[Rhodes22-list] Seaworthiness and survivability thoughts.

[mtroy at atlanticbb.net]

A couple of points from collective memory. If you go to 
the rhodes22.org FAQ, and click on Stories, then Sailing 
the Chesapeake, you can read David Dawson‘s account of a 
near capsize when he underestimated winds coming out of a 
cove where he had anchored.

If you go back to where you clicked on stories and then 
click on the FAQ link in the center, there is an 
alphabetical collection by topic of advice and narrative 
from the earlier days of the list. Click on Capsize and 
you can read Paul Cleavager's account of his R22 turtling 
under power in a microburst.

Further discussion of this incident at the time noted that 
the water where the capsize occurred was less than 20 feet 
deep so the mast on the bottom may have contributed to the 
boat not turning upright after the incident. Also note 
that there were many other capsizes in that storm 
including if memory serves, a boat or two over 30 feet.

Also note it was the wallof water wave pushed by the storm 
and not the wind itself that capsized the boat.

Mary Lou
ex-Rhodes 22
now Rosborough RF-246

On Wed, 22 Feb 2017 20:33:18 -0700 (MST)
  S/V Lark <Colealexander at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Brooks suggested this be bumped to a new thread.   It 
>was posted under Jay's
> thread Cockpit Drains and inspired by his hard sailing 
>concerns:   
> 
> I'm glad to know some push their boat so hard.   I 
>didn't buy a bluewater
> boat, but have certainly found myself in unexpected 
>conditions with little
> boats.  I've gotten more cautious (wimpy) with age, but 
>its good to have
> reserve capacity.   
> 
> Jay talked about closing off the space beneath the seats 
>to minimize
> seawater in the cockpit if inundated by waves. 
>  However, I believe
> decreasing the volume of the cockpit without decreasing 
>the surface area
> won't limit the amount of water dumped in by heavy seas 
>or a steep wave at
> an inlet.   Therefore you increase the risk of 
>overflowing the bridge deck.  
> Increasing the bulkhead separation from the cockpit to 
>the cabin and
> lazarette makes sense, but will only help as the boat 
>heals so water levels
> are higher then they are at the companionway.   
> 
> To my knowledge one boat under power has flipped and 
>turtled from a
> following wave.  The stub keel did not right it (of 
>course even Vendee Globe
> boats have found themselves in that predicament), but 
>the flotation saved
> the boat.   Are there other examples?  She seems a 
>remarkably forgiving
> design, and one of the more robust trailer launchable 
>pocket cruisers, some
> of the reasons I bought one from Stan. 
> 
> How complete of a knockdown will it right from?  100'? 
>  
> 
> My thoughts / concerns on surviving extreme weather 
>(besides the obvious of
> watching the weather window and wasting precious 
>vacation days instead of
> pushing the envelope) is 
> 1.  A tether would be useful at times.   Where do you 
>secure it? 
> 2.  The pop top is the biggest vulnerability I see in 
>the event of a
> complete knockdown or especially if the boat was rolled. 
> How do you secure
> yours? 
> 3.  I've had a roller FURLING jib unexpectedly open up 
>or fail to reef.  
> Exciting.   A partially reefed jib could become big and 
>ugly if the line
> breaks or the cleat fails.    Has anybody who pushes 
>their boat considered a
> spare halyard and a stormsail hanked over the furled 
>jib, as a way to secure
> the jib and limit canvas at the same time?   
> Unless I scare my girlfriend off I expect more 
>excursions on bigger water in
> the future.    Marina hopping on a schedule means you 
>have to be able to get
> back again, even if the weather deteriorates beyond 
>projections.  I'm also a
> calculator who likes backup backup plans (and the radio 
>doesn't count as a
> backup plan).   
> 
> Rick had responded with advice on jacklines between the 
>fore and aft cleats,
> outside of the shrouds, to secure a tether to.  Thanks. 
>  His advice on the
> pop top was to use a line and the jam cleat to secure it 
>to the stoop, which
> I do but have never been completely satisfied.   He also 
>believes the jib
> reefing line and cleat are adequate with a stop knot. 
>   This may be
> adequate under most circumstances, but I have seen how 
>fast a sail will
> unfurl in a gale, and how quickly it will shred itself. 
>  Failure of any
> system is always possible.  I've followed Jerry's lead 
>and added a redundant
> lashing to the furled jib in dock.   
> 
> I invite all to respond anew.
> 
> Alex
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----
> Alex Cole
> S/V Lark
> --
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