what gravity does for you...it just takes a while.

Yeah, but Dumbo's ride is still there.

Sadly, the Delta

If you had wings

ride (the only one that didn't require TICKETS) is gone...

For you fellow old-farts, remember those ticket books? You'd be stuck with about 10

A

tickets, but burn up the

E

tickets fast on Space Mountain and the like...

Oh, and the go-carts are still cranking after all this time. But Future-ville (or whatever they call that section) looks a little dated (George Jetson).

I will say for as old as the FL park is they do an outstanding job of keeping it from looking that old.

It's all sort of automatic to me now (having done it way too many times), so it may not be coming across correctly.

The idea is, once the boat starts coming up, get to the old bottom hull (when capsized), which will be the new windward hull (when righted), pulling down on the dolphin striker cross-piece.

That should kill two birds: puts you in the right place to keep it from rolling all the way over, and for you to be the pivot point to make it turn into the wind.

Mike

That's not a sure bet on an F18. I've been there and had the boat turn downwind even with me hanging to windward on the dolphin striker bar. Even with me hanging onto the windward rudder I couldn't get it to turn. Only after I finally let go did it sail another 150 yards, gybe and capsize on its own.

Here's the best way to get back on

On this forum we have discussed many times the uprighting after a capsize. That's were the focus is. The damn thing has to be upright again.

But we all know how to do this; each one has his own method and infact for the old hands it's a piece of cake.

The big problem is what happens after the uprizing. There's sometimes very little time because of unwanted headway or incoming waves.
You should have a defined plan/procedure for your handling in this phase.
A lot of us don't have this.

For me as a single-handed sailor it means taking some measures while the cat is still on its side. For making it more easy for me to climb fast on board.

Depending on your hull shape, your free board when your weight is off, always is higher then you think.

Yep, my boat would not pivot from my weight on the striker. As said earlier, even in that location after about 5 seconds, the boat will already be at warp speed.

Just a thought as I am reading and pondering this thread....As you prepare to right the boat, you will know what side of the boat will be windward once the boat is upright. How about keeping a piece of bungee in a handy spot that can be hooked to the tiller cross bar and then in a spot on what will be the leeward side so that when the boat is righted, the rudders will be locked in a position to turn the boat into the wind?

That's a thought....better get it in the right direction though.

That only works when there is help around. Not likely.

Yes the issue is with the self tacker, but it's worse on my F18 then N20 by far, and the N20 also had a self tacker, professionally aligned rudder system etc. I think the primary differences are as follows:

1) N20 had a lot more sheet available on the jib for easing. We had the slack taken up under the tramp with a bungee system that crossed the boat 3 times. Now it's a single cross in the front beam

2) The N20 is a lot narrower boat with flat decks=much easier to get on board.

We've found getting to the windward side, quickly dipping under the boat and grabbing a trap handle to the be quickest way. Of course we decided to be all

professional

and get rid of the trap line handles (in favor of donuts), and the can't miss rings, which have an extra handle, are gone in favor of aluminum rings. We'll see how all this works out, I'm inclined to stick with the

newb

can't miss rings which are much easier to use when climbing back on board. They tend to fail though, which is my #1 reason for replacement.

Our righting line is permanently rigged under the tramp and pulled aft on a bungee, you can slide back on the tramp. Not sure about the loops described by a poster above in the tramp lacing, the helmsman can get caught on this lacing coming off the wire downwind so keep that lacing tight.

As I was rethinking this......It's pretty much an all or nothing solution to the problem....It'll be a brilliant fix or an epic fail.

...could adjust your setup to provide more auto-round up capability, ala most monohulls. Helms are lazy and want a perfectly balanced helm...a little weather helm might go a long way....big might given the main won't be trimmed. Hmmmm.

Either a parked boat or a quick gybe and another splash. Either way, little risk of toad's wild ride.

Looking back over the thread thus far, I see a few suggestions to help prevent the wild ride

1) Make sure the wind angle is forward of 90° during righting.
2) Grab dolphin striker immediately on low/windward side. (didn't work for me)
3) Possibly use bungee to lock rudder at angle (rudder angled down on the capsized boat assuming #1 is done)

The focus on getting back on the boat as quickly as possible is legitimate. Frankly, I'm not sure I can reach the trap handles from the water if the boat is moving. Too much freeboard and no ability to

swim

up to it. I've tried the crew trap, and its too high. Maybe skipper trap is easier. I guess its time to practice...

If its too late for the above and the boat is already really moving, I still kinda like the idea of dragging back hand-over-hand to the back of the boat on the righting line and then using the rudder, cross-bar, or tiller extension to steer the boat up (keeping the load on the righting line).