by Bflat on Fri May 09, 2014 1:20 am
Excellent question. Theoretically, once a ballasted boat is laid flat in a wind induced capsize the force of the wind on the sail is nil while the righting moment from the ballast is at a maximum = the boat should right itself. The boat would probably round up into the wind as it rights and the sail will be luffing violently. That's the theory, and largely pretty accurate. Big wind is often accompanied by big waves and those can certainly complicate the situation. In any case I'd say the biggest danger during a capsize is losing a man overboard. Being separated from the boat should be our biggest fear, thus the old adage, "stay with the boat." Breaking something on the boat would be another concern (especially if someone's gone overboard too - Murphy's law).
Practicing man overboard drills is a great way to develop boat handling skills. It's fun and useful. Just throw a spare boat cushion overboard and go get it. Try it while sailing upwind and down. The standard procedure from sailing up wind is to fall off the wind, jibe and round up to the victim. If a jibe seems too dangerous to do, then come about, fall off to get down wind of the victim and then head up to them (kind of a figure 8). If sailing downwind, you just round up to the victim, possibly tacking some to get to them. The basic idea is to approach the victim from downwind so as not to drift over them. The really wonderful thing about all this is that it's pretty much like approaching a pier or mooring so by practicing man overboard drills you're also practicing docking, mooring, even anchoring. It's about momentum - how far will the boat coast when head to wind? With practice you get to know the answer for your boat pretty well.
Of course, in a real emergency getting to the man overboard is only half the battle. Think about how hard it would be to lift a possibly unconscious sopping wet adult from the water and into a boat in big wind and waves. And maybe it's night too. And maybe the boat is full of water. And maybe you're the one that's fallen overboard and the people on the boat don't know how to sail. It's pretty bleak. That's why it's so important to not fall overboard - duh! I used to tell students to consider the boat to be like the edge of a tall building. Do whatever you can to not fall off. Being tethered to the boat is a good idea, especially when singlehanding, even in light weather.
That's my two cents,
Bflat Bob
Last edited by
Bflat on Fri May 09, 2014 6:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.