Tipped over backwards mid-tack on Saturday-req. explanation

Hey gang, Saturday was a great day for sailing here in west TX! The winds were 15-20 and my GF and I were out on the lake having a blast. Not many power boats proably due to the wind.

Anyway, a number of times in the past I've noticed that if I don't let out the mainsheet fast enough when coming through head-to-wind the old-windward-corner of the boat starts to submerge. I then quickly unsheet and scramble "up" to the other side and the situation is remedied. On Saturday, however, I guess I was a little slow and the boat flipped over said corner (in that case it was the port stern.)

I've given it a little thought but aside from going "okay I need to work on unsheeting when coming through head-to-wind" (and memorizing/employing Rick White's explanation of the Roll Tack) I'm not exactly sure what happened.

I'd be very appreciative if someone could tell me what's going on when that happens! Thanks in advance!

(On a sour note, the lock-nut holding my hiking stick came off so for the second half of the afternoon I was sailing just holding one tiller or the other. )

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Warm regards,

Jim



"A little crazy but with big balls."

Ah, the famous inverted pitchpole with a quarter twist. It has happened to me when I'm sailing with someone who inadvertently moves to the wrong place on the boat, sinking a corner which allows the whole she-bang to raise up and rotate about that point. Some times, just for kicks I look over and say "uh oh, were sinking" those words guarantee that the "crew" will grab hold of the hiking straps and attempt to stand up. This of course then flips the boat over on itself in a full turtle. Great fun on a hot day

I had the same thing happen to me sailing in heavy winds. I was in open water, with some big ocean swells. I tried to tack, and when I came off the top of a wave, the wind caught my tramp and sent me over backwards. The only solution I could come up with was move forward when tacking, and maybe invest in a mesh tramp. Although this would make your boat non-class legal.

Marcus
h14
Narragansett Bay

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Marcus
H16
Narragansett Bay, RI

You can put a mesh tramp on your boat and keep is class legal...just be sure its a Hobie tramp and u will not have a problem...all of the new boats come w/them!


Thanks,
Brad Stephens
www.sunjammers.com
Authorized Hobie/Vanguard Dealer
Hobie Division 15 Chairman
[email protected]
850-235-2281
Panama City Beach, FL