Lessons learned Jan. 22, 2006 (even if already known):

- A Stiletto 23 cat goes _verrrrry_ fast in chilly winter
winds;
- When hit by a 40 kt gust, a "Stiletto" cat will capzize,
turn over and remain over, but stay afloat . . . for a while
(though its still erect if vertically down-pointing mast will
help keep it from skinking in less than 36' of water);
- The underside of a cockpit of an overturned Stiletto
cat can hold three chilly guys, assuming they can be
pulled can climb from the water;
- An overturned Stilletto can be towed upside down
until the earlier of the mast hitting an obstruction or
a depth of +/- 36 feet;
- Its desirable to have a lanyard tied to a handheld
VHF and the lanyard actually tied to the boat;
- When the VHF has fallen in the water, it is helpful
to have a cell phone with working batteries in a Zip-loc
bag;
- Underwater rocks can break through the hull of a
Stilletto if being towed while capsized;
- L.I. Sound water is verrrrrry cold in Jan.

Try reefing.

wrote

Lessons learned Jan. 22, 2006 (even if already known):

- A Stiletto 23 cat goes _verrrrry_ fast in chilly winter
winds;
- When hit by a 40 kt gust, a "Stiletto" cat will capzize,
turn over and remain over, but stay afloat . . . for a while
(though its still erect if vertically down-pointing mast will
help keep it from skinking in less than 36' of water);
- The underside of a cockpit of an overturned Stiletto
cat can hold three chilly guys, assuming they can be
pulled can climb from the water;
- An overturned Stilletto can be towed upside down
until the earlier of the mast hitting an obstruction or
a depth of +/- 36 feet;
- Its desirable to have a lanyard tied to a handheld
VHF and the lanyard actually tied to the boat;
- When the VHF has fallen in the water, it is helpful
to have a cell phone with working batteries in a Zip-loc
bag;
- Underwater rocks can break through the hull of a
Stilletto if being towed while capsized;
- L.I. Sound water is verrrrrry cold in Jan.

wrote:
Lessons learned Jan. 22, 2006 (even if already known):

- A Stiletto 23 cat goes _verrrrry_ fast in chilly winter
winds;
- When hit by a 40 kt gust, a "Stiletto" cat will capzize,
turn over and remain over, but stay afloat . . . for a while
(though its still erect if vertically down-pointing mast will
help keep it from skinking in less than 36' of water);

Don't they have positive flotation?

- The underside of a cockpit of an overturned Stiletto
cat can hold three chilly guys, assuming they can be
pulled can climb from the water;
- An overturned Stilletto can be towed upside down
until the earlier of the mast hitting an obstruction or
a depth of +/- 36 feet;
- Its desirable to have a lanyard tied to a handheld
VHF and the lanyard actually tied to the boat;
- When the VHF has fallen in the water, it is helpful
to have a cell phone with working batteries in a Zip-loc
bag;
- Underwater rocks can break through the hull of a
Stilletto if being towed while capsized;
- L.I. Sound water is verrrrrry cold in Jan.

Sounds like a potentially dangerous sail. Did any of you
have on wetsuits or drysuits?

BTW I have seen 40 knot gusts flip Tornados & Mystere cats,
and somersault them so rapidly that they keep right on
flipping and end right-side up again. Wierd.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On 24 Jan 2006, DSK wrote:


- A Stiletto . . . cat . . . _verrrrry_ fast . . .
hit by a 40 kt gust . . . cat will capzize,
turn over and remain over, but stay afloat
. . . for a while . . . .

Don't they have positive flotation?

Don't know for sure, though it certainly doesn't look it inside
(except that if not punctured and if the hatches are closed, it will
float). Indeed, after the boat was found and hauled (the stern
severely damaged) the next day, it was surprising to see how thin
skinned (even if "honeycombed")/flimsy the basic structure is.

* * *
- L.I. Sound water is verrrrrry cold in Jan.

[Wearing] . . . have on wetsuits or drysuits?

Again: _VERRY_ stupid (deliberately undertaken but
shoulddahknownbetter risk): One, life vest deliberately within
reaching distance but not worn; two others, inflatable life vest.

In defense of the dumbness, the crew took a calculated risk -
fortunately, later proven correct - that a motorboat operating
collegague/would-be rescuer estimatedly no more than +/- 2-3 miles
away at any one time probably would be reachable by phone, and that
"would-be" became actual (thanks, again, to the Ziploc-bagged
cell-phone).

BTW I have seen 40 knot gusts flip Tornados & Mystere cats,
and somersault them so rapidly that they keep right on
flipping and end right-side up again. Wierd.

Apparently, a strong (ca. +/- 40 kt) gust from windward of the port
pontoon coincided with a wave and the combined force from the forward
underside of the trampoline both of water and wind lifted the bow up
and flipped the boat over backward.

The press reported the following day that a sole "kite surfer" about
twenty miles to the east (who, even more stupidly, was wearing a
drysuit and boots and gloves but no lifejacket or signaling equipment)
drowned the same day.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc...eadlines-local

Dry suits float! No need for a lifejacket!

The body was found floating. Drowning victims sink
and then refloat in a day or two as the corpse
decomposes.

He died of hypothermia.

wrote
The press reported the following day that a sole "kite surfer" about
twenty miles to the east (who, even more stupidly, was wearing a
drysuit and boots and gloves but no lifejacket or signaling equipment)
drowned the same day.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc...eadlines-local

Don't they have positive flotation?


wrote:
Don't know for sure, though it certainly doesn't look it inside
(except that if not punctured and if the hatches are closed, it will
float). Indeed, after the boat was found and hauled (the stern
severely damaged) the next day, it was surprising to see how thin
skinned (even if "honeycombed")/flimsy the basic structure is.


Well, cats are built light or they wouldn't be fast. If it
is honeycomb core, it will be relatively difficult to repair.


[Wearing] . . . have on wetsuits or drysuits?


Again: _VERRY_ stupid (deliberately undertaken but
shoulddahknownbetter risk): One, life vest deliberately within
reaching distance but not worn; two others, inflatable life vest.

In defense of the dumbness, the crew took a calculated risk -
fortunately, later proven correct - that a motorboat operating
collegague/would-be rescuer estimatedly no more than +/- 2-3 miles
away at any one time probably would be reachable by phone, and that
"would-be" became actual (thanks, again, to the Ziploc-bagged
cell-phone).


Why not carry some of those fountain pen style flares? They
come in packs you can carry in your shirt pocket.

It's your own choice, but I would never stake my own life,
or thata of a friend/family memeber, on the proper
functioning & reliability of a cell phone even if it wasn't
dropped into the water, baggy or no.




Apparently, a strong (ca. +/- 40 kt) gust from windward of the port
pontoon coincided with a wave and the combined force from the forward
underside of the trampoline both of water and wind lifted the bow up
and flipped the boat over backward.


It's an issue with multihulls, their stability is very
different from monohulls. The more they heel, the less
righting arm, and the more tramp or bridge deck exposed to
the wind. That's one big reason why cruising cats don't fly
a hull!


The press reported the following day that a sole "kite surfer" about
twenty miles to the east (who, even more stupidly, was wearing a
drysuit and boots and gloves but no lifejacket or signaling equipment)
drowned the same day.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc...eadlines-local

That's a tragedy. I wonder what happened, if he got
hypothermic anyway or ingested water when dunked or had a
heart attack. FWIW I agree with Bart, a life jacket probably
wouldn't have saved him.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King