When you have not enough speed after a manoeuvre but with full sail tight-in, the sailforce will push you over the diagonal because it's not compensated by the forces on the boat.
This particular case is one of the basic differences with a monohull!! Because the last will flip and turn in the wind.
Wow. Amazing that nobody was hurt. If you watch the slow mo closely, you can see the guy that is clinging to the trampoline at the rear stick his head into the **** in the hull as the mast collapses and the hulls come crashing down - that probably saved him from having the hull pile-drive him into the sail. I couldn't figure out how he didn't get hurt initially.
The video makes it look like the redbull cat was almost righted by the crew. There had to be some outside help right? OR do they have some special righting system for the crew to use?
The video makes it look like the redbull cat was almost righted by the crew. There had to be some outside help right? OR do they have some special righting system for the crew to use?
I'm pretty sure the rib was pulling a line from over the top hull.
In the video it looked like Muscat would have been ok to re-right...until those two guys landed on the mast and snapped it. The 3 others masts all seemed to hold up, except the one that turtled, how did they right that? I was surprised at how quickly they seem to bury a bow and go over though, and how slowly they were to dump the mainsheet and traveler.
I guess it's probably wrapped around a winch drum so they can't quickly release it all, before things get too sideways?
I wonder how fast the ones that stayed upright were going on the downwind legs.
Now you know why most fat old guys sail monohulls!
The last thing they want to do is to dump the mainsheet when starting to pitchpole and the second last is to dump the traveller - that just powers the mainsail up as the boat slows and the apparent wind moves back. The best thing to do is to sheet in / traveller up quickly but that is very hard to do, especially with winches (releasing IS easy).
If you go to YouTube you can watch other regattas (Trapani is one) where boat after boat started to pitchpole and recovered, so the crews are not used to pitchpoling.
World Class sailors need help or more risk taking? 1. skipper on leeward side (poor vision/vantage point) ? (and see/sense stalled rudder) 2. stalled out leeward rudder with huge rooster tail on bear away (pump the rudder to keep flow to prevent stall?) 3. WC crew could have sheeted in jib to help bear away? 4. could have sheeted in jib (stall) to slow down in traffic, and stay in control? 5. main traveler out further to help bear away? 6. foresight when approaching mark on port tack? 7. bigger rudders?
It all sounds easy from behind our keyboards but I dont see how he could have prevented it really Maybe he could have crash tacked just after he passed Red Bull, although there was another cat just above him so that would have been very hard. Maybe he could have anticipated things earlier and duck Red Bull? Not sure about that either. They are sailing in an extremely tight space with unstable winds, things like that bound to go wrong.
Re: Biggest Extreme 40 crash ever? - 05/29/1103:07 AM
Can't really tell by that video, but I think what he means is, they were on starboard and the other three came in on port and tacked at the mark, leaving him no where to go. At least he didn't pull an Ernesto...
Dang thats a lot of damaged carbon and nomex. Glad no one got hurt in the incident. Looks like the rudders were stalled and nearly airborne during the bear away, and I thought heavy air bear away's in the N20 were harry...
Its a classic bear away without easing the mainsheet. Simple mistake, rudders are overpowered by leech tension.
Darryn Mosquito Bullet 1782
At least a couple of years ago when the boats came out, I understand that the hydraulic mainsheet systems do not ease quickly. It's a steady slow "ease" when the valve is pressed...so even if they had been trying to ease the main, it probably wasn't moving quickly enough to give them the maneuverability they needed there.
If they still have those same hydraulic systems that they had a couple of years ago though, I would be surprised.
I wonder if the hydraulic mainsheet system is long enough to let out the main traveler on a straight track (say vs a curved one). I wonder how the main traveler is controled?
I wonder if the hydraulic mainsheet system is long enough to let out the main traveler on a straight track (say vs a curved one). I wonder how the main traveler is controled?
There is a quick release system for the traveler if I remember correctly, but I forget where the lever is located (somewhere in the '****'). I some situations the helm maybe can't reach it. As soon as you start to have winches, it is a big boat and handling is different to what we are used from beach cats. Don't blame the crew, anyone can sail better than most of us, maybe the boat lacks some reserve volume in the bow (or length), but then we wouldn't have those picture which do a lot for making cat sailing popular. Actually the do a lot for sailing at all.
