Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

wrote in message
oups.com...
Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King



Given the boom can no longer be eased, seems to me the only two things you
could do would be to attempt to head up or ease the main halyard. The former
would be difficult, given that you'd probably have to move to the low side
to get the tiller in the right spot, thus the boat would temporarily heel
even more. Dropping the halyard might not be possible very quickly.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

wrote:

Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


Letting out the jib sheet might ease the heeling somewhat, perhaps long
enough to permit him to use the tiller to head up. What's different is
that the jib itself has some sort of boom, which would tend to restrict
any attempt to merely let the jib fly.

Jim

wrote:

Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?

Do the opposite of what seems obvious, head down, get under the main,
jybe.

Cheers
Marty

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?


Martin Baxter wrote:
Do the opposite of what seems obvious, head down, get under the
main,
jybe.


Aw, you must have cheated.

An asymmetric spinnaker on the end of a long fixed pole or sprit will
exert a lot of leverage to make the boat head downwind, even when
totally luffing or flogging. Therefore heading up, as becomes reflex
for people driving fast monohulls, doesn't work.

One thing I have not tried is to let go the pole extending line,
letting the sprit retract and taking away the leverage. I suspect the
pole might not draw back easily under the circumstances but since it
is a common way to capsize, finding ways to get out of that situation.

I'd like to try an articulating bowsprit, when in this situation you
could dump the guy and let it fold back.

As a big plus, a-sails don't make the boat broach and actually help
steer downwind.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?


"Capt. JG" wrote:
Given the boom can no longer be eased, seems to me the only two things you
could do would be to attempt to head up

Nope
Trying to head up will lay the boat on it's side, especially once the
foils begin to stall. In the pic, the rudder is mostly out of the
water too.

.... or ease the main halyard.


IMHO the sail's not going to come down fast enough to get out of the
situation. They're a few seconds from capsizing and the crew has to
stay hiked out. I'd like to try it if the water was warm.

Boom vang!

Releasing the vang, which should be on a split control to either gun'l
and easily accessible when hiked out, will let the boom rise and
accomplish two things. The boom won't be digging in as hard and the
upper sections of the mainsail will open up & luff freely.

The problem with easing the vang is that if the boat is acting
squirrely and the skipper yanks the boat downwind as soon as she'll
respond, the upper part of the main is now uncontrolled and will try
to death-roll the boat. The skipper has to stay calm, put the boat
onto an easy reach, and tighten the vang again as well as encourage
the crew to get the spinnaker under control.

One problem I've had with this type of situation is that after one of
these incidents, the crew will sometimes be spooked and regard the
spinnaker sheets as though they were poisonous snakes. An interesting
psychological problem as well as a boat-handling issue.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

In article , Martin Baxter wrote:
wrote:

Boat is overpowered in a gust:
http://i1.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/8f/19/843e_1.JPG

Spinnaker flogging, boom dragging in the water and cannot be eased
further.

In the pic, the boat is still moving forward but very soon the foils
will stall and she will be uncontrollable. The skipper has a few
seconds to take action or they will capsize. What should he do?

As a bonus question, what is different about the boat in the pic from
most conventional sloops that might affect the skipper's range of
successful options?

Do the opposite of what seems obvious, head down, get under the main,
jybe.

Not sure if this would work... looks like the boat is about to
capsize... putting more pressure on the main would make it
worse... might pitchpole...
--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

In article om,
wrote:
Martin Baxter wrote:
Do the opposite of what seems obvious, head down, get under the
main,
jybe.


Aw, you must have cheated.

An asymmetric spinnaker on the end of a long fixed pole or sprit will
exert a lot of leverage to make the boat head downwind, even when
totally luffing or flogging. Therefore heading up, as becomes reflex
for people driving fast monohulls, doesn't work.

One thing I have not tried is to let go the pole extending line,
letting the sprit retract and taking away the leverage. I suspect the
pole might not draw back easily under the circumstances but since it
is a common way to capsize, finding ways to get out of that situation.

I'd like to try an articulating bowsprit, when in this situation you
could dump the guy and let it fold back.

As a big plus, a-sails don't make the boat broach and actually help
steer downwind.

Interesting!

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

Jonathan Ganz wrote:


Not sure if this would work... looks like the boat is about to
capsize... putting more pressure on the main would make it
worse... might pitchpole...

That indeed, is a possibility, no guts, no glory.

Cheers
Marty

In article , Martin Baxter wrote:
Jonathan Ganz wrote:


Not sure if this would work... looks like the boat is about to
capsize... putting more pressure on the main would make it
worse... might pitchpole...

That indeed, is a possibility, no guts, no glory.

In So. Cal., I wouldn't care so much... up here... too friggin cold to
go in the drink.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com