The bow's may be big if you hit the ground with them all bets are off.

Me and my buddy had the boats out this afternoon. I believe winds were around 20 gusting 27. I was solo with just the main up. We were on a long downwind run such that I just pointed the boat straight down wind because if I went up to go on broad reaches the power was just too much and the bows were dipping pretty hard. Around here we always run the dagger boards at half height so the rudders pop first when you hit the shallows. Last night I had spend time repairing the daggers and sharpening up the trailing edge. Worst timing ever to do that it turns out.

Well I finally got to the island I was stopping on and had to come about. I knew it was going to power up as I turned so I figured I'd feed some more sheet in, the battens were actually folding around the shroud so it was super loose. The second I turned the boat powered up and I believe a gust hit and there was just nothing I could do. My GPS spit out that it went in going around 20mph. The bows disappeared and hit the bottom stopping the boat dead and catapulting me forward violently. My shoulder and face went straight into the shroud and trap lines and the side of my upper thigh went straight into the back of the dagger board that was half up like a knife edge waiting for me. I was sitting way back on the rear beam before it happened so I flew a good 5-6 feet before nailing the board. Right as I hit I heard a loud breaking/snapping sound and my leg went immediately numb as I continued to fly through the air and land a good 20 yards from the boat.

All I can think is that was the sound of my leg breaking or the dagger board. A little panic started to set in when I looked up at the boat and saw the board still intact. My buddy saw the whole thing and said I just went flying spinning around like crazy. It's amazing how poorly your body operates when in a huge amount of pain mixed with adrenaline and a dash of panic. I managed to swim back to the boat in some weird kinda doggy paddle flailing motion which was all I could really muster. I've never known pain to be that exhausting but I was seriously messed up energy wise the second I hit the water. I didn't even want to right the boat. I just sat there bobbing in the water holding onto the bow for a minute. But things as they were weren't going to get better by themselves so back at it I figured.

I still cant feel my leg but it seems to still all be there. Thank goodness I'm built like gumby I thought. Water bagged the thing back over and got to the island. The loud snapping sound turned out to be my hiking strap ripping it 2 from my foot being hooked under it as I flew forward. Pretty wicked that my feet seem totally fine.

It took me a good 20min laying in the sand before the adrenaline wore off. I basically frogged the nerve in my leg perfectly. Even right now it's still tingly. Can't really bend it to walk and it hurts to stand but at least its better than a cast I figure. I'm thinking about taping some pool noodle to the back of the board for future safety, otherwise I'm sailing with a guillotine just waiting for me all the time.

It's not really going to stop me from being in heavy air but it's a wake up call to how quickly things can get real.

The boat survived minus a chunk of the bow that cracked off when it hit the ground. Cracked the gelcoat pretty good around it as well but the structure looks fine. Easy repair.

I'm assuming letting the sail out that far was exactly the opposite of what to do. So should I have brought the traveler in and sheeted in tighter before trying to round up from heading dead downwind? I figure that would stall the sail for longer but then I'd have a big heeling moment to deal with so it's kinda give or take right?

Matt!

Glad you came out of it without severe damage to boat or body! You had me worried reading your account that you had really broken yourself.

Did you cut yourself on the the dagger or anything? Reading that I figured you'd be bleeding bad for sure. Young guys heal fast, so you got that going for you.

Thanks for writing it all down.

You were in a bad spot, basically the "Zone of Death" where you had already let everything out and now turning into the wind or sheeting in was going to have the same effect. The violent pitchpole is actually caused by going too slow! It's counter-intuitive, but your only chance to jibe or come up into the wind under those conditions is to keep the apparent wind low by keeping your boat-speed up. It's the sudden violent increase in apparent wind speed that sends you over like that.

So what you have to do is sail gradually higher and higher, increasing speed as you go until you have low apparent wind, then you have to "go for it" and carve the jibe across dead down wind onto the other jibe and keep spinning around until you are pointing up wind.

There is still a good chance you are screwed, but at least the crash won't be so bad.

Those bruises and wrenched muscles are going to hurt a lot more later and they should produce some interesting colors.

My arm after a solo pitchpole on my Hobie 18 just before the start of the triangle racing at Juanas in 2012.

Welcome to the club. (if you weren't already a member)



--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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I enjoyed your story as I watched the snow flurries outside.

There are things worse than a pitchpole, and snow is one of them. Good story, and I have found myself similarly over-powered before and have done my trip in front of the dolphin striker. Never imagined a hull striking ground and catapulting me.

--
Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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In my experience, to round up successfully in high to survival wind conditions the turn has to be well timed and fully committed. You don't want to sheet in during the turn although you may want to try to sheet in slightly if possible before you initiate the turn. Then wait for a lull, or at least not a gust. Put your feet under the hiking straps or hold on firmly because you will slide down the tramp otherwise (when doing this on a H17, I have thrown my arm over the wing to hold on). Don't jam the rudders over, but commit to the turn rounding the boat up as quickly as possible so that you spend as little time as possible in what Damon referred to as "the zone of death." Dump the mainsheet right as you initiate the turn and round up fully so that the sail(s) are luffing with the boat roughly on a close reach heading.

sm

Damon, I had a wetsuit on and trunks over it as the temps dropped a little bit this weekend to a high of 70 and the wind made it pretty chilly. I think that's the only reason the back of the board didnt straight hatchet into the side of my leg.

And dang yea my leg doesn't look that bad. Just really swollen. I have a 8-10 red mark down my shoulder and back where I flew into the shroud and somehow I managed to slightly pull my tricep on that side as well.

From what everyone said I can see how maybe if I feathered the boat speed up a little bit I would have had a better chance. I've driven the bows under a few times and just rode it to a stop but in this area it's only a few feet deep so you can't get them too deep as I learned.

It didn't help either that we had little white cap waves rolling under the boat lifting the sterns up regularly. The elements just weren't in my favor. Even my buddy who is almost twice my weight had a few trips holding onto the rear beam as the bows dug.



Edited by tamumpower1 on Apr 08, 2017 - 12:18 AM.

glad you (and boat) are ok

I learned the wrong way to gybe in 25 - ended up "sailing" right threw my mainsail window. found that was not the cheapest method of depowering

IMHO - there really is no reason to sharpen the upper 1/2 of your dagger boards.. they never touch water

Wow, scary stuff. Glad to see you are going to be OK. There is a point in big wind where any boat will pitch pole given more wind than the bows can support. Hence why reefing is used so much in monohulls. Cats actually have more stability in the bows than monohulls, but they do have a limit. By only having your main sail up you actually increase the pressure on the bows. I learned that in heavy air the spinnaker/jib actually help to balance the boat so that the front sails add lift to the bows to keep them from being pushed down totally by just the main. The front sails will also help with speed through the gybes and boat balance as others have mentioned. All that said, when you stuff both bows it can be very bad. I was crewing for a guy on a Prinde 19 in heavy air, when we pitch poled, it was really bad for him. He was thrown up in the air into the mast and broke his neck. So yes, I am very careful to bail out of sailing on days when the wind is up too much. It is one thing if the wind comes up while out, but another to go out in it if you do not have reefing capability. Now days, I break much easier than the boat.

Great story thanks for sharing.

Quote

It is one thing if the wind comes up while out, but another to go out in it if you do not have reefing capability. Now days, I break much easier than the boat.

+1
I used to sail every weekend:
that meant in overcast and freezing conditions (well 50's here in florida is freezing) - a capsize or 2 in those conditions were pretty bad -one time i was crew - and had nothing to do on the boat but shake and shiver (i should have taken a sheet to work - would have kept me warmer and taken my mind off the cold) -one time when solo, my winter gear was so heavy after the capsize, i couldn't get back aboard (well i finally made it but it was crappy)

I used to sail in heavy air (40+) - watching battens snap like twigs, ripping through the main - no fun

I used to sail with thunderstorms forecast - a few bad experiences with lightning all around... Pass on that

Not any more -



Edited by MN3 on Apr 11, 2017 - 10:29 AM.

lots of wow here. Glad your ok.

--
1988 Nacra 5.2
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--

bruiser

Wow, scary stuff. Glad to see you are going to be OK. There is a point in big wind where any boat will pitch pole given more wind than the bows can support. Hence why reefing is used so much in monohulls. Cats actually have more stability in the bows than monohulls, but they do have a limit. By only having your main sail up you actually increase the pressure on the bows. I learned that in heavy air the spinnaker/jib actually help to balance the boat so that the front sails add lift to the bows to keep them from being pushed down totally by just the main. The front sails will also help with speed through the gybes and boat balance as others have mentioned. All that said, when you stuff both bows it can be very bad. I was crewing for a guy on a Prinde 19 in heavy air, when we pitch poled, it was really bad for him. He was thrown up in the air into the mast and broke his neck. So yes, I am very careful to bail out of sailing on days when the wind is up too much. It is one thing if the wind comes up while out, but another to go out in it if you do not have reefing capability. Now days, I break much easier than the boat.

Great story thanks for sharing.

Dang, I guess yall were on the wire? I can't imagine where it would have thrown me if I was clipped in at the time. I'm starting to think the whole boat should just be covered in pool noodles lol.

I had been thinking about putting in a reef about the same amount as the 16s have them because I already have the spur grommet tools the lofts use. Hobie actually wrote it into the class rules so at some point I'm sure people were needing and using them on the 18s.

MN3

glad you (and boat) are ok

I learned the wrong way to gybe in 25 - ended up "sailing" right threw my mainsail window. found that was not the cheapest method of depowering

IMHO - there really is no reason to sharpen the upper 1/2 of your dagger boards.. they never touch water

Yea that crossed my mind a little too much after the fact. It wasn't as sharp at the top as the bottom edge because I followed the stock taper mostly but still, you know how easy it is to get in the zone and go overboard with the sanding. I guess I was thinkin every little piece of dust that came off was more weight being saved not more knife edges being created

Quote

I had been thinking about putting in a reef about the same amount as the 16s have them because I already have the spur grommet tools the lofts use.

you'll probably need to add reinforcement to your grommet holes (i.e. patches and stropes) at the clew and tack

My clew reef point was under reinforced and blew out about 10' of my leech - lesson learned

Yea if I do it I'll have to sew on some extra dacron around the new clew grommet for sure.