pro10is wrote:
Chekika wrote:
...BTW, if you have "keep-out" lines, it is unlikely that your boat will capsize in the first place...
That was my assumption too until this August when I almost capsized in a storm that came out of nowhere on a previously sunny, calm day with no aka/ama malfunction. With the sail furled by three quarters I was trying to make it back to shore when the TI was quickly and without warning blown upward on a strong wind gust, teetering at a 45 degree angle. I narrowly avoided a capsize by quickly turning into the wind and throwing my weight as best I could to bring the boat back down. I was
very lucky.
In such a storm there would be little to no chance of righting the boat if it capsized. The wind and waves were too fierce. If I found myself in the water in those conditions, the best I could do would be to simply hold on. Performing a tricky righting maneuver would be extremely difficult to near impossible in three to five foot storm churned waves. On that day I was near a thirty foot rock cliff where the wind and waves would have quickly carried me. It was a life threatening situation and the closest I ever come on any boat to possibly drowning in 32 years of boating. It was a very humbling experience.
For this reason I feel that an automatic mast float would definitely be something to consider. For safety preparation, you
must assume that you can still capsize even without a aka/ama malfunction, and if you do, it will probably be in conditions where it may be extremely difficult to right the boat yourself. Anything that could be done to improve this situation should be considered.
Ouch!! Tricky situation! Very well handled!
Yes, it is situations like that that one really wants to avoid but as Murphys Law states.... "If it is possible it will inevitable sooner or later happen".
The inflatable mast float cost about $150 so I think its worth the money for that added security.
I often fish 10-15 miles offshore, so if the weather unexpectadly changes for the worst it will take at least an hour getting ashore. I allways listen carefully to the forcasts and keep myself updated during the day but local storms are unpredictable in the summers.
In my younger days I did a lot of wreck diving here in the south Baltic. Cold and dark dives and sometimesin a bit heavy seas. After a few tragic accidents we lost two dive-buddies in the club.
The investigation led to the asumption that it was technical errors and lack of redundency systems that was the cause. This fact in combination with weather conditions led to a chain of events that led to the accidents. A few years after that happened I was working with dive accident related investigations and the same pattern was a commonly seen. Very experianced divers but lack of redundency or bad judgement concerning the weather, but mostly a combination of theese two things.
The "tech-diving" thinking in Sweden grew out of theese tragic accidents in the early 80s.
Redundency, preparation, training and not to thrust that help would be avaliable if a bad situation occured. You have to be able to be totaly self independant i all situations.
I have kept this way to think and plan about safety at sea since then.
Gear alone will not suffice, off course training and good judgement is imperative.
Rutines, checklists and training/education... all important. Planning ahead, expect the unexpected and be prepared if the worst would occur.
Never assume it wont happen, better expect it to...
In most situations capzising the TI should be managable but the combination with bad weather is frightening. And in what situation are you most likely to capzise? Yup.., when the wind and waves picks up!
Anyway I now ordered the 40 liter mastfloat, the size and weight differance is marginal compared to the smaller version.
I ordered some extra co2 cartridges and plugs. Will do a test with my TI fully loaded with sandbags simulating the weight from motors, batteries and all other gear. Just let the mast float deploy and practice to righten the yak as it lies on its side as I expect it will do?
Then I will remove the mast float and try to righten it from the fully inverted "turtle mode".
I guess I will have to weight down the ama on one side with at least 150 lbs of sandbags to enable the TI to capsize without folding the ama? I am really looking forward of doing theese tests. Its very exciting to try out and get to know the limitations of the yak.
I will post once its done... should be interesting and a bit amusing to watch me "semi-drowning"! LOL!
Will take a few weeks before delivery arrives.
Sorry about the long post....
All the best!
Login
Register
FAQ
