Racing Accident

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irl2605

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Whats left of our Beneteau 260 Spirit After a start line collision with two 37 footers ..
 
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Downsman said:
Jeez! Sorry to see that, 2x37!! Must have been pretty scary for a minute or two.
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Yep .. you could say that . One hit us from windward slid down along pushing us over and around. Managed to collect rudder and open transom .. our bow hit the other one on the way around .. Sank in 10 mins ..
She was hit so hard the opposite side cracked open as well ...
 
That's a sad sight, one every boat owner dreads. I hope everything gets squared away for you soon without too much insurance company wrangling..
 
Thanks Downsman. Actually Sinking the boat was a mere inconvenience compared to dealing with the insurance company's. A pic of Animal in her prime . and one of her replacement, Some French speaking, eagle eyed readers may appreciate the new boats name.
 
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My sympathies, I winessed a 37 hit a 24 last week lots of damage and a dismasting.
but I must admit the first thing through my mind was glad it wasn't me.

Is new boat name a reference to "twin sister"?
 
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saltylegs said:
My sympathies, I winessed a 37 hit a 24 last week lots of damage and a dismasting.
but I must admit the first thing through my mind was glad it wasn't me.

Is new boat name a reference to "twin sister"?
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Excellent spot Saltylegs .. But just Twin :) She is as close to her sister as we could get :)
 
Being a "Gorf" myself, the literal translation of Jumeau is "Twin Brother".

Twin sister would have been "Jumelle".

Nice kit!!!:D
 
Could you explain the highs and lows of the insurance claim?
With 3 boats involved I'm guessing there were debates about who was responsible for liability on the third boat.
 
Talulah said:
Could you explain the highs and lows of the insurance claim?
With 3 boats involved I'm guessing there were debates about who was responsible for liability on the third boat.
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You've probably asked the question that everyone was too polite to ask! :)

Is this the start of our next Colregs/Racing Rules debates?
 
Rigger Mortice said:
You've probably asked the question that everyone was too polite to ask! :)

Is this the start of our next Colregs/Racing Rules debates?
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Long and drawn out. but to give the abridged version. We were adjudged completely in the right by the protest committee.We were beating hard to the line in 20kts doing about 5 with 3 knts of tide. Yacht A was coming down the line on S/b at about 8 knts but was windward boat. We judged that she would have plenty of room to harden up onto a full beat on the gun. However we did not see Yacht B running to the line on Port attempting to hook the pin end and Jibe onto a S/b beat.. Yacht A was surprised by the maneuver and in order to avoid contact with B tried to go behind us but to late. We saw her coming and tried to bear away but again far to late. She hit us just aft of our cockpit hatch right on the engine bearing cross member and lifting point. The impact was so severe that the cross member transferred the force across the boat and split the port side open vertically about 2 feet. and the deck buckled upwards dislodging about a palm sized area of gel coat. She pushed us over to port and ran down our hull to the S/b rudder which was pulled backwards opening the transom which did not close again as the reinforcing had also come out and prevented it popping back thereby sealing our faith. At some stage during the event while being pushed around we managed to mount Yacht Bs deck and remove her Jib sheet track.Our steering was now jammed and we are heading back towards the fleet who did a remarkable job of avoiding us. Thanks Guys..
Yacht B appealed the decision of the protest committee that she was at fault but the ruling was upheld... I know this doesn't answer the trials and tribs. of the ins company dealings but if anyone wants to know .. just ask:) I have attached A pic of the start -10 sec. see if you can spot the boats involved .. pic is taken from committee boat an pin is just visible to the left of the fleet.
 
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Commiserations. I have often wondered what would happen if our boat was hit in the stern area. The glass seems very thin there.

I started in a race recently where a number of boats decided to do a pin end port tack start to get out of the tide. we started on stbd at the boat end in better wind and called the first port tacker we came to. he dithered and then elected to tack at the last minute rather than take our stern causing a number of collisions in the port tack boats beneath him. I felt a bit guilty enforcing my right of way but there were other stbd tack boats behind us who would have called him (and us if I had tacked onto the favored track).

I don't think I have ever done a port tack start without taking a lot of sterns or tacking onto stbd the first time I am hailed.
 
Race starts

I kind of enjoy the madness of a start with the dangers of collisions, the shouting and the snap decisions. However this kind of damage is no fun at all. So sorry to the OP.
One thing for sure you have to be willing to risk the boat in the madness of a start or is that the madness of racing.
Our club start line has a bias that usually means a port tack port end start is favoured and this I usually do. However there are the die hards who want to stat on Starboard so I have to be precise on timing and definitely ready to avoid the stbd tackers however yesterday we got away with it again to win the start. Pity it is not so easy to win the finish.
For the OP I can't visualise how a boat could gybe around onto starboard on the line unless he was coming from race side of line well up wind.
In any case it seems he gybed when there was not clearance so is in the wrong. good lcuk olewill
 
Ouch that was some impact!

Note to self stay well clear of the racing fleet; racing has zero interest to me.
 
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