"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
Ellen MacArthur wrote:
"Jeff" wrote
Why do you say that? What's wrong with pitchpoling?

Pitchpoling is dangerous. You could break your neck. Did you see
some of those
people flying off the hull? They were standing way back on the back and
the bow still
sunk into the water and it was end over end. I think they should
re-design the hull so
it has more reserve buoyancy at the front.

Sailing close to the edge has its risks - if they weren't flipping then
the boat was undersailed or not pushed hard enough. Anyone who has sailed
high performance dinghies will flip on a regular basis. I'm not sure I
ever survived a day on a Hobie 16 without flipping. And capsizing dinks
like a 505 was just as common.

Hmm. After a couple of decades of racing all sorts of dinghies--Snipes,
Thistles, Lightnings, Lasers, Ensigns, MC Scows, and Hobie 16s--without ever
flipping one, I take issue with your contention. I can recall only two
capsizes in two-man boats and very few more in the Laser or MC (when racing
solo), yet I won my share of hardware. A capsize or flip is essentially a
DNF in most boats. Doesn't exactly make sense to be sailing so "close to
the edge" if it means not finishing or finishing near the back of the pack.

Max