Trailer Sailer Capsize?

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

Making a re-appearance

 

I'm sure this has been asked many times before, but sailing a trailer-sailer, anyone experienced a capsize?

 

Is it "all over" call the coastguard if it happens? OR is there a way to right them and manic bale out? Haven't seen much online except for an article on hartley 16 but didn't provide much.

 

Summer approaching!!!

[Young Entertainer 59]

I think it is all in the speed of the recovery, there is at least two N25 that I know of that has visited the bottom of the waitemata. At least one spent a while on its side before righting itself just after the waterlevel reached the level of the companion way, bit of extra "crew" on the keel might have saved it

[Guest]

Yip ...does happen, not often.

 

More often than not significant user error i.e failure to pin board, rapidly changing wind direction and backing jib for example, gear moving around, washboards not in it etc

[Brendon 0]

OK - I will admit it, I capsized a trailer sailor. All my fault, was lazily cruising along under full sail and failed to note a wild southerly front creeping up behind.

 

I believe that if I had had the hatches closed, washboards in and a self draining cockpit we would have fared much better.

 

Big gust blew us into a broach and then we capsized, sails completely in the water. water rushed into the cockpit and flowed into cabin, but yacht then self righted, but in so doing scooped up a cockpit of water that emptied into cabin. No where else for it to go, so I now recommend self draining cockpit.

Before we could get ourselves together and lower sail we were hit again and capsized a second time, same again but when she self righted there was now a lot of water inside and it soon rolled into a third capsize that it did not recover from but stayed down.

 

She did not sink however, being on her side there was sufficient air trapped in the side to keep her just afloat, until the police launch came and towed her back in.

 

I have since spoken to someone who saw a trailer sailor sink after capsizing, in that instance she capsized to starboard first time and to port the second time and then came upright but was so low in the water that the water kept flowing over the sides and she quickly sank. So perhaps it is better to keep yacht on its side to trap some air once a considerable amount of water is inside.??

[Guest]

Not only can i do hand stands in a trimaran I have capsized a trailer yacht (three times) I even managed do do it upside down once. we recovered the boat by ourselves each time. strangely it is a bloody cold and wet experience . The upside down one was on lake Rotoiti, i put this down to the lack of buoyancy provided by fresh water. the boat in question was a five meter race boat ( one off design) and lacked a little in the lead dept. Moral of the story if you put bigger sails on a lead mine,put more bloody lead in it or get two more hulls and attach them on each side.

[Bad Kitty 252]

Not only can i do hand stands in a trimaran I have capsized a trailer yacht (three times) I even managed do do it upside down once. we recovered the boat by ourselves each time. strangely it is a bloody cold and wet experience . The upside down one was on lake Rotoiti, i put this down to the lack of buoyancy provided by fresh water. the boat in question was a five meter race boat ( one off design) and lacked a little in the lead dept. Moral of the story if you put bigger sails on a lead mine,put more bloody lead in it or get two more hulls and attach them on each side.

 

So what do we take from that Pedro?

A Sail a trailer sailer

B Sail a tri

C Be afraid of lead poisoning?

D Don't sail with Pedro?

[unpc 5]

I am aware of two, both a long time ago, but then I am not up to date withe current scene. One kestrel went down under the harbour bridge although it was rare for them to ship any water. In the second I think it was a Beachcomber about 20' flipped while racing at Maraetai. Two kids were trapped but survived. The owner couldn't swim and drowned when he fell off the upturned hull which did not right itself.

I suspect most were not selfdraining and did not have washboards or not fitted. The daggerboard would make little contribution to stability or righting. The important thing I think is reducing sail size and sailing it like a dinghy using the main to trim.

If it did go over and water entered particularly below, if it came up I would let the sheets go or drop the sails if possible and get rid of the water fast, because the boat would be more unstable as with any further lean the water rushes to the wrong side reducing or eliminating any righting moment. Those steps would be difficult to do rapidly in the circumstances so best to avoid extreme heel and have a hand on the mainsheet.

[Guest]

Tipped over a Kestral T/s. Can happen when 3 skiffers try to use one while under the influence of alcohol and lots of it.

 

It fell over, we fell off, it came back up with a bit of water in her, bailed out, carried on, no major drama really.

 

That was the last day I ever drank Scotch Whiskey.

[Crocket 12]

I've seen 2 go to the bottom from close by and nearly done the same on another. 1 of those and the boat I was on were small keel boats, not trailer sailors, but same issue.

All 3 were from over exitment and hanging the big bag out front when conditions were at a state of if you crashed, it would probably hurt.

The problem is, in small not so light boats, is that when you are on your side, the hatch opening is not far above water level. It only takes 1 wave for the boat to take a gulp of water and theres quite often no coming back from that.

I remember reading a report from a Volvo race where SEB had dual companion ways. They always kept the leeward 1 closed, but chinesed just before the Horn. The open hatch was now on the leeward side and taking in as much water as it could take. The only thing that saved them was the mast snapped and they came upright. Scary.

[w44vi 17]

Tipped over a Kestrel T/s. Can happen when 3 skiffers try to use one while under the influence of alcohol and lots of it.

 

It fell over, we fell off, it came back up with a bit of water in her, bailed out, carried on, no major drama really.

 

That was the last day I ever drank Scotch Whiskey.

 

I had a kestrel Mk 1, We Decided that we didn't need all that lead so took it all out left it on the beach then we got the spinnaker halyard and put 2 on the wire was great until the halyard broke but I done remember tacking any water

[Guest]

Not only can i do hand stands in a trimaran I have capsized a trailer yacht (three times) I even managed do do it upside down once. we recovered the boat by ourselves each time. strangely it is a bloody cold and wet experience . The upside down one was on lake Rotoiti, i put this down to the lack of buoyancy provided by fresh water. the boat in question was a five meter race boat ( one off design) and lacked a little in the lead dept. Moral of the story if you put bigger sails on a lead mine,put more bloody lead in it or get two more hulls and attach them on each side.

 

 

offender=pedro? was your 5m boat him outdoors?

[Guest]

Tipped over a Kestrel T/s. Can happen when 3 skiffers try to use one while under the influence of alcohol and lots of it.

 

It fell over, we fell off, it came back up with a bit of water in her, bailed out, carried on, no major drama really.

 

That was the last day I ever drank Scotch Whiskey.

 

I had a kestrel Mk 1, We Decided that we didn't need all that lead so took it all out left it on the beach then we got the spinnaker halyard and put 2 on the wire was great until the halyard broke but I done remember tacking any water

 

One of us decided he didn't want to let go of the rig...... until he realises 'she's going down'. Wasn't much but could easily have been a lot I think.

[Guest]

offender=pedro? was your 5m boat him outdoors?

 

Yup.

 

Oh and Bad Kitty, Very feline of you!

Moral: Sail with Pedro if you want excitement.

Sail a Cat if you need sleep.... ( Hey there's no Yawny face thingy, we need a yawny face thingy)