Capsize recovery practice

alistairedw

alistairedw

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We had our first dinghy race of the year on the Thames this morning. As I was going out without crew I took the precaution of wearing my dry suit. The river is still very cold.

Conditions were really too windy for sailing an Enterprise single handed so despite my best efforts I ended up doing 3 sessions of capsize recovery. Two of the capsizes were the result of being totally overpowered whilst running fast downwind, so good entertainment for people out walking along the river banks.

Sails needed a good wash anyway.

Great to be back out on (and in) the water.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe a bit more centre board would have been in order /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]Do you mean to ease recovery, or to reduce the capsize risk? I used to do the opposite, get the board half up when we were overpowered in the Wayfarer. Sort of "reefing" the centreboard.
 
Think it maybe relates to the downwind capsizes where it may have been due to rapid oscllations building up. More board can dampen that sometimes but not always. Capsize on jibe could well require less/no board to allow a bit of sideways slippage.
 
In my 470 days we always lifted the centreboard prior to a gybe (not all the way up - you need something to get hold of in the event of a capsize!) and the boat was beautifully behaved.

On the other hand when I sailed Lasers I had, at best, only a 50-50 chance of coming out of a gybe the right way up!!

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Thinking about it, if your gybing then your sailing off the wind and should have the board partially up any way.
 
With a really whizzy boat centerboard position doesn't matter.

With my International 14 we used to gybe with the dagger board fully down. Wasn't any room in the boat if it was lifted. Skiffs and 49ers don't move theirs either.

Kicker tension is vital for good downwind control. The 14 had a 32:1 system and chomped through fittings recommended by the maufacturer for a 30' half tonner.
 
You did well not getting run over by a pleasure cruiser/ rowing eight/ safety boat/ fellow sailor/ dead dog.

You're lucky to be alive, have a beer!!
 
That was the way with the Albacore, just a bit of board, but wasn't sure with an Ent having hard chines and not sailing them competitively, what best practice was.
 
Safety boat was quite keen to give me a tow back to the pontoon but I insisted on sailing back. Had I not been wearing the dry suit I would have had to accept an early tow, but as there was no risk of getting hypothermic it was fun 'sailing & bailing' to get her dry(ish) and then resuming my battle with the wind.
 
When the downwind 'death rolling' starts I usually yank the board right down pdq. For gybing raising the board reduces the risk of taking a swim.

Enterprises are quite unstable because of the relatively large sail area.
 
I once capsized a Finn i used to use for shopping and couldent get it up even when someone else came to help even with both of us standing on the center board we couldent get it up??? We towed it ashore to right it.

Ive often wondered why?? My merlin rocket would right with just me but not the finn??
 
I once capsized a Finn i used to use for shopping and couldent get it up even when someone else came to help even with both of us standing on the center board we couldent get it up??? We towed it ashore to right it.

Ive often wondered why?? My merlin rocket would right with just me but not the finn??

With such crowding in the med a merlin rocket or 420/70 would make a good liveaboard and could moore in all the very shallow nocks and crannies
 
If your mainsheet was snagged and holding the boom even roughly parallel to the boat the weight of water on the sail would effectively prevent any attempt to right her. If she had turtled the same would apply only more so.
 
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