First Capsize = Coast Guard Rescue !!!

Let's just call it an interesting day on the Chesapeake, in 12-18 winds....

We'd been out for a nice 3 hour tour and were making our "last" jibe to get her back to the beach and whammo, over she went.

Plan 1: Standing on the hull with the wind directly at my back and the mast pointed straight downwind, I walked out to the bow to try and get the wind to turn her to that magical 45-degree-into-the-wind spot - NOT happening. All that accomplished was pushing me (195lbs.) and the bows deeper into the water so much so that I went down to my waist and it felt like she would go completely bows down into to the drink at any moment.

Plan 2: I head out to the mast bob to try and swim her around. That was EXTREMELY slow going and difficult. I think I made it 10-15 degrees around, still to leeward, but that was about it. Then, I see the anchored barge coming my way and fast. Yes, anchored and full of riprap for a local reclamation project that's underway and I'm getting blown directly into it.

Plan 3: I swim back to the boat as fast as I could just as the bows miss the enormous steel drum anchor buoy and hang on for whatever was happening next. My mast bob crashes directly perpendicular into the bow of this behemoth, and after watching it scrape up and down a few times I quickly congratulate myself for plunking down the moolah for the bob which at this point is the only thing keeping us from turtling underneath the bow of the barge and potentially sending my beloved H16 to the bottom of the bay.

About this time a good sam (in a NICE Sabre 36' out of Annapolis) who had stood off at a safe distance watching the action started coming closer to lend a hand. Unbelievably, the wave and wind action was just right and ended up slowly pushing us around the bow of the barge and UNDER its anchor line and ultimately free, and we end up scraping and bobbing our way down it's entire length until we come free of it all together.

Finally the good sam could get close enough to throw us a line and I tied it to the dolphin striker for the tow home. We got about half way there and their concern for running aground near our beach caused them to get on the horn with the Coast Guard out of Solomons, MD to take us the rest of the way.

Coast Guard arrives and I jump aboard while the wife and kids remain on the good sam boat. About halfway there before the good sam can transfer the line tied to my boat to the CG boat my hobie comes up and rights herself. Unbelievable. The CG gets me close enough for me to jump aboard and I'm off to the races to get her home.

So, we're all safe and sound and back on shore. The only damage my boat received was some very minor scraping on a rudder casting, some minor abrasion on a batten pocket that some sail tape will fix up nicely, and a slightly bent dolphin striker which at the bottom at the dolphin striker rods it's about 1" to port.

I've thought through the initial capsize several times and am pretty sure it was for two reasons, 1) we didn't move to the new leeward side fast enough - weight management, and 2) I must not have unsheeted the main in time - power management.

This was a pretty major close call especially with the barge but also because I couldn't right her. My concern going forward is, despite the tactical mistakes that caused it, which I will learn from and fix just like everybody else, is the difficulty I had in righting her. Had the barge not gotten in the way I would have been blown for a good distance and may never have gotten the mast around to windward.

My question to you old salts is, with the wind directly at my back while I'm on the lower hull and the mast pointing straight downwind how do you get her turned the 135 degrees necessary to right her? What did I do wrong? How can I improve?

Sorry for the book. THANKS in advance!!

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

Good story thanks for sharing, we all learn a bit from this. I know in my old 16 I've had to have all of us on the boat from 1-3 depending on whos out with me, kick as hard as humanly possible to get her around a couple time in waves. Hull balancing did nothing. We kicked from the hulls for the most part. In thinking about it, I wonder if at that point you could rotate the hulls 180 by sinking the bows and try the other direction?

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

I have no experience with the mast bob but I wonder if it could have contributed to the problem by holding the mast up so it didn't drag enough to turn the boat. Maybe some of you who have used one for a while know if that is possible.

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Howard

Did you uncleat the main?

I sail in NY Harbor, upper and lower Raritan bays and have lots of those bouys you talk about as well as numerous 1000 foot container ships, liners, barge pulling tugs etc. Another common thing may be current. We have 3 to 5 knot currents in some locations and consistent 1 to 3 kts. The current is much stronger than the wind under many circumstances and you may not have considered it in your efforts. Hard to see the current sometimes until it slams you into a bouy or puts you in a channel with shipping in it. Part of the game.

I use a mini bob and I have no problem standing on the bow to swing it around, I doubt that was the reason.

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1990 "Formula 1" H16 (# 009)

Thanks to all, I mean it, it's all very helpful.

divimon2000 - When you and crew kicked as hard as you could, do you mean from the hulls only and not at the mast head? Were you kicking upwind at the bow with crew simultaneously kicking downwind at the stern? Also, just curious, but by sinking the bows to rotate her over and try the other direction, how would that have improved my chances?

hrtsailor - Good point. I'm thinking if I turtled w/o the bob then there is the chance it would have turned enough to right her, but, in this particular instance it would have to happen pretty quickly and before I got to the barge b/c I would have either turtled into/under the bow and would have jammed the boat into a pretty tight spot, or, if it had turned around but not righted I could have gone hulls first into the barge and been in an equally difficult jam. I take your point though, it's a good one, and I'll think about practicing righting with and without the bob.

SebringSixSpeed - How far out are you standing on the bows and are you successful without sinking them? I was out pretty far with crew amidships when she started to go down, perhaps too far?

One one thing I still don't understand is why the bow I was standing on sunk so low so quickly in the water with this accepted tactic. I know the purpose is to raise the stern so that the wind will help push her around, but it seemed to go too low too fast for the wind to affect a turn. As it was going I would have never been able to stay standing on it long enough for it to turn, or so it seemed at the time. Again, being too far out could be the easy answer.


Other take-aways I have are to watch downwind before jibing (hello), this one couldn't have been more poorly timed; to lower the conditions in which the kiddies come out; to practice righting in the cove with and without the bob; to upgrade trap hooks to the key-hole system (for the piece of mind); to become a stronger swimmer; among others.


Thanks again, any input is approciated!

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

I can only suggest here that you keep your crew in the water to reduce the sinking of the bow while trying to get it turned. I weigh 190# and only have to stand just forward of the front pylons with one hand on the dolphin striker rod and it will immediately start turning. I only sink the bow about a foot or so under the surface. Once pointed in the right direction, quickly offer a hand to your crew to get them up on the hull and both of you lean out pulling on the righting line asap before it spins away again.

You were lucky to survive the barge, congratulations.

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1990 "Formula 1" H16 (# 009)

Hey SebringSixSpeed thanks a lot.

In that case I was definitely out too far, I was much further out, probably within 2'-3' of the ends of the bows or ~midway out from the pylon. I'll add that to the list.



Also and for anyone, has anyone repaired a bent dolphin striker? Is it advisable? Not advisable? Should it be replaced without question? Bent back into shape and no biggie? Hit with a mini sledge or tied off somehow and pried?

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

I received a bob as a birthday gift this spring. I've crashed many times but the first time I flipped with the bob I noticed immediately that it was harder to spin the boat with the mast floating. My theory on this is the bob may be keeping enough of a sail pocket above the water to create wind resistance. Also, I agree you just want to tip the bows down...not submerge them. I'm kinda impatient too. If the bows or mast are anywhere close to windward I try to bring her up.

Thanks Sunvista!

So, by "anywhere close to windward" do you mean your bows are not always through the wind when you succeed? Or are they slightly through the wind but not necessarily all the way to ~45 degrees?

I just keep thinking, with that simple graphic in mind from the catalog of a Wave on its side with its mast exactly at 45 degrees for illustration's sake, that I have to get the bows pointed into the wind with the mast at 90 degrees at a minimum in order to even begin getting the assistance of the wind, with anything less than 90 degrees as a bonus?

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

I also slightly bent a dolphin striker about 1" to port. Anybody know how to fix one?

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

There is a trick for helping right a boat that requires the mast to be about 45 deg. off the wind. If you travel the jib out on the down side, then pull the jib sheet ahead of the jam cleat, it will pull the jib down so it can trap some wind and help lift the mast. When it comes up, just let go of the jib sheet. I wonder if the bob would hold the mast higher and increase the effectiveness of using the jib to help lift?

This was an old Hobie Hotline suggestion from several years ago.

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Howard

In the water kicking, pushing on the hull in the water,

I don't know how the rotation would help, but maybe easier to kick it around that direction or a better wind push for the jib? I'd just be trying everything I guess is what I meant

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

Thanks hrtsailor, I converted to the trentec outhaulers so this would be quite easy. Thanks a million!

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'