Catamaran floating upside down
- Thread starter sailaboutvic
- Start date
Capt Popeye
Well-known member
Well from Family owning /racing a Catamaran , they really tried not to Tip her over , or head into /below the oncomming water , as a Capsize was a real possibility , with the width ver the length being as it is , righting such a Catamaran from being upside down tis not easy , especially if out on the seas
AngusMcDoon
Well-known member
The crew could have got that dinghy flipped and carried on with their journey if they were keen.
The rudders seem to be in a strange place. I wonder if it's been lengthened.
The rudders seem to be in a strange place. I wonder if it's been lengthened.
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
Some years back there was a snowgoose at anchor in near Nidri Greece that was picked up by its bow and turned turtle, the guy die and the women was rescued by a English yacht club owner who dive under neath and pulled her out .
AngusMcDoon
Well-known member
Kelpie
Well-known member
It's been reported as a 2yr old Outremer 45. Thundery weather in the area at the time, presumably hit by a squall and flipped.
A similar thing happened to larger cat near Mallaig a few years back. It doesn't happen often but it's clearly possible. One of the reasons I have a monohull (the other reason being my bank balance).
A similar thing happened to larger cat near Mallaig a few years back. It doesn't happen often but it's clearly possible. One of the reasons I have a monohull (the other reason being my bank balance).
Thistle
Well-known member
Do cats flip over fore-and-aft or side-to-side or both?
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Potentially both. Though these days you’d need to be probably both careless and unlucky to do either. I've experienced a thunderstorm driven line squall on a multihull. We saw it coming, and reefed. Unpleasant, as it would be, no doubt, on any monohull, but not very worrying.
ylop
Well-known member
Why?
LittleSister
Well-known member
A friend had a Fontaine-Pagot catamaran, and that came with a specification about the maximum sail to carry in various wind strengths. It was definitely in the manual, but I think there may also have been a notice plate with those limits fixed to the boat, either in the cockpit or just inside the bridgedeck saloon.
Neeves
Well-known member
I think I read somewhere that keels fall of monohulls with a greater frequency than cats capsize - though there are more yachts than multihulls (I think) so the data - even if correct - is flawed or at least hardly meaningful.
Outremers are seriously performance cats and anyone owning one will have a greater weight fetish than me and thus the vessels are twitchy - they are usually sailed well (or at least hard). It is difficult to believe that a fully fitted FP, Bavaria or Lagoon would be that twitchy.
From memory a Leopard was being delivered from Cape Town across the Indian Ocean (crew of 3). She disappeared but was later found inverted (no sign of crew).
Jonathan
xyachtdave
Well-known member
A mate of mine has a Lagoon and is always evangelical about the merits of the catamaran.
He’s mentioned numerous times how stable they are when inverted and you’ve got your own stable life raft, instantly deployed if this happens.
I’m not keen.
He’s mentioned numerous times how stable they are when inverted and you’ve got your own stable life raft, instantly deployed if this happens.
I’m not keen.
Stingo
Well-known member
That is correct. They sailed into the centre of an Indian Ocean cyclone, despite having been given a weather warning, which they ignored because SunSail (I think the boat was headed for their charter operation, but it may have been another charter operation?) wanted the boat at the destination asap
Stemar
Well-known member
As long as you're not stuck underneath it.
Jazzcat may be a heavy old thing for a cat, but I understand that several have crossed the Atlantic and there's no record of one even lifting a hull, never mind tripping over itself. At my age, I'm quite happy with that.
As for the one that went over, high winds and a flat sea in a performance cat are going to be the most extraordinary fun. Until suddenly, it isn't. Those racing cats you see flying a hull are a few tenths of a second from disaster, and I can imagine a fast cruising cat close to the edge getting a gust under the bridgedeck and lifting, which allows more wind under there and suddenly you're swimming.
E39mad
Well-known member
Most modern cats a predominantly mainsail driven. A simple pressure release shackle on the end of the boom where the mainsheet is attached which used to be used on the Freebird 50 thirty plus years ago clearly hasn't caught on despite being such a good simple idea.
LONG_KEELER
Well-known member
Neeves
Well-known member
We have jackstays under our cat running between 'U' bolts, specifically so that we can secure a raft. They have been there for over 20 years - we have never had to use them. We also carry flares we have never used, a raft we have never used and LJs we have never used in anger.
Preparing for a disaster is different from actually experiencing it.
If you sail blue water and have not prepared for the ultimate disaster - now, or yesterday, is a good time.
It all sounds very dramatic its actually simple caution - you have a grab bag....and EPIRB (bet you EPIRB costs more than my 'U' bolts.
Jonathan
Jonathan
4 x 'U' bots and 2 x jackstays, checked and renewed, are hardly expensive.
Neeves
Well-known member
Our screecher is the same size as the main. The main is easy to dump - its at hand. The headsail has a sheet wrapped round a winch (and I certainly don't hold it in my hand (in case) - I'm not entirely sure I would agree we are predominately mainsail driven - it varies
Jonathan
capnsensible
Well-known member
Whilst in mid Atlantic during some heavy airs and rather big seas on an FP Lavezzi, one of my crew asked 'how many times do these things turn over'.
Dream opportunity. 'Just the once'.
Dream opportunity. 'Just the once'.