Most spectacular capsize?!

Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Well my story isn't technically a capsize, but it was pretty amazing.

so, it was last october, a regional qualifier race. It was probably between 20-25 kts, no good surfing waves but 1+ feet of chop going exactly the wrong way upwind, and only about 40 F. I, being the person I am, assumed the sun would stay out and somehow ended up out there with shorts and a spray top, but that's another story (it was 65 and light when I left!)

so at any rate, I was stiff as a board, trying to survive upwind so that I could get to my quota of deathrolls for the race before I retired, and I got hit by a sharp gust. I didn't compensate for it enough, and I was holding on by a thread. the masthead was less than a foot off the water (but not touching it!) and as I looked back to try and get more weight out, I saw that the daggerboard was completely out of the water! Then just as I thought I would lose it, the gust died off and i pulled it back.

I've spent entire windless days trying to do that unsucessfully, but that was an absolutely amazing experience.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

i have so many of those. It seems like im the only one who can do them where i sail.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

I particularly remember one from a few years ago that I wish someone had caught on video.

It was in Marina del Rey, Ca. which is usually a very light air place (8-10 knots average) but every so often a storm will blow through and the wind will crank up to the 20s and even 30s. It was on one of those days that a friend and I went out on our Lasers and were bombing around for awhile having a great time.

While we had a number of capsizes over the course of the afternoon, the most spectacular one of the day was as we were heading back in. The wind was blowing straight down the channel so we were on a dead run but it was a little squirrely and gusty.

I got hit by a gust and a shift and started to deathroll. As it was happening I felt like I could jump on the daggerboard and dry roll it so as the mast was tipping one way I was diving the other way. I made it about half way when the mast head hit the water and the boat decelerated rapidly. There I was with the boat on its side and me in Superman flight position with only the chest of my PFD balanced on the rail of the boat, basically perpendicular to the deck and horizontal to the water. Although the boat stopped, much to my surprise I didn't and skidded sideways (still in Superman flight position) along the gunn'l and off the bow and landed in the water a good 10-15 feet in front of the boat. Which was fortunate since the boat was still sailing along on its side with the boom up in the air and quickly caught up with me. The expression on the face of the fishermen who were passing me just as this happened was absolutely priceless.

I was laughing so hard I almost had trouble righting the boat and climbing back in. I still chuckle when I think about it.

-Steve
On good old #88305 at the time. . .
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

the first in the laser, I was pumped, but it was breezy.

So I'm nervous. Gusting to 20kts, maybe 22kts. I'm 130lbs in the full rig.

Upwind, I'm doing ok, hiking as hard as I can, vang on way tight, near the back, but feeling ok, first regatta in tthe boat.


Getting to the windward mark, I'd never really known how the boat wanted to be set up in breeze, I so figure, leave vang on, keep board down most of the way........

Turn the corner, boat is so loaded up, try to hike it flat around, boat starts to round up, I loose it, tiller extension in face, sort of get it back, boat takes off, I'm holding on. All confused why the boat is so power and squirly.

Get... I dunno, maybe 3 lengths from the mark, I'm reach into to ease controls, not hiking, puff on.

I blink


I'm in the water, holding the bow of the boat with my arms, kinda of stunned and confused. How the heck did I get up here?

What direction is my boat facing? Mast still in one piece?


Ok.

Get back on, 'come on George, get it together, this isn't rocket science'

Now I'm cold, a little mad at myself, trying to be conservative nad not hiking hard at all. Puff on, board down, vang cranked on still, ...ooooofh, up and over.


I remember the end of the day, in the parking lot looking at my bent top section saying what a stupid boat this is, this thing is dangerous!

Years later, here I am, still in love with the first boat that almost tried to kill me downwind. When big air comes in, and I'm in the full rig (same weight to this day) I still think about that in the back of my head, and try to have it motivate me to go faster. :)
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

NOT spectacular, but in my first race last summer I spun as I was changing sides, got my foot caught in the sheet, and went over the side head first. Didn't touch a thing, just a dive. Felt like an idiot, swam after the boat and grabbed the travelor to keep it from going over, climbed back in, and kept going on the same tack. Nobody even saw it! But now you know...oop.
 
The attached photo happened in a pretty straightforward fashion.
It was blowing over 30 on Tomales Bay, and a couple of us decided not to rig.
George, however, was new to the boat and fearless, so I set up a tripod and telephoto lens and caught him rolling the boat end over end on his first attempt at heading downwind. His centerboard was ejected and lost, and he and his wreck were hauled in by a stout power fishing boat. He thought he had capsized several times, but in fact it was just one long wreck....

Dennis Olson
Tomales Bay, CA
 

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Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

WestCoast said:
the first in the laser, I was pumped, but it was breezy.

So I'm nervous. Gusting to 20kts, maybe 22kts. I'm 130lbs in the full rig.

Upwind, I'm doing ok, hiking as hard as I can, vang on way tight, near the back, but feeling ok, first regatta in tthe boat.


Getting to the windward mark, I'd never really known how the boat wanted to be set up in breeze, I so figure, leave vang on, keep board down most of the way........

Turn the corner, boat is so loaded up, try to hike it flat around, boat starts to round up, I loose it, tiller extension in face, sort of get it back, boat takes off, I'm holding on. All confused why the boat is so power and squirly.

Get... I dunno, maybe 3 lengths from the mark, I'm reach into to ease controls, not hiking, puff on.

I blink


I'm in the water, holding the bow of the boat with my arms, kinda of stunned and confused. How the heck did I get up here?

What direction is my boat facing? Mast still in one piece?


Ok.

Get back on, 'come on George, get it together, this isn't rocket science'

Now I'm cold, a little mad at myself, trying to be conservative nad not hiking hard at all. Puff on, board down, vang cranked on still, ...ooooofh, up and over.


I remember the end of the day, in the parking lot looking at my bent top section saying what a stupid boat this is, this thing is dangerous!

Years later, here I am, still in love with the first boat that almost tried to kill me downwind. When big air comes in, and I'm in the full rig (same weight to this day) I still think about that in the back of my head, and try to have it motivate me to go faster. :)

Gday

Can you tell when the wind is blowing how the vang should be set for control please?
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Skipper Johnson said:
Gday

Can you tell when the wind is blowing how the vang should be set for control please?

My first venture in 25-30kt winds was Hyeres (France) last year (I managed to forward catapult and wrapped myself around my mast - ouch!).

One thing I learnt was not to let too much kicker off down wind and stay reasonably sheeted in as the leech is probably blown quite forward anyway, so you don't need to let the sheet out so much.

The top girls suggested I was too unstable with the kicker let off and probably letting too much sheet out, hence the conclusion was when I was bearing off from the reach to the run I was not really letting any kicker out.

I hope this makes some sense!! And basically lock yourself in with your toestrap weight back and hold on tight!
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Another thing to do is when it's really windy, off the wind you MUST have your hiking strap as tight as possible so that you're locked into the boat. I personally havent' designed a system to make it long for upwind and tight for offwind, but i'm sure it's easy.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

There have been plenty of spectacular capsizes.

I had my first solo venture in a laser last weekend (I usually sail a laser 2 and other double-handed boats) which was good fun. I managed to tip it in to windward because of getting hit by a gust just as I was bearing up from a run to a reach. I don't think it was very spectacular though and no-one saw it.

My most spectacular capsize was in my laser 2. We were racing out on the bay, in about 20-25 knots. We were on a shy reach with the kite up and my crew out on the wire. We ended up getting a huge gust and powering up underneath a slower boat, but fairly close to them. As we came into their windshadow we were screaming along, planing with huge bow-waves (awesome!) Anyway, my crew wasn't quick enough in off the wire and we just went 'splat' straight in to windward, right next to this other boat.l

The people in the other boat said it looked pretty funny. They were sitting there watching this planing boat screaming up to them and then next thing we're swimming, the mast has nearly hit their boat and the kite is in one hell of a mess.

That was pretty interesting at the time and is pretty funny now. :D
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Once, during a deathroll I managed to jump immediately on the board. I righted the boat and jumped accross to the other side in order to prevent another deathroll. I was prepared for another capsize, but somehow I balanced the boat while it was violently rocking. In the meantime the boat generated a lot of speed. I was happy when I did not capsize again, but what made me even happier was that I had not lost any ground: When I finely had the boat under control again, I was next to the same boat that I lined up with during the capsize.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

:D Hello, it's my first post on this forum
I started Laser siling last summer,

I had a capsise that still hunt me to this day:D

I was out by 15 knots, wen i was sudenlly it by a gust of wind, like everytime , i capsise, I 'am 126 lbs on a full rig !!

I spent the next 45 min trig to get the boat upright, din't do it,
then the boom got of, so everytime i put the boat upright it cought up in the wind and capsise again!!!:mad: :mad:
so i had to toe the boats back to shore while swiming!!!!!(I was about 200 ft. from shore):eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

I really was traumatise by it:eek: I just could go out in a laser for a couples of weeks.


Now looking back i laugh at myself!!:D :D
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

All you guys have some crazy racing capsizes, I haven't gotten a chance to race the boat yet as i just got my first laser a week before I left for school last summer. Anyway I get this boat for the first time and I sort of played around with it for a week, first time I went out I felt it was quite dangerous as someone was saying but I'm a little nuts and it just made me want to kick its @$$. Anyway, this one is more embarasing (as many of those first sails were except ppl were watching this time) than spectacular. So I have had this boat out four times in the week and my two best freinds decide to go up for a weekend at the one's cottage up north. Naturally I have fallen in love with the boat and drag it all the way up there. Turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon. The thing about this lake though (I've sailed my cl14 there before but its a far cry from a laser) is it is really small and in a valley with large trees and hills etc, and the gustiest place i have ever been aside from the Ottawa River. There tends to not be too much wind in this lake either, ive seen it at 5 gusting 20 but that is about it. This day it seems really calm, a steadyish 5 nauts. It was so calm that my non-sailor freind and I took turns up and down the lake all afternoon. He comes back from a flawless sail, though he didn't get much speed. I decide to head out for a gust I saw across the lake. So away I go. I get into this gust and I'm yelling back and gloating (small lake). I tack and start heading back to head straight down the gust. I am about half hiked out havin a fun time when the gust suddenly stops with seemingly no warning and I capsize to windward rather quickly. Of course they are all laughing at me. I look around and the ripples on the water have more or less stopped (i was fairly close to the windward shore) and figure that i probably don't need to head the boat to wind, stupid idea but you could get away with it in a CL14. I swim around and grab the board, aparently as it was coming up the gust came back. I mastered the San Francisco roll by accident, when i found that forum here I was pretty proud of myself but at the time I had to go back to a dock with my tail tucked between my legs, and freinds laughing their @$$s off.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

when I read all your capsize it seems all of you know perfectly to get into the boat again. here my question as a beginnerer.
I got hit by a gust and a shift and started to deathroll. I got the boat up quickly again before i could step in via centerboard.
Then I tried to climb in from luv side without success.
how do you guys get into the boat without capsizing the boat again to luvwards?At the end I climbed in from the back but felt very poor to do so.Is there any trick to get in quickly from the side or is there no chance?
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

tino said:
Then I tried to climb in from luv side without success.
how do you guys get into the boat without capsizing the boat again to luvwards?At the end I climbed in from the back but felt very poor to do so.Is there any trick to get in quickly from the side or is there no chance?

Yeah, it's tough to climb in from the leeward side because the boat tends to fall on you. If it's very windy I swim around to the windward side to get in. The wind on the sail counterbalances my weight as I get in.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

I have 2 outta boat experiences that always hang in my mind.

2 of my pals were out 2 up in a strong breeze in my laser ( shorter wooden tiller helped with space for tacking.
All was going well, boat up to great speed when suddenly both do a synchronized back flip , wow i thought what a neat way to swap positions !. They sailed slowly back to shore , vessel exit was toe strap failure at full hike .
fixed it up sent'em out again , next we see the sail hit the water , but both sat in boat , mast step gave way after a previous owner had poured resin in to try and seal it. that took a lot more repair.

my fave outta boat experience was dirfting along on a run , boat heeled over on top of me to keep the sail central & I'm uncomfortably hanging onto the centreboard to get forward. lost my grip slid off like a stone of wet fish , boat merrily sailed off faster without me & I'm left in the water threatening it with a sound basil fawlty beating if it doesn't come back.
at least the persian gulf waters are warm
btw its nice to hear of so many old hulls still on the water
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

tino said:
when I read all your capsize it seems all of you know perfectly to get into the boat again. here my question as a beginnerer.
I got hit by a gust and a shift and started to deathroll. I got the boat up quickly again before i could step in via centerboard.
Then I tried to climb in from luv side without success.
how do you guys get into the boat without capsizing the boat again to luvwards?At the end I climbed in from the back but felt very poor to do so.Is there any trick to get in quickly from the side or is there no chance?

Tino: as Jay explained, in windy conditions, while you are still in the water, hang on to the bow. You will serve as the anchor and the boat will end up heading into the wind. Before you climb back in, make sure the sheet is free (mine often ends up under the rudder blade and this is difficult to clear up in heavy air once you are on board). Climb aboard using the grab rail and get organized. Take a deep breath as well :)
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

thanks for the tips to you all!
its clear to step in from the windwardside and hold the mainsheet thight to get in,but I realised that the boat starts immediatly to head into the wind but next time I will try to get more off the wind to have a close reach position, hold the tiller extension in one hand and then start to crawl in, is that maybe correct?smile
regards
tino
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

tino said:
thanks for the tips to you all!
its clear to step in from the windwardside and hold the mainsheet thight to get in,but I realised that the boat starts immediatly to head into the wind but next time I will try to get more off the wind to have a close reach position, hold the tiller extension in one hand and then start to crawl in, is that maybe correct?smile
regards
tino

Yes, remember that to right the boat, it must be head to wind, or it will keep on rolling and capsize onto the other side. If you can keep the boat head to wind, that is great, but if it drifts, get in on the windward side. This usually happens in windier conditions for me.

Also, do not hang onto the tiller extension. It's soft and it will bend. Trust me, I know this. I don't grab any lines or anything. I just get a grip on the grab rail and alley-oop, fall gracelessly into the cockpit and lay low until the boat settles. Then I gather up lines and sort things. It doesn't take long, and I guess the guy who can sort the mainsheet before he gets in will eternally be a better sailor than me.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Last November my friends and I went out on a day where it was forecast for gale force. We got to the YC and it was only about 8 kts, so we decided "stupid meterologists don't know anything" we go out and twenty minutes later, sure enough its blowing 40 kts. I capsized (obviously) and my whole boat was picked up out of the water with the bow in the sky and the rudder out of the water! My bottom section broke, sail ripped in half, top section sunk, and my daggerboard had huge shark bites out of the trailing edge.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

I just started sailing in september (with the UF sail team), and have had quit a few muddy sails.

One practice (420s) my skipper and I were having a terrible race: we had tried rolling on the start, but instead did one of those slow dry capsizes. We then hit evey mark, etc. As we were crossing the finish my skipper says to the coach "Eveything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong". Of course, 2 seconds later we jibe and turtle (my first). I ended up under the boat. Not too spetacular, but hilarious.

My first laser reggata I ended up capsizing 2 or three times a race, and the race I didn't capsize, I foul the boat I was competing with to get around the mark first. I practiced my jibes alot after that .

My most spectular capsize was on a hobie wave. There was lots of wind, so I was hiked out, screaming on a reach, hanging on by my toes as far back as I could. Then a big puff came along, and the boat started to pitchpole. I flew out because I was hanging on by only my toes. When I surfaced, the boat was upside down and demasted. Needless to say the guy who ran the lake and boats wasn't too happy. It took them 45 minutes to get it back upright.

I wasn't involved in this, but our team went. It was during the Truxton Umstead reggata at Navy. http://nowevolve.mybesthost.com/Wipeout.wmv
Watch the bow of boat 3.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

I was sailing in a club 420 2 years ago, it started to rain and i mean rain ALOT!!! for those who don't know vanguard 420's are very very tippy so when the wind caught us (my partner and i) could do nothing but accept the capsize, since niether of us had a trap harness. so we are in the water and we point the boat into irons you know run through the basics, but we could not get the boat righted. our instructer was nearby ina motor boat and he comes to help our friendjumped into the water from the motor boat and helped us right the boat. we got it righted but my partner didn't un cleat the main sheet(i don't know why he had it cleated in the first place) so the boat capsized immediatly. we finally get it righted and inside and all the lines are tangled so we start working on them, but my partner lets go of the tiller and we begin to gybe in 25+ knots of wind, i notice this and tried my best to stop the boom from swinging across and hitting my partner but that was impossible, i yell "Heads up!!" as the boom snaps across and hits my partner in the head, in doing so the boat capsizes once again he immerges from the water consiouse and screaming he swims over to our instructor in the boat screaming "MOMMY MOMMY SAVE ME!!" my instructor takes my partner in the the motor boat onto land and i am left in the middle of a lake all alone, can't see land because it's raining so hard, i'm standing on the gunnels of my turtled 420, until finally what felt like an eternity later another instructor boat comes with the head of the sailing school and another man in it. the head instructor jumps into the water and we right the boat, he drops the sail and the man in the motor boat pulls us into the docks.

that was the most exillerating moment of my life.:D

Crazysailor
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

The most spectacular capsizes ive seen are my competitors that are beating me and allow me to pass them. hehe just kidding that is mean. The last regatta I sailed I won two races just because of that. Felt like I was taking candy from a child. Capsizing is very tiring and is really not fast.
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

crazysailor said:
I was sailing in a club 420 2 years ago, it started to rain and i mean rain ALOT!!! for those who don't know vanguard 420's are very very tippy so when the wind caught us (my partner and i) could do nothing but accept the capsize, since niether of us had a trap harness. so we are in the water and we point the boat into irons you know run through the basics, but we could not get the boat righted. our instructer was nearby ina motor boat and he comes to help our friendjumped into the water from the motor boat and helped us right the boat. we got it righted but my partner didn't un cleat the main sheet(i don't know why he had it cleated in the first place) so the boat capsized immediatly. we finally get it righted and inside and all the lines are tangled so we start working on them, but my partner lets go of the tiller and we begin to gybe in 25+ knots of wind, i notice this and tried my best to stop the boom from swinging across and hitting my partner but that was impossible, i yell "Heads up!!" as the boom snaps across and hits my partner in the head, in doing so the boat capsizes once again he immerges from the water consiouse and screaming he swims over to our instructor in the boat screaming "MOMMY MOMMY SAVE ME!!" my instructor takes my partner in the the motor boat onto land and i am left in the middle of a lake all alone, can't see land because it's raining so hard, i'm standing on the gunnels of my turtled 420, until finally what felt like an eternity later another instructor boat comes with the head of the sailing school and another man in it. the head instructor jumps into the water and we right the boat, he drops the sail and the man in the motor boat pulls us into the docks.

that was the most exillerating moment of my life.:D

Crazysailor

wow i had the exact same experiance up until the whole gybing part except the jib was cleated and the instructor helped us sail it in
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

i was out sailing my laser the other day. there was only like 5 knots of wind and this monster boat came by. its wake was around five ft. as the wake got closer it was on the verge of breaking because it was simi shalow were i was sailing. the wake picked me up and i started planning. then i slightly leaned to windward annd knew it was all over i had a massive death roll going really fast. the water was warm so it turned out to be very fun
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Having not actually capsized anything in the last two years, I managed to get it wrong big-time twice over last weekend, which resulted in me basically getting a standing ovation when I got back into the clubhouse!! :)
The first time was on a friday evening race, while I was battling a Laser 2000 for the gun. On the last run, having survived 4 gybes in 30Kts plus, and not even felt wobbly, I was right behind him sailing along, when suddenly I was sat in the fully hiked position in the water about 30feet behind the boat, just hanging on to the mainsheet! :D I think what happened was, in the nasty 3foot high sideways waves, I'd rolled to windward, corrected, moved in, and as the boat rolled to leeward, pushed back out, but missed the toestrap! Clubhouse consensus:- Asleep at the wheel!:rolleyes:

The second time was on the bank-holiday monday, when things got a bit out of hand. I wasnt actually out racing (baby sitting duty) but when the fleet got a bit decimated by 35+ knots, I had to rescue one of the boats (the crew had been taken off by the rescue boat). The boat was a Topper, which are not very buoyant in the bow, to put it mildly. Anyway, I get in the boat, and, since the breeze feels like its dieing, I take out the reef, and start to sail home. I hadnt noticed that the clew strop had come unhooked.
Almost back to the club, and the 35kts comes back. Straight downwind to the slipway!!:eek: No problem, I thought, Board up half way, just enough kicker to stop things getting too sketchy etc. I bear away, and the bow goes down, submarining the boat completely, and me hanging on to the far toestrap just to stay in the boat. Then the bow pops up, and this tiny little boat accelerates like a jet fighter on steroids! Now the clew strap becomes obvious, as the leech of the main starts to really twist forward. Nevermind the deathroll, this thing was full-on chinewalking, just bouncing from side to side, with me basically sculling the tiller trying to keep the boat under the mast. No chance!! The bounce just flips it into a complete 180 to windward, so quick I cant even move toward the high side before it turtles.:mad: Right the boat, pull the board up, and drift slowly sideways until I can sail back to the slip. Thats when I found out that everyone saw it! oops!:D Clubhouse consensus :- Crazy fast and spectacular! :rolleyes:
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

My capsise wasn't that specky but, here goes any way.

i hadn't been sailing a laser for long, it was fairly lite conditions, i was just crusing along in a club boat and i could see a gust coming, i sliped my feet under the toe strap ready to hike out, as the gust came i lent back out of the boat and my feet sliped out of the strap,i landed in the water. the boat didnt actualy go over i was hanging on to the mainsheet and getting draged along in the water, i pulled my self back in to the boat and kept sailing (hoping no one saw me):eek:
 
Re: Most spectacular capsise?!

Mine was ok, but wasn't in my laser
Me and my friend were in a club 420 practising for the Bemis semi's, and trying to do spin sets, as niether of us knew how. Wind was about 25-30, remarcable on Lake Lanier, and as we rounded the mark and got the spin up and started sailind downwind, the spin pole pops off the mast. "i'll get it", says nick, and heads forward. as he reachers the front, a huge wave hits us from behind, and the boat starts to bow plow. At this time i was on the transom hiking with the mainsheet, and nick was trying to climb up the now almost veritcle 420. The bow seemed to stop dead while the transom went up, up, up and over, coming down upside down on the other side, with me sitting on it, and nick in the middle holding onto the hiking strap. Needless to say, we were both very winded, and once nick had gotten out from under the boat we took an hour to right it. oh, and it was hailing, just to add to our traumor

-168600
 
He has way too much vang off. If you look closely, you can see that the leech of the sail looks like....sort of like a bowl or a funnel? having a wide open leach like that in high winds creates a funnel effect. The wind hits the sail and follows the path of least resistance, which in this case is off the leach (due to the funnel shape) and that creates considerable side force. Evidently enough to push him over. You can eliminate this by taking on more vang, in his case a lot more.
 
Thanks - I'ts good to have the video - know I've had that problem a few times, but without someone sitting behind you at the time watching what you're doing, it's hard to know what you're doing wrong. Will try pulling on the vang more...
 
One more thought that hit me. If you are still having this problem and have a considerable amount of vang on, you can ease the vang off a little bit and then sit on the leeward side of the boat, on the same side as the sail, to counteract the force pushing it over. I believe it's very stable in that setup.
 

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