Hurt Pitchpoling?

Not being a doomie here but while I'm learning about everything else from you folks, I was wondering about the few posts I've seen about some injuries from pitchpoling a cat. Do people prang off the shrouds, bridles on the way forward or whats happening most often that gets someone hurt? From the vids it looks like mostly folks get pitched into the water in front of the boat and coming up laughing.

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'81 H16 yellow hulls

Ive pitched my 16 probably dozens of times, never ever gotten hurt. Centrifugal force usually keeps you away from the boat, luckily. I did see a women go round the front and get a cut on her ear from the bridle fly on the forestay once, but thats a freak thing. It is an active, fast moving sport, just like mountain biking or tennis. You get some bumps, scrapes and bruises sometimes, shouldn't damper the fun!

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Blair T

I love these calm moments before the storm, it reminds me of Beethoven...


'02 Hobie Tiger USA 1152

It depends on how fast your running when you flip. The worst pitchpole I have ever done was on my Fox. Me seated and 2 guys on the wire, wide open in 18kts, coming across the backs of the swell, carving the waves to increase speed like a surf board. Stuck the bow and the thing cartwheeled! It was intense, threw me like a toy, crew went around the forestay and the boat crashed on them. Cuts and bruises on all three of us but we were laughing our butts off. We all knew it was on the edge but didn't expect to stick the bow on that boat. The ocean can throw you if you aren't watching what you are doing!

Quite often I don't even remember how I got some of the chafes, bumps and bruises. Painful truth!

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UK Wildcats have 8 now!

1976 H16 27640
1985 H16 89112

I seem to tend to cartwheel more. Person on the wire(s) have the toughest time. Mostly sucking in lots of water and hitting stuff. Knees, arms.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

on my H16, my first boat, I had some hellacious pitchpoles. as the skipper the arc the wire prescribes usually lands you on the crew, as his wire is the same as yours. but the worst of it is my knees getting tore up landing on the tramp each time from the incessant tacking.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Bruises, seen alot of bruises. Also, had my crew on my 20 get tangled up under the boat after a violent pictch, then turtle. That kinda sucked.

Umm, tangled up under a boat?! Ruin someone's day, it can.

I supports a good argument for a lifejacket. The first time I pitchpoled I came up laughing so hard I thought I was gonna drown!