Return soon to Singer Island

Quietly Making Noise will soon return to the beach. She has been going through repairs and maintenance after a nasty capsize last fall in a squall with 50 MPH winds and 6 foot waves. I was pointing into the wind with the sheets slack trying to ride the storm out. Within seconds the squall wind lifted the front of my G-Cat 5.7 meter cat and threw my boat backwards upside down in the turtle position. During the capsize I went through the main sail 20 feet up the mast, now 20 feet under with the torn sail wrapped around me I found myself starting to freak out. I collected my thoughts, freed myself, and popped to the surface. Now my Cat is taking off with the wind and seas in the turtle position. I had to swim to catch the boat. It was as if a propeller sprouted out of my backside, I did not know I could swim that fast.

Once I reached the side of the boat I was holding on with my fingertips in the lip formed by the hull and deck, the waves were beating me against the boat with the white tops breaking over me and the boat. I crawled up on the boat and rested several seconds until the wind and waves were trying to flip me back over. I am sure I would have been through a series of cartwheels until the boat came apart. Did I mention that it was a nice day before the squall so I was not wearing a life jacket? I pulled up 4’ of the main sheet and tied a big knot the size of a tennis ball so I could hold on and not get separated from the boat. After the storm subsided, about 45 minutes, I dove under the boat to untangle the life jacket from the trampoline and put one on. The boat was floating upside down and had taken on some water in the hulls and mast. I could not right it by myself. I was floating upside down thinking that it would be morning before they began the search for me. A wayward power boater, who lost his compass in the storm, found me after 5 hours of floating upside. He had a cell phone that worked (mine got drowned even in a zip lock baggie) and called Sea Tow with a GPS setting. Good to know somebody was coming out to get us.

The Sea Tow captain was not listening to what I was telling him about righting the boat. His statement was, “We are highly trained and able captains and we do this for a living now take a hold of the rope…….” I’ve righted many hobbie cats………not wanting to scare him off since my options were slim, I followed his orders and tied the tow rope to the shroud on the side of the hull. He was trying to flip me back over by pulling on the leeward hull about the third try I heard a loud crack. After dragging me around the ocean for about 20 minutes he was scratching his head. I suggested we try it my way, hook the rope to bows and pull the boat over end to end, and it worked. I was 8 miles out and 8 miles up from where I capsized with a boat half full of water and a shredded main sail. I accepted the tow. My wallet was thinner at the end of the evening. At first a visual inspection of the boat did not show any damage, later it started to take on water and I found damage to the beam / hull connections and the bottom of the hull where the rope came across.

I have pictures of how to put a new bottom on the hull and make internal repairs to hulls by cutting access holes then glassing the holes back up. I can post information on fiberglass repair if anybody is interested.

It could have been much worse several times I asked toward the sky is this how it is going to be, the end. I guess my time was not up. Now what have I learned? Look to the west on shore for squalls heading out to sea, always have a righting line rigged even if you have not capsized the boat for years, you should wear a life jacket, and make sure your waterproof bags actually are waterproof.

I am Looking forward get the boat finished and back on the beach are you out there Jeff and Craig?

Sorry for the typo's I was multitasking at work and posting.

Maybe tying the PFD to the tip of the mast would have kept you from turtling. I don't know... maybe that could have been ONE good way to use the PFD. Can you think of any others?? Although I'm glad you lived to tell the story I think you deserve a virtual slap from all the members for not ALWAYS going out with your PFD ON. Members, stand in line.

Good idea but I was flipped end over mast right into the turtle position. I was never tipped over sideways.

I guess the sarcastic tone was not apparent enough.

Sure it was..........

Couldn't get the sail off the mast while you were waiting on the tow? I realize that underwater it may be difficult reaching the main halyard, but that could have made things a bit easier when trying to right the boat yourself.

With the boat upside down, at least you could swim down and get the sail off the hook at the top of the mast if you had to. It would take a while, but then again, it seemed like you had a good bit of time to figure stuff like that out.

Glad you're okay and we hope to see the "new and improved" boat soon!

25 to 30 feet down? You'll need scuba gear for that.

Another option for making righting easier, if you are going to be towed in to shore: Disconnect one shroud, right the boat, pull mast and sail aboard and lash down using mainsheet.

Hi Mike,

What a storm that was. I have never seen a storm that big come in that fast.

You underestimated your drift distance. After I finally made it back to shore in the white out, I waited out the storm and arranged a ride for my crew and went out looking for you. I made it to the Jupiter inlet which was about 10 miles from where I last saw you. I had to turn back because it was getting too dark to see. You were out farther than that too because I origionally thought you were trying to sail around the storm. You were out in the gulfstream about 8 miles from shore when the storm hit and I am sure the gulfstream pulled you out a bit further.

I was not sure if you made it back home or not. Man, it was tough calling your wife.

It will be great having you back out, I will also be putting my boat back on the beach soon. I have a few things to do to my boat first. Give me a call and we might be able to do it the same day.

Mike,

One of the most important peices of safety equipment you can carry is a Boat U.S. unlimited tow membership card.
A little over $100.00 a year. It pays for itself many times over the first time you need it.
You never know when you will need it, but you will.

I have been sailing in the Ocean for 15 years and only used Tow Boat 1 once. If I was a member it would have cost me $1,500 for that one tow when actually it only cost me $300.

I was out with five people on my Supercat 20. We had four people hooked out in harnesses, two on each side. It was the most fun I ever had on my boat. We had about 20 knots of wind and about 6' seas. We were flying a hull and I was able to get the boat completely out of the water when launching off of the waves. We launched off of one wave and hit the front side of the next wave flat and I heard a crack. The dolphin striker broke and the boat slowly folded in two. Both crossbars cracked in half and the mast came down.

Funny note: The origional dolphin striker post was made out of aluminum and when I got the new replacement, it was made out of stainless steel.

Craig-Thanks for the hand landing the boat on the trailer and sorting things out that night. We need to get some sailing / racing off of Singer Island this year.