The first capsize anyway.....

I was going downwind and I got a puff and I was trying to drive the boat without being too twitchy. I saw the leeward hull go into the water and I told myself, I got I got, I'll just bare off. Then as the hull came up a little higher than I wanted, my mind obviously went into panic mode and I ended up shoving the tiller over the wrong way, then over I went...FIRST CAPSIZE!!!

Anyway, I couldn't get it back over and a chase boat came over and helped me. After I thought about it and talking to someone, I wasn't using the correct technique. First, I wasn't putting the righting line in my trapeze hook, and I didn't have the bow pointed into the wind... I did have the downhaul off, the traveler out, and the mainsheet uncleated though. I had all of the correct stuff, but my technique was bad. I still might need a bag though cause I do own a HEAVY Viper.


BTW, this is my first EVER capsize as me skippering a boat. I've never capsized going upwind or downwind on my TheMightyHobie18. Kind of hard going downwind on an 18, but upwind it's not that hard...I probably drove to conservative though and that's why I didn't in the past.


Anyway,
I just wanted to share my experiences over the weekend.


BTW,
The Cinco-De Mayo regatta at Lake Lanier was a very nice event. There was only about 15 boats, but the club was a very nice setting and the races were run real smoothly.

Does anyone have the results and some photo's of the event? I saw someone taking pictures and I wouldn't mind seeing them....



Mike

Mike, it's going to happen to all of us sooner or later, if you aren't capsizing once in a while, you are not pushing hard enough. So, lessons learned, next time it will be very easy to right it and cary on. I have set my own personal best time for righting, less than 1 minute. I was out here at my house practicing a few weeks ago, got my feet crossed up in the sheets while gybing in good wind with the spin up, the boat rounded up and I couldn't reach the mainsheet from where I was, so over I went. Luckily the boat turned itself so the mast was upwind, while I was on the low hull snuffing the spin. as soon as the spin was snuffed, I grabbed the righting line, hooked it into my trap harnes and flopped backwards. The mainsheet was still cleated! BUT, the sudden snap of me flopping back on the righting line got the mast tip up just enough that the wind got under it and whamo, it came up fast!

Almost too fast, as it nearly went over the other way! But I was able to scramble aboard over the front beam while it was trying to run me over on a broad reach, main trimmed in! Anyway, as soon as I got it pointed back downwind I re-launched the spin to dry it out and continued on.

Great fun as long as the water is warm!

And to all the Viper guys out there, I did not mean anything derogotory by my earlier comment about the Viper wt. Truth is, we don't know what any of our boats weigh. I think the Viper is a good boat, well built and strong. I can understand why AHPC uses the F18 parts on it, to keep costs down. And, both our masts are the same so it should be about the same to right either boat.

I know you didn't mean anything derogatory, but we do have a couple of WEIGHT BIGOTS on this forum that kind of piss me off where it has shown with results that the weight issue is a non-issue and it's the sailor not the boat.

Don't get me wrong, if the boat was a lot heavier, say 100 lbs heavier, then it probably would be slower. But, in this case I don't think it really matters.

Again, you weren't the person I was thinking about when I said that, it WAS someone else.....


Mike

Mike,

I had a hard time righting the first time too. It got it into the wind easy enough but I was hooked into the harness and when I leaned back, my back was touching the water. I ended up getting an assist from a RC boat. As soon as they lifted the mast out of the water, it popped right over.

Matt advised me to hold on to the rope if I could instead of hooking in. More leverage that way. I also carry a couple of garbage bags which he said to fill one and tie them into the righting line.

I had that same thing happen, (back in the water when trap-hooked to the righting line) so I took the line off the trap hook and just wrapped it around the trap hook, thus making the righting line just a little bit shorter so I was not in the water when fully extended.

getting the bows in the correct position is the key. having enough wind to get it back up is also key. I have never been able to get the garbage bag system to work for me. Maybe I was too greedy and tried to get too much water in it. seems hard to get the water in it, over your shoulder, and set correctly without slipping off the hull.

I thought you put the garbage bag in your lap, not over your shoulder. I've never tried it but I've got enough beer gut to compensate. Only once in light air did I have trouble righting an F16, it was Robi's boat and it was my first time sailing it Uni, trapping downwind when the puff got me. I bore off, burried the hulls to the mast and ate it big time, then could only get the mast just out of the water, not enough wind to get under the sail to help right it.

Hey Mike,

I certainly hope it wasn't me either

Wouter

Homebuild Taipan F16 at 121 kg in 2-up mode ! and righting her in all conditions from no wind to heavy winds but then again I'm 85 kg and 6 foot 2.

It wasn't you either Wouter...


Next time, I just won't pay any attention to them, I think they are just trolls...For some reason, they don't like the F16 class and are trying to sturr stuff up...

that person will get a PM next time and they WILL get a message full of stuff.....

First you need the HEAVY DUTY bags. Then fill the bag between the legs, you only need 2-3 gallons ... not much at all. Lift onto torso and hike back.

Mike looks like me and you had very similar weekends. I have a TheMightyHobie18 that I have never capsized and have never capsized while skippering a boat but this weekend I have my first solo capsize.

I was making my first jibe in the first race of the day and truned a little to far and in 12-15kts there was no time to say I got it, I was over in no time. Went through the drill of uncleating everything snuffed the spin got my righting line and righting bag. I tried righting without the bag at first but no luck so I put just a few gallons in the righting back threw it over my shoulder and the boat poped right up very quickly. I grabbed the daulphin striker and the boat started sailing along dragging me so I waited for it to round up but it never happend and my righting line still hooked in my trap harness with righting bag (now sea anchor) attached to the end in tow. My first thought was to move to the lee side and flip the boat back on it's side but I decide I could get unhooked and get back on the boat. Hanging on with one arm and trying to unhook the line with the other was exhausting by the time I got it free I was whipped and could barely get back on board but when I did, sitting on the front beam I finally realized that my main sheet had flipped up over my boom and around my top main block a couple of times an I assume the drag from the righting back is what was keeping the boat from rounding up. I cought my breath will the boat continued to sail along on "cruise control" then unfouled the mess and went on my way.