so i was sailing today (first time this season) 3 of us on my 18 ft cat. 10-15 knot winds. All was pretty good until we dropped one of our crew off at the beach. I couldnt believe the difference the weight of one passenger makes. with 2 people we were hull flying like crazy. with both of us on the trapeze we pushed the limits and pitch poled the boat. My first time! It was actually pretty fun. We swam back to the boat and immediately threw a rope over the airborne hull and tied it to the spar. Then standing on the dagger board we attempted to right it by pulling on the rope with all our weight. It didn't seem to do much but luckily a motor boat came by and and gave the rope a tug and it righted. my question: How are you Supposed to right it? Did we do it correctly? what more could we have done to right it?
Thanks
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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my first capsize! How to right the boat?
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Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 05:14 PM
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Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 08:23 PM
Swim around to sails and un-cleat main and jib, then swim the mast around and point it into the wind. Swim back to hulls and climb on hulls careful not to scratch hulls with hook on your harness, grab righting line which hopefully has knots tied at regular intervals for grip and lean out. Once the tip of the mast breaks free from the water, the wind will help by driving between water and sail and lift mast, but it will come up quick and you have to be ready to grab dolphin stryker bar to stop cat going over opposite side....
There is much debate whether to point hulls or mast into the wind, you decide, now go practice......... a lot
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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 08:39 PM
45 degrees -- average of the two ways.
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Jack B
Hobie 17
BC, Canada
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Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 09:54 PM
we did not think about pointing the mast (or hulls) into the wind. that could have been our problem. How would pointing the hulls into the wind help? We also didnt think to uncleat the jib (we never cleat the main) and it took off right when it became righted. luckily i was able to climb aboard before it got away... we did, however, both lose our sunglasses...
Edited by Venora on Jul 02, 2012 - 09:55 PM.
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 12:08 AM
You've got this one, I'm sure of it.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 12:25 AM
Uncleating the Main lets the sails release water from the rigging and un-weight the weight above tramp . also helps lift the mast when the wind gets under the sail. If the balance requires the help of the wind I like pointing the mast into the wind.. If not, i like pointing the bow into the wind cuz.. 1. the wind does not try to push the boat all the way over. AND. the boat is in Irons once it is upright and the boat does not have a sail by it's self!! ( I enjoy a long swim) H
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Hal Liske
Livermore CA
H 16 (6+ 1.. Friends) H 3.2 N 5.2 (2) H 17 (2) H-18
Nacra 5.8 (son's) H 20 (Friends)
It's a Sickness
I Need a A Cat Please
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 01:42 AM
I would think with 2 you should be able to it is just a matter of technique and I am no expert. My first time I was fretting to much about techniques to get he boat turned into the wind rather than jut trying to right it. I have the weight for it. After I slipped off the hull and was to tired to get back on right away a friend crewing on another boat Jumped on and popped it right up. He didn't even bother to try to turn it but the wind was not to bad. The capsize was due to bad timing and body placement during a gybe.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 01:49 AM
There are ways you cam make a self returning righting line that sits under your tramp without buying an expensive righting system. you could come take a look at mine sometime
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 08:44 AM
yeah that makes sense... (duh)
i do keep the mast raked back a bit so it probably would have gone into irons anyway, it just would have been a long swim.
my boat does have some sort of rope/pulley set up underneath. i wasn't sure what it was for so i took it out to use the pulleys as jib blocks:
Edited by Venora on Jul 03, 2012 - 08:45 AM.
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 09:11 AM
a couple good reasons to point into the wind:
boats handle differently with zero crew weight on boards.
i have seen at least a dozen boats sail away without captains / and crew. I have had to deliver 2 captains back to their catamarans that were sailing perfectly without anyone on board (Darts sail very well without people).
boats can sail themself: after righting and off beaches, off anchor, etc
After righting:
I personally had a horrific capsize (from a gust and a riptide that turned me around) in the washing machine like waters off Sand Key Pass a few years back. After getting her righted, the jib was still sheeted and she took off like a rocket (and was pointed at a wooden channel marker).
I had to pull myself up the boat by the righting line (the boat was doing about 10MPH / which exhausted me), had a very hard time getting aboard my moving cat, only to find the main sheet was wrapped around my rear beam/ traveler and i could neither steer away from the marker, nor sheet out to slow down. I missed it by a hair... and got my sheets together -
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 11:36 AM
Though a little different setup than mine. it looks like it was probably for the same purpose. I have recently discovered a way you do it pretty well without the need for an expensive ( or needed else where block).
Take about a 6-8 inch bit of 1/8th inch line and put small closed ring kind like this in it and tie it to the eye on the rear beam that your traveler gets tied off at.
http://www.westmarine.com…ssNum=50052#.T_Mq4HCUpEM
Take another ring that has enough extra room in for your righting line to move freely through it. Tie a length of shock cord to it. Run the shock cord through the ring at the rear then straight forward and tie it off at the dolphin striker with enough tension that is holds the ring tight at the back of the boat. Tie one end of your righting line around your front beam on one side. (You might have to be creative about this, on the Prindle I had to run the line under the tramp and around the outside of the front beam then along the front of the beam and back under to tie off.) Run the righting line through the ring attached to the shock cord and back to tie off at the opposite side of the front beam making a big V on the underside of the boat.
You end up pretty much the same system as this
http://www.murrays.com/mm…_Code=C-RI&Store_Code=MS
but you use the line you already have and only have to buy a couple cheap SS rings.
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 06:50 PM
thats a pretty slick system i like it. but i may go a step further and build something like this:
http://www.murrays.com/mm…-4101&Category_Code=C-RI
i have some old stainless cables laying around that would work and i could put it on a pivote so it swings down and latches to the back of the tramp... would be pretty sweet and effective i think.
Edited by Venora on Jul 03, 2012 - 06:50 PM.
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 07:07 PM
If those are the blocks you are using for your jib, I would look for upgrades before to long. They do not look like they are load rated blocks and may not perform well when the wind picks up. They could either break unexpectedly or have a lot of friction when under load.
In regards to righting the boat, lots of good advise here and make sure to practice the technique.
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Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
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Posted: Jul 03, 2012 - 10:10 PM
I'm going to second this, at least to a lesser degree. I've seen a P18 sail itself (the one in my sig, and arguably better than I could) in medium winds, and an I20 sail itself in high winds. Neither seemed to have any issue without a nut on the tiller, but they didn't seem to have a mastery of tacks not headed towards certain doom. The P18 proved me completely wrong, and docked itself across the lake. We rescued the I20 before it had the chance.
I've run to rescue or watched the barely-off-shore rescue of several others, but I've got no idea what was in store for them had they escaped.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 04:37 AM
when uncleating the main and jib
it also helps to uncleat the downhaul
anything to stop water pooling in the sail and prevent the mast and sail breaking free from the water -
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 07:49 AM
yeah, i know they are definitley cheap blocks. No bearings or anything... i will be looking for new ones soon.
Thanks everyone for the advice!
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 08:04 AM
Be certain your mast is sealed, and I mean not leaking a drop! I like to point the mast directly into the wind and I have found the boat will almost always point itself to weather while it is coming back over. I can right my N20 by myself in the right conditions. I just use a rope tied around the dolphin striker and tossed over the hull. Its fast and effective. Were you standing out on the end of the board? Next time if you have trouble, get someone to lift the end of the mast. Getting that mast 18" out of the water is all the battle, after that its easy.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 10:47 AM
i tied a pretty long and thick rope i had (brought it on board for such an occasion) to the front spar and threw it over the hull then i hauled out on the line while standing on the dagger board. It didn't seem to budge. I didn't really know about pointing the the mast into the wind or loosening the outhaul or anything like that though. A motorboat came by almost immediately to help so we were not really working on it for too long. The tip of the mast was only about a foot underwater and it didnt seem to be sinking, but i will probably end up drilling all the rivets out, sealing with silicone, and re-riveting everything anyway. It's a 40 year old boat and is probably due for new rivets anyway.
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70's 18' Sol Cat "Venora"
70's 18' Sol Cat "Bumblebee"
60's 14' Sailstar Tallstar sloop "Arandora"
Heber City, UT
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 06:39 PM
I actually have the pole and most of the stuff for that system. I am mising the the parts that connect the pole to the joint and the parts that connect the joint to te boat. I don't think you need any cable for it just rope. I was gonna put it on the Hobie 17 if I ever get it ready to ride but it might be overkill for that so it may so eddy end up on my P 18
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Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
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Posted: Jul 04, 2012 - 10:15 PM
I've righted a lot of boats (we don't need to discuss 'why'), and I can tell you for certain that there's nothing wrong with a simple, knotted, righting line. If you're short on weight get a bag.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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