Righting a Wave in big swells?

I can see that I am asking most of the questions on this forum. I am new to this and don't have anybody around to go out with. It seems like there would be more cat sailors in a place like this, but so far I haven't made the connection. So, I hope to learn a thing or two from the cat sailors on this forum.

If I sail out in the Gulf, beyond the breakers, and capsize, will the waves make it more difficult to right the boat? I was out there yesterday and I was bouncing around quite a bit. I am so glad the wind wasn't high enough for that to have been an issue, but there will be days when it will.

Never had to right my Wave, but I have had to right a Hobie 16, single handed in reasonably large swells. Your size/weight will make all the difference. I'm 6'-2" and 240lbs. so I might have an edge.

Same rules should apply. Make sure the main is uncleated and the sheet is free to run. Drag the mast around about bows are 45 degrees into wind so the wind will be your friend as the boat starts to come out of the water. Once the boat / mast is out of the water make sure you have somewhere to grab on the windward side (a) prevent the boat from sailing off and (b) having the wind carry the mast / sail over to the opposing side. (don't ask me how I know).

bill

Having sailed the Wave all this past year, can say it is pretty resistant to capsize in most conditions for an experienced cat sailor. I've gone over once trying to get out of a uptick in wind sufficient for aerosol water spray across the surface. In 15 to 25mph and 4' wind swells on Lake Mead, Nevada (a lake known for treacherous conditions) I felt a little like I was riding a bucking bronco and got very wet, but the boat just didn't want to flip. Downwind, was on the front surfing the swells and it showed no sign of wanting to pitchpole. The mast so far forward on the rig keeps so much hull weight aft that it takes a great deal of breeze to pitch it, expecially with only 9 square meters of sail. We have a beach reaching condition here where the wind can be very high with primo flat water. Am hoping to get a ranger to radar check what the Wave speed max might be. It feels pretty incredible. Anyway, one warm afternoon last summer in 15-20, deliberately tried to pitchpole the Wave and the on the first 3 tries the bows simply punched deep and stopped the boat cold. It then came out of it backwards. The fourth try had to sit forward and hold onto the bow nose and mast all weight ahead of the mast and finally got it over. Righted it against the wind after. I love the fact that the Wave is the safest of catamarans and yet can be an extreme sailing boat as well in high winds. Only problem I've had is keeping the boat from dismasting. Essentially, the way around that was to make the rig snug so the mast cannot jump off the step. hint hint!

Another tip someone gave me with righting, without bags or any other mechanism, is this.

Normally, after releasing the sheets and turning the cat until it is 45 degrees to the wind, people get up on the lower hull, grab the righting rope (which is over the top hull for some cats or under for the Wave) and pull back and lean out.

As an alternative, do all that but instead of getting up on the lower hull, try to lie with your back on the water with your feet against the bottom of the lower hull, and the righting rope in your hand and then pull yourself up.

This means you start with the maximum leverage on the cat because you are horizontal right from the start. You should have a life jacket on of course. As you pull the cat will come down, you can grab the front beam and pull yourself on. Watch your head of course.

You may need to extend the length of your righting line but try it out. It worked for me.

As an avid Wave sailor, as well as racing the boat, I spend a lot of time sailing this great boat on a lake that can be treacherous at times. On a sunny day, without warning a wind squall can pipe up in the 50mph range. Just a note of warning from an experience two weekends ago that taught me a lesson.
I posted a note a couple of years ago about the need in heavy wind to tie yourself to the boat because of the Wave's tendency to run away from the skipper in strong breezes in a capsize. It was my bad that I forgot my own advice during this recent mishap.
It is a long story, but suffice to say I was caught in a sudden burst of wind that exceeded 50mph. The wavesets were close and up to 4 feet. An updraft lifted the boat and I completely out of the water and a moment later we were separated. In this breeze, the boat travelled away at what looked like about 5mph. It was later spotted by the lake patrols and evidently reached a breakwater at the marina after drifting for a little over an hour. I had to swim a quarter mile to a peninsula and hike a few miles to a boat ramp and found a boater who could call the marina and let them know I was OK. The entire search and rescue of the NPS was on the water and in the air at the time.
In any winds capable of capsizing I would recommend tying the bitter end of the mainsheet to yourself in whatever fashion works for you. In the event of boat and skipper separation you will always stay with the boat. Since the Wave is a remarkably simple boat with only mainsheet and downhaul (no trapezes or other paraphenalia) the boat has little likelihood of entanglements from this advice. It was 'my bad' that I did not do this on this occasion. However, the NPS was very happy with me that I was sufficiently geared up with 3mil wetsuit, full spraygear and CGA pfd, and they were quite kind to me upon pick up at the ramp. The sail was damaged from wave action on the breakwater, but must say no damage to the boat itself. Significant damage to the ego though. I have always maintained that the Wave is the safest small high performance sailing craft on the water. I think that the story here illustrates perhaps its only weakspot. It travels much faster capsized than any other Hobie I've sailed and capsized.

I can support Grodo's claim of the Wave blowing away after capsize. I capsized in 25mph winds and I climbed to the high side and then jumped in. As I was in my short free fall I watched the boat start to blow away. I hit the water swimming and barely caught the rudder.

Thx for the support of this concept. The boat sails well in big wind. Truly amazing, but I definitely humbled this time by mother nature.

And the next question is "How did you get back on the boat?" After my pitchpole I got the boat back upright pretty quickly, I've practiced over the years on 16s, 18s, and others, but it's a long way up the side of a slippery Wave for an old man. How did you do it?

This sailor's Wave is a 'classic' model, so the soda/beer can holders in the tramp make for a good grip to pull oneself up. I know you were asking the other sailor but just had to offer. I'm thinking that a person of some girth might find it hard to get back on. the boat sets high over the water and getting back on is a bit of a wrestle if one is not fit.

I get on over the front beam by tossing a leg onto the beam and pressing up on a hull. It's not easy. One thought I have is to use a rock climbers ladder:

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/big-wall-climbing/etrier-BD390040_cfg.html#cgid=big-wall&start=15.
I've got one, but have not tried it yet. A simple rope ladder could be made too.

Since I have a traveler I can't use the mainsheet as you suggest. Last year I made a tether from webbing with a simple carabiner style hook at the boat end and quick release snap shackle at my end. I have webbing around the front crossbar, looped around on both sides of the mast and I clip it to that. It's long enough for me to lean back at the furthest rear corner of the hulls, with a bit to spare. I attach it to myself via an old climbing harness waist belt that has a metal ring as the clipping point (I cut the leg loops off). It fits around my waist, below my PFD.

I haven't had a capsize yet, so I'm trying to think through any concerns or changes that might make it better/safer. Any suggestions appreciated.

BTW, I do carry cutting implements, so even if the quick release didn't work, I can cut myself free.

It has been a constant observation that people who gravitate to sailing in all permutations seem to have a knack for creative thinking and problem solving. Great ideas friends!

Well I just had my very first swim today. Was out with the wife in say 9kts of wind. Started to come up. So I took her back to shore it was an off land wind (north). I went back out.. for a little boot we are on a lake that is in manitoba (lake winnipeg) very big Lake and big winds. So just go out past the calm water sheltered from the trees then poof I hit the wind gust and over I went. Jumped in the water. I held on the the sheet rope and the boat went away from me. Little did I know it was closing the gap in the rope to the blocks. Then once tight I mange to swim to the sail un clip it and then proceed to write the boat. I left the mast downwind and not 45 to the wind. Boat flipped over and I came aboard on the front of the tramp. Then the boat proceeded to take off like a racing boat as I was pointed downwind had to turn upwind and cleat in the sail. I had to limp back to the shore line with sail all the way out so I wouldn't go over.
Once to the rocky shore I race to get the sail down. And walked it back to the club house.
Looked at the winds they came up from 9kts to 25kts gusting ton33 kts in 30 min.

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That was a great account of an uncommon occasion on the Wave. I've experienced evidence that it can handle more wind than the other cats, but does have limits. Friday 3 of us embarked to do some race practice and got caught in a storm cell common to August at Lake Mead, Nevada. The cells usually last about 15 minutes and are quite violent. I got hit first by a punchy gust of about 40-50 that nearly took the boat out of the water and leaning over the windward hull managed to finally come down righted. Our friend Sharon also got hit and likewise came back down in a few seconds. Then looking to my friend Raul to see if he survived, the timing was such that he at that moment took a streaming gust hard on port and as he struggled to keep it from going over, another streaming gust hit his tramp and drove his Wave amazingly to turtle. That gust may have been 50 or more. Sharon and I were pointed at the wind and held up fine and in about 5 minutes Raul managed to get the boat sideways and then righted. We all crabbed our way over to a protected shore and watched the storm move north and after the typical 15 minutes or so, we were able to resume our practice. We were near Lake Mead Marina and it was hit hard during this squall and all sorts of recreational inflatables, kayaks and boards littered the slip corridors.