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#1
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"Oh god, I'm glad to see you. I'm alive!"
"DSK" wrote in message ... Bart Senior wrote: It was one of the worse days I've seen here today in Connecticut. The forecast winds were much stronger than predicted, and it was cold as hell. I decided not to go out and run any errands today. Sounds like a good day to stay indoors with a hot cup of something. ************************************ Funny thing, 25 knot winds aren't (or shouldn't be) too difficult to cope with, but cold air is much more dense and that makes a given wind speed more powerful. And then of course, being cold weakens the body on top of that. Good point Doug! Cold air does pack more punch! It has to have been gusting much higher, also the fetch was right down LIS--100 miles--the waves must have been like the ocean. Putting the rail in shouldn't be bad. Why the trouble controlling course? That is an indication of something either going wrong or about to go wrong. Must have been steering too high couple with gusts. That was a mistake. The furling line should always be snubbed or stopped to prevent this happening, especially when singlehanding. ... The pressure on it was so great I couldn't roll it up fully. Well, you're not supposed to take a furling line a winch to avoid the risk of breaking the forestay, but this is one circumstance where it might be justified. I'm sure he tried to furl it going upwind. Huge mistake! See below...it led to other bigger problems! ... So I headed back to my home port with it flogging in the wind. It was a seasaw trip into the building waves, but I was making 2.5 knots headway and confident I could get home. Then the genoa sheet pulled out of the clew and made a dive overboard for the prop, promptly shutting down the motor -- within a stone's throw of the harbor! Yes there is. Use of wrong terminology is stupid. I bet part of this is due to creeping hypothermia. When the body is chilled the brain doesn't function as well. He is an older fellow, and I'm told had trouble last year in the warm weather also. His body can't regulate temperature well. Damage to the boat: (1) one seriously blown out genoa, (2) a line wrapped around the prop I'll have to assess tomorrow in SCUBA gear, and (3) one of the shrouds (wire standing rigging) has pulled loose (indicating how close I came to losing the mast). IMHO the boat was in danger of dismasting with an unrolled and uncontrollably flogging genoa. All probably caused by the poor furling job--likely done into the wind. Three strikes and you are out--or dead in this case. That flogging sail impulse loads certainly damaged the shroud. Very much so, but I disagree with entering a strange harbor under duress just because it's closer. If it's a difficult entry then a mistake would be very costly. If it's an easy entry with clear marks then that would be better. A seaworthy vessel is safer standing off from shore than running for shelter though. It was one of my harbors. I can tell you it would have been an easy approach if he had studied the charts. Even so, he should not have turned back upwind. I can think of several places downwind he could have gone and easily gotten into a lee. (2) Even when you are in overload, you still better notice the clues. The way circumstances creep up on you is a little like the trainers' urban legend: put a frog in warm water and heat it up slowly and the frog won't notice the change until it's too late (MIT tried and failed to replicate this, but the story lives not for its accuracy but because it makes a good point. I use the three strikes rule. If three things go wrong, bail out--but you MUST have a good bail out plan. This is a good point and one reason why I say that foresight is the most important characteristic of a good skipper. I also think that hypothermia played a part in the decision making (or lack of it) process here. Interesting story and some challenging situations that bear thinking about. Thanks for posting this, Bart. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
#2
posted to alt.sailing.asa
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"Oh god, I'm glad to see you. I'm alive!"
I use the three strikes rule. If three things go wrong, bail
out--but you MUST have a good bail out plan. Wow, Bart and Doug repeat most of my answers and then pat themselves on the back after letting us know that a crapping bird in the hand smells worse than two in a bush! What else would you expect from a powerboaters and guy who works on his boat rather than sailing it? RB 35s5...a SAIL boat that actually sails! NY |
#3
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"Oh god, I'm glad to see you. I'm alive!"
"Capt. Rob" wrote in message Wow, Bart and Doug repeat most of my answers and then pat themselves on the back after letting us know that a crapping bird in the hand smells worse than two in a bush! What else would you expect from a powerboaters and guy who works on his boat rather than sailing it? No Bob you didn't... you quoted book learned data and have no experience in such matters. Your opinion is worthless. You offered no suggestions since you can't envision such conditions and thusly have nothing to provide. Until such a time as you matriculate to the status held by the likes of Doug and Bart... it would be advised that you continue your trolls and in-shore diatribe... since you really have very limited experience in boat handling except for protected near shore daysails in calm conditions. CM |
#4
posted to alt.sailing.asa
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"Oh god, I'm glad to see you. I'm alive!"
How could we repeat his answers when we
don't read them? "Capt.Mooron" wrote in message news:lv1hf.128442$S4.126219@edtnps84... "Capt. Rob" wrote in message Wow, Bart and Doug repeat most of my answers and then pat themselves on the back after letting us know that a crapping bird in the hand smells worse than two in a bush! What else would you expect from a powerboaters and guy who works on his boat rather than sailing it? No Bob you didn't... you quoted book learned data and have no experience in such matters. Your opinion is worthless. You offered no suggestions since you can't envision such conditions and thusly have nothing to provide. Until such a time as you matriculate to the status held by the likes of Doug and Bart... it would be advised that you continue your trolls and in-shore diatribe... since you really have very limited experience in boat handling except for protected near shore daysails in calm conditions. CM |
#5
posted to alt.sailing.asa
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"Oh god, I'm glad to see you. I'm alive!"
Well to give Bob his due... he is one of the most talented and successful
trolls on this group.... but his practical sailing knowledge is very limited. He seems to forget that on occasion. This of course leads him to believe he has an opinion that matters. CM "Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message ... How could we repeat his answers when we don't read them? "Capt.Mooron" wrote in message news:lv1hf.128442$S4.126219@edtnps84... "Capt. Rob" wrote in message Wow, Bart and Doug repeat most of my answers and then pat themselves on the back after letting us know that a crapping bird in the hand smells worse than two in a bush! What else would you expect from a powerboaters and guy who works on his boat rather than sailing it? No Bob you didn't... you quoted book learned data and have no experience in such matters. Your opinion is worthless. You offered no suggestions since you can't envision such conditions and thusly have nothing to provide. Until such a time as you matriculate to the status held by the likes of Doug and Bart... it would be advised that you continue your trolls and in-shore diatribe... since you really have very limited experience in boat handling except for protected near shore daysails in calm conditions. CM |