Writer looking for advice...

[Writer looking for advice]

Hello - I am working on a story involving yachting and hoping to get some feedback on the viability of a scene involving an accident that takes place on a yacht to ensure it is believable – if anyone here is able to assist, I’d greatly appreciate hearing from you!

The story opens in an American University in the 1950's and two of the main characters are in the yachting team sailing match racing events with a 4-6 person crew. Part of the story involves one of main characters altering the others yacht in an effort to sabotage their race. Following the act of sabotage, the boom should come loose and strike one of the sailors in the head and knock them off the yacht. At the moment I am looking at saying the boom brake is the section of the boat the saboteur compromises, but not sure boom brakes were fitted to yachts in the 1950’s or if this would be a realistic accident? Another scenario I have been looking at is having the character cut parts of the main line so that when under pressure from the wind, the line will snap causing the boom to swing and strike the other sailor, but ideally would like to involve something that can be removed from the boat (like a boom brake) to serve as evidence later in the story.

If anyone can assist provide feedback on how realistic the above scenarios are, or advise on other components of the mast/yacht I should look into I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[JumbleDuck]

I'd remove a split pin or nut from the gooseneck fitting.

 

[Neeves]

I'm not sure why you initiated this thread on this part of the forum. I've never looked at this forum segment (I am sure to the relief of many) but Scuttlebutt might be more appropriate. I was only intrigued by the title of the thread - and I cannot help. If you fear that Scuttlebutt only innvolves modern yachts (you would be wrong) but sabotaging a modern yacht would be not much different to sabotaging one used 50 years ago. There are also many on Scuttlebutt with decades of sailing under their belts.

Jonathan

 

[scruff]

I'd suggest a couple of points - firstly a boom brake is very unlikely to be fitted to any boat racing. Secondly, it is unlikely anyone would be to leeward of a boom in normal circumstances.

Perhaps look for something which would cause an uncontrolled gybe when running downwind - the rudder or tiller extension being tampered with?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Even today, boom brakes aren't universally fitted; I'd imagine there are far more boats without them than with! People rig preventers, but they are very simple and do what they say - they prevent the boom from swinging across, full stop. And they are usually ad-hoc things, rigged with whatever rope is convenient. As others have said, racing yachts don't use such things; you might NEED to gybe at short notice under racing conditions.

All sailors (and racing crews especially so) are VERY aware of the dangers of an uncontrolled gybe, and take care that they aren't in the path of the boom when sailing in conditions where a gybe is possible. Even if you could engineer an uncontrolled gybe, it would be on a point of sail where everyone aboard would be well aware of the possibility and taking care not to be in the path of the boom. I'm sure I'm not alone in being extremely aware of the danger of gybing when running downwind, and being very much on edge until I can get the wind on the quarter. Even so, accidents happen - but they are rare, because everyone knows how dangerous a gybe can be!

A 50's yacht might well be gaff rigged, with wooden spars. A serious gybe could dismast such a vessel, but any injury or deaths caused would be unpredictable; you couldn't target it.

The only way I can imagine it working would be for the helm to gybe deliberately at a moment when the victim was vulnerable. But it woudl be very obvious that the helm had done that!

An alternative would be for the main-sheet to fail while hard on the wind, causing the boom to suddenly swing to leeward. However, you'd then have the difficulty of ensuring the victim was to leeward of the boom. Racing crews stay to windward to stiffen the boat, and in any case, it's more comfortable sitting up to windward; on a 50s yacht you'd probably get very wet on the leeward side!

 

[Writer looking for advice]

I'd remove a split pin or nut from the gooseneck fitting.

Great - thanks for the tip - I'll look into it!

 

[Writer looking for advice]

I'm not sure why you initiated this thread on this part of the forum. I've never looked at this forum segment (I am sure to the relief of many) but Scuttlebutt might be more appropriate. I was only intrigued by the title of the thread - and I cannot help. If you fear that Scuttlebutt only innvolves modern yachts (you would be wrong) but sabotaging a modern yacht would be not much different to sabotaging one used 50 years ago. There are also many on Scuttlebutt with decades of sailing under their belts.

Jonathan

Great - thanks for the recommendation, I'll post the query there also. Cheers

 

[Writer looking for advice]

I'd suggest a couple of points - firstly a boom brake is very unlikely to be fitted to any boat racing. Secondly, it is unlikely anyone would be to leeward of a boom in normal circumstances.

Perhaps look for something which would cause an uncontrolled gybe when running downwind - the rudder or tiller extension being tampered with?

Ah, great insights - thanks very much! Appreciate the info.

 

[Writer looking for advice]

Even today, boom brakes aren't universally fitted; I'd imagine there are far more boats without them than with! People rig preventers, but they are very simple and do what they say - they prevent the boom from swinging across, full stop. And they are usually ad-hoc things, rigged with whatever rope is convenient. As others have said, racing yachts don't use such things; you might NEED to gybe at short notice under racing conditions.

All sailors (and racing crews especially so) are VERY aware of the dangers of an uncontrolled gybe, and take care that they aren't in the path of the boom when sailing in conditions where a gybe is possible. Even if you could engineer an uncontrolled gybe, it would be on a point of sail where everyone aboard would be well aware of the possibility and taking care not to be in the path of the boom. I'm sure I'm not alone in being extremely aware of the danger of gybing when running downwind, and being very much on edge until I can get the wind on the quarter. Even so, accidents happen - but they are rare, because everyone knows how dangerous a gybe can be!

A 50's yacht might well be gaff rigged, with wooden spars. A serious gybe could dismast such a vessel, but any injury or deaths caused would be unpredictable; you couldn't target it.

The only way I can imagine it working would be for the helm to gybe deliberately at a moment when the victim was vulnerable. But it woudl be very obvious that the helm had done that!

An alternative would be for the main-sheet to fail while hard on the wind, causing the boom to suddenly swing to leeward. However, you'd then have the difficulty of ensuring the victim was to leeward of the boom. Racing crews stay to windward to stiffen the boat, and in any case, it's more comfortable sitting up to windward; on a 50s yacht you'd probably get very wet on the leeward side!

Great - thanks very much for the detailed reply and considerations - appreciate you taking the time, I'll look into those points - all the best

 

[Wansworth]

Do you know of an author look who wants a place to write,here in Galicia Spain we can offer a quite escape........not very close to the sea

 

[srm]

I'd remove a split pin or nut from the gooseneck fitting.

On all the goosenecks I have sailed with it would probably go un-noticed for the rest of the season. Even if the gooseneck were to fail the boom will only move forward against the mast for a limited distance as it is usually under compression when sailing and will be constrained by the luff of the mainsail. The writer also has the problem of when it would do so and (as discussed by others above) how to get the victim in line for injury.
I did have a goosneck failure once on a single handed delivery trip, not sure when it actually happened but it could have been a number of hours before I noticed the shape at the bottom of the main looked a bit odd. Boat continued sailing on autopilot so no drama or warning caused.

 

[Gary Fox]

'Writer', I can think of a couple of easy ways it could be done. The saboteur would need two minutes on board (without being observed of course..) but I don't think it's wise to publish them though..especially as I'm new here

 

[sarabande]

I would be remarkably reluctant to advise an unknown person on how to damage a boat with a view to killing a crew member. It would be suspicious at the best of times to ask such a question.

 

[Hallberg-Rassy]

Might be good to define which boat, and which coast (or 'conference'), and work it back from that.

May be a Herreshoff S-Class might fit into an Ivy League budget?

I can't say I know '50s Collegiate Sailing but Inter-Collegiate I thought they raced two person dinghies. MIT very much led there.

Did they call them yachts or sailboats?

 

[Hallberg-Rassy]

Strange, I am sure I left a detailed post here but it has not appeared.

I was talking about one of these.

 

[Hallberg-Rassy]

It's interesting because it was the first Marconi rig that Herreshoff designed.

 

[Gary Fox]

'Writer', by 'main line' I'm guessing you mean the main sheet.
A tip: most novels involving yachting make similar mistakes, (with honourable exceptions such as Hammond Innes and Erskine Childers), and a large pool of potential readers won't bother, if they see sneering Amazon reviews listing your technical errors!
Another thought: perhaps it might be better initially to ask safer questions than how to kill a yachtsman and get away with it?

 

[Writer looking for advice]

On all the goosenecks I have sailed with it would probably go un-noticed for the rest of the season. Even if the gooseneck were to fail the boom will only move forward against the mast for a limited distance as it is usually under compression when sailing and will be constrained by the luff of the mainsail. The writer also has the problem of when it would do so and (as discussed by others above) how to get the victim in line for injury.
I did have a goosneck failure once on a single handed delivery trip, not sure when it actually happened but it could have been a number of hours before I noticed the shape at the bottom of the main looked a bit odd. Boat continued sailing on autopilot so no drama or warning caused.

Great - thanks for the comments, appreciate the insights.

 

[Hallberg-Rassy]

BTW, are you killing him, knocking him MOB or injurying him?

Be easier to distract his attention as a heavy boom swung around,

 

[Black Diamond]

I suggest mining the sailing novels of Sam Llewellyn for countless clever ways of bumping people off on boats.