"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:50:40 -0400, Jeff wrote:


BTW, although he never mentions it, the boat he keeps referring to as
the "bad cat" is a Prout - solid deck, narrow, center pod, etc. Prout
essentially created the modern cruising cat. They built 5000 hulls,
which are sailing all over the world with a near perfect safety
record. Dozens have circumnavigated - perhaps more than any other
brand of sailboat. I've never heard of any capsizing - they have a
very heavy hull and undersized rig, and the central pod provides
enormous forward buoyancy in pitchpole situations. However, they were
not sold by Bay Yacht. Bay Yacht did, however, sell the FP Tobago
35'. Everyone has an agenda.

Yes, it's difficult to cut through agendas.
Sorting out the real facts is what's important, and then adjusting to
those facts. Knowing what really caused this catamaran to go upside
down would be a useful fact.


It got hit by a squall. That's what a couple different reports have
said. Just google "catamaran rescue".

The bottom line is the wind in the sails flipped the boat over. The same
nor'easter that's wreaking havoc on the NE trailed a cold front through
the Gulf and the squall line with winds gusting to 50knots passed right
through the area where the catamaran turned turtle at the very time it
flipped over. The crew probably was not even aware of the frontal
passage squall line as NOAA weather radio does not have the range
necessary. BTW the wind was from the SW prior to the squall line passing
and quickly veered to the NW. This means they probably were running
maybe with a spinnaker or a large genny. If they didn't note the squall
line approaching, they could have got taken unawares. BAM! Fifty knots
on the beam with a 150% spinnaker = instant knockdown for a mono or
instant capsize for a cat. This is the big problem with catamarans.
Their initial stability is great - better than a monohull. But hit them
with a blast of wind on the beam and they tend to lift a hull. Once that
happens, the stability curve gets logarithmically less until, at 90
degrees, it is zero, zilch, nada. Another thing that tends to compound
the problem is when hit with a strong blast of wind from the beam a
catamaran doesn't have much tendency to turn up into the wind like a
monohull does. The hull form and ballast of a monohull tends to head the
boat up where the wind can't knock it down whereas a catamaran doesn't
head up at all. Face it, a catamaran is a poor design for ocean
voyaging.

Wilbur Hubbard