[Rhodes22-list] getting started/ thanks to all

R Orkin roryorkin at verizon.net
Mon Dec 17 09:53:56 EST 2007


Wonderful story.. Thanks


Geankoplis wrote:
> 
> Roy,
>    It was around 1980 and the boat was barrowed by one of the brothers of
> the kids who taught me to sail in Italy.  The boat capsized when a tornado
> came through the "pot" on Poplar Island, a sort of lagoon surrounded by
> small sand islands. The boat went over when hit and was "pole vaulted"
> upside down forcing the mast into the yogurt like mud of the pot.  
> The kids swam out and over to another boat, spent the night in the cockpit
> then swam to Jefferson Island (owned by the Smithsonian) where the used a
> radio to call me.  I went out on an Oyster work boat.   We dove into the
> water full of sea nettles and using a couple of needle nosed pliers we
> undid
> all the clevis pins.  We were able to reach them without diving.  The bolt
> on the tabernacle had a wing nut but it was still difficult wiggling the
> bolt out.  This did take some diving but I was pretty good at it. 
> Probably
> took 10 dives to free it.  Once it was free I pushed on the boat at the
> flair and it rolled back up right like an old walrus.  Lots of jelly fish
> and fondue hanging from the cabin roof.  Grabbed a couple of 5 gallon
> buckets and after a short but intense bailing session empted the boat and
> we
> then pulled the mast out of the water and mud with the help of the
> waterman.
> As it turned out one stay and chain plate had pulled out, another was
> broken.  The mast was bent but this probably happened when the Coast Guard
> showed up and tried to right it thinking it was a power boat. We towed the
> boat back to Tilgman Island and left it there and transported the motor
> back
> home and to a mechanic.  The next weekend we went back with repaired
> motor,
> hosed the boat down and motored back to the pot and anchored on the buoy I
> had placed at the capsize site.  We then dove and by feel recovered
> everything except the lazzerett cover.  The poptop was on the bottom along
> with the anchor and other stuff.  The outside cushions were on the shore
> and
> in the trees.  I did have to rebuild a lot of the interior but the boat
> served me well for another 25 years.  By coincidence, when I advertised
> the
> boat for sail in 1996, as soon as the ad appeared in the Washington post a
> guy called and wanted the boat.  He said he knew all about the Rhodes and
> knew it was built like a tank.  "How do you know so much about the
> strength
> of the Rhodes" I asked.  Oh, I saw one get hit by a tornado and it was
> inverted on its mast and it wasn't damaged.  I even saved the two kids and
> let them sleep on my boat till they swam away."  He bought it that
> afternoon.
> Chris G
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of R Orkin
> Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 10:26 AM
> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] getting started/ thanks to all
> 
> 
> Not that I ever intend to turtle the boat :-), but how did you manage to
> release the stays and bolt which I assume were under water, Did you
> release
> all the standing rigging including forestay ? Did you cut everything or
> actually release the turnbuckles etc. Sounds like quite a story
> 
> 
> Tom Hogarty wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks for the helpful reply.  I was not concerned about the stability of
>> the Rhodes, or the claim to not capsize, but was confused about something
>> I had read regarding the difficulty righting.  The shallow water and mud
>> explains it all.
>> Tom
>> 
>> 
>> Geankoplis wrote:
>>> 
>>> Dear Tom,
>>> 	   I think I am the only person in the last 30 years that managed to
>>> capsize a Rhodes, and that took a tornado.  I can say if the mast is 10
>>> feet
>>> in the mud of the pot on Poplar Island it won't right itself, but as
>>> soon
>>> as
>>> I released the stays and bolt on the tabernacle the boat popped upright
>>> after a slight hesitation. I've sailed them for the last 30 years and
>>> the
>>> Rhodes is the best boat you can find for its length.  My advice is let
>>> Stan
>>> handle everything, a referb is a custom boat designed for you, lucky
>>> dog.
>>> 
>>> Chris G
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>>> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of R Orkin
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 3:22 PM
>>> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] getting started
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Welcome,
>>>     I am across the bay from you on Tilghman Island and would be happy
>>> to
>>> help . There a number of Rhodes on the bay.. I have a 2000 referb and
>>> frankly I don't know if it has the diamond keel or not.
>>> I suspect it does.. I would doubt that the keel style has all that much
>>> effect on sailability but I would leave that answer to others.. A new
>>> boat
>>> might entail a longer wait ..
>>>            I don't know quite what you mean by self righting.. If the
>>> boat
>>> is heeled over hard, the hull drag will slow you enough to keep from
>>> capsizing in any situation I have seen.. I have had it hard on the rail
>>> lots
>>> of times.It is fun but not really where you want to be if trimmed right
>>> for
>>> speed.
>>> That being said, a microburst did capsize a Rhodes several years ago
>>> here
>>> near Knapps Narrows. The mast I believe was impaled in the mud and
>>> prevented
>>> it from geting righted.. I don't know what would happen if it were deep
>>> enough to do a full turtle.. It has lots of flotation. Stan would have
>>> to
>>> tell you how a fully water loaded Rhodes will float but I think it would
>>> sink only as far as the gunwales. I do not know of a safer boat in its
>>> size
>>> range..If sudden storms are your concern.. reef 95% of your sails for
>>> stability and /or head into the wind using the motor or anchor. The
>>> upper
>>> and middle Bay are so narrow, you are not far from some shelter most of
>>> the
>>> time. Lower bay can be a good bit worse though there are some pretty
>>> rough
>>> conditions on occasion in upper and middle.. Talk to as many experienced
>>> sailors as you can find.. 
>>> They will be happy to share their experiences and horror stories with
>>> you..:-) How they reacted to problems is always a lesson in what to do
>>> or
>>> not to do.
>>>                                 Rory
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Tom Hogarty wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hello, I'm new to sailing, just leased a slip on the Chesapeake,
>>>> Holiday
>>>> Hill Marina, Mayo, Maryland, and have decided to get a Rhodes.  Stan
>>>> just
>>>> received our deposit, and we have not yet decided which boat to
>>>> purchase. 
>>>> Does anyone on this list have one for sale?  Does anyone have enough
>>>> experience with the new diamond keel to say it justify the cost of a
>>>> new
> 
>>>> boat?  Does anything remotely related to a boat have to be justified?
>>>> I understand that these are hard to capsize and have positive
>>>> flotation,
>>>> are they self righting as well?
>>>> 
>>>> Many thanks,
>>>> Tom Hogarty
>>>> 
>>> 
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>>> 
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>>> 
>>> __________________________________________________
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>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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> 
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> 
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> 
> 

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