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.

Maxprop wrote:
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 take issue with your taking issue.

For one thing, none of the boats you mention are "high performance."
The Snipe and the Lightning are designs from the 1930s for pete's sake!
Scows and Hobie 16s are sort of performance boats but only from the
standpoint of being compared to old kludgy boats.... scows were
originated as a type in the 1890s and have not really made any greater
strides than conventional boats since then... less so IMHO.

Ensigns?!???!? Fun to sail but hardly "performance". And they do
capsize, just try broaching one with a chute up in 20+ knot winds.

For another thing, any time you are learning & practicing a new
technique... such as windward heel on a Laser... then you are liable to
blow it and capsize. The only way to avoid this is to never learn to
power up the boat or try new techniques. If you never flipped learning
to roll-gybe, then you have never learned to roll-gybe.


... 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.

Damn sure not in a Laser unless you're a fat old duffer. Heck I've
flipped twice on the first leg in a Laser and still finished in the
hunt.

-signed- Injun Ear (formerly known as Eagle Eye)