Pitchpole

Thank you all for your answers. Yeah Im looking forward to capsizing lol. I hope the boat wont break. Thats my biggest concern.

Don't worry about breakage. Had mine over about 5-6 times a year. The only time I had any damage was when I couldn't keep it on its feet in 30+ mph winds and rode it up onto a beach. And even then the only damage was to the main sail batten sleeves from the waves smashing into the sail. These are incredibly tough boats. Sail the crap out of it and have fun.

Don't worry, these boats are built to handle a capsize and then some! There's always a chance of something getting tweaked or bent I suppose, but if anything does break, it's far more likely something you did wrong - poor boat maintenance, capsize in shallow water, something not rigged right, etc.

Seriously, as long as your hulls and rigging are/is in good shape, your mast doesn't leak and you're not in a shallow, narrow or crowded waterway or crazy waves, you don't have much to worry about. "Capsize" is a frightening term for most people, but it's just a part of life for cat sailors. Once you experience it, you'll be much better at understanding how to react and/or prevent it, and you'll probably ask yourself what you were so worried about!

Really, I'd recommend doing it intentionally when you're moderately comfortable sailing the boat, and I'd just try a simple capsize on an upwind course - sheet in, hike out and just let the boat go over. Hang on to the trampoline frame, then climb/jump down once she's settled on her side.

I wouldn't really intentionally pitch pole, but I don't think you need to avoid sailing downwind - it's more of a matter of not sailing in conditions that you don't feel comfortable in. You'll find that you get more comfortable with the boat the more you sail it! And most of all, have fun!

Yeah thats what I ve been thinking to do. But first I will flip the boat by hand somewhere where I can reach the bottom with my feet, just to see if the mast is leaking, and to check how much weight do I need to right it. If something goes wrong I will just pull it off to shore. After this experiment I will do an actual capsize somewhere near the shore as well.

Thinking about doing that myself. I've been over on someone else's boat (we did it purposefully) and it was great to just get it out of the way so you don't worry about it. Still, haven't flipped mine yet and I wouldn't mind knowing if the mast leaks before she goes over by surprise. Might do it close to the dock just in case

Totally agree with this idea. There's no reason to avoid any point of sail, as long as the conditions aren't something far beyond what you've experienced. Downwind doesn't have to be scary (although it can certainly be frustrating in very light wind) - you just have to remember the boat's tendencies. Every sloppy, no good jibe and tack we make, we get a little bit better...

The recommendation to sheet in the main and traveler when running down-wind, is a recommendation to reduce the efficiency of the sail. You have heard of an airplane stalling correct? Sails are essentially a wing. If the sail is not positioned at the right angle to the wind, it will have more drag and less lift, which equals less power. The lift is what will push the boat forward, and if too much, over. By putting the back of sails into the wind, you have reduced the efficiency.

Whether on a run, pinching or on a broad reach, if you pull in the sails too much, you will not go faster - you will stall the sails. Many of us do this, because it is hard to feel or see a stall. We sheet in too much expecting to go faster.

As posted above, experience is the best teacher. Experiment! In moderate air, with the trim perfect, keep your heading, and pull in the sails. you will go slower.

Regards,
Ted