Maxprop wrote:
I won't dispute that maxis are built for heavy loads, but I'm betting they
normally aren't built for the sorts of conditions of the '98 Hobart.

Of course they're not.

The only boat that is, is a submarine.


Considering the force of the wind and the speed at which boats plunged off
those monstrous, steep waves, the forces applied to hull and rig were
exponentially greater than what might be normally encountered in typical
"bad" weather.


And those tremendous forces were due to conditions, not the
design or build of the boats. *Any* vessel would be
stressed, any small (by which I mean 50 tons & less)
cruising sailboat probably would have fared worse. As you
pointed out, the closest thing to a crab-crusher in that
fleet sank.

Most of the skippers in that fleet were sailors of long
experience. They were sailing superbly equipped boats with
skilled crews. Once the game becomes survival (which becamse
apparent to all fairly soon), then if would have been better
to lie-to a sea anchor, or run bare poles with a drogue,
they'd have done that (IIRC a few did use drogues for a
while at the peak of the storm).

Many boats ran back for cover and anchored.... not generally
considered a gung-ho racing tactic

DSK