Two pics for the disaster-tourists. Always fun to see.

Nasty wind, unexpected freakwave, no speed, rudders still high after difficult start in full brake.




The biggest problem was to get the cat plus broken mast, which was hanging underneath, to and on the beach. The waves were pulling it back in the sea with the on-rolling waves streaming back into the sea

It ended up as a total mess with sail full of sand and water, weighting a ton.
Happily Dutch rescue service came to help with a large pickup on the beach (I called the coast gard).

Final remark: when I reached my cat in the breaking waves after the capsize, I climbed aboard on the upsidedown nettramp and immediately got stuck with my trapeze hook in the net! Hanging on my belly with my legs still in the water. I could hardly reach the hook to make my trapeze free. That were very freaky and dangerous moments. Waves were also breaking over me, so I could have drowned. So never use a nettramp!!

...or never use a hook. They make ball/socket trap systems.

Glad you're OK, that must have scared the daylights out of you!

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'm familiar with these ball/socket trap systems. Even bought one, but the supporting plate is to small for me.

I need a wide one (for my old body !)and those don't exist. I've tried to make one by myself but that didn't hold.

Have to try it again.

I'm glad you're OK. A trap harness hook caught in your net tramp sounds dangerous for sure. Glad you were able to get it unhooked! I know you are, please continue to be careful.

Todd

I've seen your trampoline netting and wondered why more people don't use that type....but, thanks to you sharing this experience, now I know a great reason why not to!

I had a friend who bought an F16 and needed a new boom. He made one out of some material that he had lying around but the aluminum extrusion was a little too beefy/heavy. He drilled a series of lightening holes in the boom to knock the weight down. He eventually had a similar experience when he capsized his boat, his trapeze harness hooked into the boom on his way down and he was trapped hooked to the boom for a a little while. Thankfully he managed to get unhooked but he reports that it was a scary experience.

It's hard to think about everything - but that trapeze harness can be a real liability.

The trap hooks can get caught on just about anything. 35 years ago I was out on my 505 with my girlfriend, hauling butt just outside Portsmouth harbor (NH) with her out on the wire. Got a good gust, then a sudden lull...She teabags to windward, boat goes over on top of her while I'm scrambling up to the high side.

I look down and see she's trapped under water, face pressed up under the mainsail, which is also in the water. I dive down and under the boom to get her out, her trap hook is on the low shroud! Took me a couple seconds to figure it out and get her out, and she was quite shaken up, spitting up water, etc. but to her credit, she did get back out on the wire for the trip home (only because I told her if she didn't, we'd never get in!).

Long story short, ended up selling the 505 and buying a Flying Scot!

Nuff said?

No, I didn't marry her (I should have, longer story), but she did keep sailing with me on the Scot and later the J24, but she NEVER got near that 505 again!

Prior to that incident, it had never occurred to me that the trap hook could kill you. I still sail with one, but when things start to go sideways, I usually reach down to unhook, asap, and cover it...it's right on the way to grabbing my balls! ;^0

Oh, Leo Kottke sings a great song about her, and yes, her name is Pamela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWS2TkPU-T0

Magic Marine Quick Release Spreader Bar




http://www.westcoastsailing.net/def...ing&gclid=CLfMrvedmcUCFYI8gQodKBcAwg

This sounds great, I realize it works, I couldn't tell in the pics how though.

Traps hooks have always been a concern/.liability.
I seem to remember a brothers Tornado Team, and one od them trapped in a turtle and dying. I think it was thought the hook was the culprit?

It has a spring clip that holds the hook into a round socket. The area where the Magic Marine logo is is actually a fabric pull handle that sits there with velcro. It is tied to a small cord that will pull the spring clip out of the base of the hook.

I've got one...actually, I've got one of just about every design there is...I don't believe any of them would work flawlessly under fire. The ball and key-hole socket is probably the best way to go about it but I just don't like the way it feels/works.

I got a boat with no trapeeze... boo-yah. But I really got it for the cooler and portable toilet (seems to impress the babes having a place to pee other than off the stern in front of us old farts).

If they aren't willing to pee in a bucket without bitching about it keep looking. It's a simple test that keeps you from losing half your stuff when you finally dry your dick off and realise you may have chosen poorly.

I think I chose wisely (most times)... It was THEY who chose poorly.

But would I then have those bat-sh*t crazy stories I enjoy so much?