She flipped and turtled

U

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Well, it was our fourth time with our Capri. It was a beautiful day on Sat, sunny and a lot of wind. We just got off the dock and somehow the wind just blew and she flipped and eventually went turtled. It was strange that see all our stuff floating away. Good thing that I did not loose the new Honda moter. Later, other boaters picked up all our stuff. We just have two dead cell phones. No harm done, except the motor still has water in there that I can't get rid off. It was our fifth to chnage motor oil, it still come out milky. :D.

It was a good experience nevertheless. Damn, I need learn how to sail :D :D :D.

Later,
 
hobie float?

If you are that unsure about your sailing abilities, maybe you should see if Larry Conrad still has that Hobie Float for sale. I understand it helps to discourage the boat from turtling.
 
It was pretty easy to unright the boat. We attached a rope to the center board and have a motor boat pulled her up. Getting on the boat after turtled was most difficult with all the wet cloth and life jacket.

I don't know how often other capsizing, but I think this will not be my last one :rolleyes: . I need to rethink and prepare for it :D

As adding a float at the end of the mast, I am thinking to fab up something, we'll see. :).

Later,
 
Where were you sailing? I sail in rivers off of the Chesapeake, and may need to think about putting a floation device on top of the mast.
 
Can someone explain how a boat turtles? I went over once last summer on lake Lanier when as a newbie, still am. I came about to hard and my crew slid out of the boat. This caused a huge pendulum affect and we went over. The main and the jib were up and the sails acted like a brake when they hit the water and the boat just lay nicely on its side. It is hard for me to picture that for what ever reason when a Capri goes over that with the sails up and crew, acting as counter weight, there is enough momentum in the mast to make the boat turn completely over, unless maybe the crew land in the sail.

A description of what actually happen would be great.

Regards,
Royal
Lake Lanier - Atlanta, GA
 
Turtle driver

I have had the pleasure.
When a gust knocked me flat from a reach the bottom of the boat presented a lot of area for the wind to push on.
The boat started drifting and the sail starts to scoop water and therefore ended up getting deep rather quickly.
The time I turtled I had a small float on the top of the mast.
It still went on over untill the mast was in the mud about 10 to 12 feet down.
The large area of the boat bottom is the real driver if wind is high and you don't move quickly to get it headed back upright.
 
Originally posted by Royal
Can someone explain how a boat turtles? I went over once last summer on lake Lanier when as a newbie, still am. I came about to hard and my crew slid out of the boat. This caused a huge pendulum affect and we went over. The main and the jib were up and the sails acted like a brake when they hit the water and the boat just lay nicely on its side. It is hard for me to picture that for what ever reason when a Capri goes over that with the sails up and crew, acting as counter weight, there is enough momentum in the mast to make the boat turn completely over, unless maybe the crew land in the sail.

A description of what actually happen would be great.

Regards,
Royal
Lake Lanier - Atlanta, GA
It is easy. With currrent and wind, any thing can happen out there ;)

I went back out on July 3rd and 4th with my children. There not much wind on the 3rd, and really blowing on the 4th. Thanks God, we did not turtle this time. :D :D :D .

Later,
 
I read somewhere that this is what happens

Since the mast usually goes over to leeward, now the hull presents all of it's area to the wind. The force of the wind on the hull pushes the boat downwind. If the mast is pointing down a bit, then it gets driven underwater until you turtle.
 
The only time I turtled it which was when I wasn't paying attention and didn't use a controlled jibe, I had 2 girls on the boat and we got it back over with little trouble. Our weight was 375 MAX. Controlled jibes are a neccessity in high winds.:)
 
I've turtled a couple of times now and both times it went just as described above.

A little breeze on the bottom pushes the sails into the water and in one minute you're upside down.

The first time I knocked over by a gust while on a broad reach and the second time I didn't get a chance to uncleat the main either because a larger boat having problems ran into us and tipped us over.

Both times the lifeguard service on our lake had us righted in less than five minutes but there is a way to get the boat back up without help.

First, try to swim the bow of the boat into the wind. Usually this isn't too hard since as soon as you grab the bow, the wind carries the stern away.

Second, get under the boat into the air pocket there and untie the main halyard. Take off your life jacket and start winding the halyard around it. That should get the end of the mast started up to the surface.

Third or at the same time as second, the other crew member gets the jib sheet from the same side as the guy winding up the main halyard and throws it over the bottom of the boat. Then he swims around, grabs the jib sheet and pulls himself up. This will usually right the boat.
 
Originally posted by Jack McCollum
Take off your life jacket and start winding the halyard around it. That should get the end of the mast started up to the surface.

Jack, run that one be me again. The cleat for the halyard will be underwater. Uncleat it. OK. Tie the life jacket around it. OK. But then what? Pull the sail so the life jacket is draw downward by the halyard? How to get get the life jacket to the end of the mast so deep in the water? And then, what do you do when you get the boat righted and one end of the halyard is free and out of reach?

I must have misunderstood something.
 
If you uncleat the halyard you then have a rope that is free all the way to the top of the mast. If you then start rolling your lifejacket with that line you will help bring the top of the mast up to you.

Now, If your crew is also pulling on the jib sheet that has been tossed over the bottom of the boat it will come up very easily.

Why would the end of the halyard be out of reach once the boat is righted? The life jacket that is rolled up in your main halyard will just come tumbling down as it unravels.
 
I've joined the Turtling Club

Will after 2 months of sailing my Capri I finally had the experience of flipping it. Sailing alone can be quite trilling! When I was tacking in a strong wind I forgot to uncleat the main sheet while I was tending to the Jib and when I came about the wind hit the main and put the boat on it's side and me in the water. The wind pushed the boat and stuck the mast in the mud. I didn't think I would ever say it but thank goodness for a couple of Jet skiers.

The first thing I did was to lower the main sail - nobody has mention this before. Is this a given or just not necessary ? Next one of the Jet Skiers dived down and was able to pull up the end of the mast out of the mud while the other Skier put weight down on the centerboard. I was amazed at how easily the boat righted.

Question - How much weight do you think you can safetly put on the centerboard without doing any damage ? The next problem was getting in the boat - again thanks to the Jet Skiers I was able to get up on Jet Ski and then into the boat.

I now have to deal with my Honda outboard that got submerged. Any suggestions ?
All in all it was not a bad adventure but I will try to avoid it again in the future.
 

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