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On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:25:42 -0400, Jeff wrote:

* Wilbur Hubbard wrote, On 8/15/2007 3:51 PM:
http://www.maxingout.com/captainslogarchive38.htm

"For the past fifteen years, I have listened to sailors tell me how
dangerous it is to sail the seven seas in a catamaran. They point
out
that in a storm, the catamaran may flip over. They are right."'

Thanks for the link. You realize, of course, that this is the owner
of a sister-ship showing that even though the cat flipped in 170 MPH
wind, it sustained relatively little damage and would have protected
anyone on board.

This was during Hurricane Ivan's strike of Grenada, the worst in the
area in modern history. Hundreds of monohulls were sunk during this
disaster.


It is interesting to speculate on the fact that this boat was anchored
and heading into the wind. What would have been the result if the boat
had been at sea, hove to? Logically the wind wold not have been from
dead ahead but from a forward quarter. I winder whether it would have
flipped in those circumstances?

The answer is "Yes!"

You'd have wind and wave working against it. It wouldn't stand a
snowball's chance in hell of staying upright. The sad thing is what if
you had it on a large sea anchor from the bows? As soon as it topped a
large wave the wind gets under it, lift it up into the air, flip it over
and dump it into the water upside-down.

You seem more sensible than many here and have a heavy, slow boat and a
store of experience (if not knowledge) so answer honestly. Would you be
comfortable in such an unstable catamaran boat in a storm at sea? I know
I'd sell my soul for a deep keel, heavy, Colin Archer design in it's
stead at least until the storm blew itself out.

Wilbur Hubbard