Peter - could you give a few more details so those of us who get caught
in same situation could use your knowledge? What sail configuration?
After getting knocked flat guess you would broach so did cockpit fill up? How long to drain? How
high waves (probably felt like 40'?), How long did you stay in broach
situation? Couple crew members? I haven't been hit with 55 gust in
this size boat so would be helpful to see how others handled it. Thank
you.
Clyde Thorington
San Jose, CA
Hi Clyde
Al and I were racing the Lake Ontario 300, double handed, in July 2010. We had been very broad reaching wing on wing in winds building from 20 kt to 30-35 (relatively steady over the afternoon).
We had two reefs in and a a poled out 135 (original Catalina sails) when it hit.
Seas were building to probably 8-10' to the point that we were starting to surf occasionally to 10-12 kts GPS.
Apparently others had seen it coming and shortened sail; but double handed we were too busy to look back over our shoulders and no one was particularly close for us to observe. Al was actually on the leeward front corner of the cockpit
We had been hit earlier in probably just under 30 kts with a 45 kt gust that caused an accidental gybe. We had a preventer in place that proved a bit too elastic (a stay set halyard) and the boom came across but remarkably softly.
Once we sorted that out we tossed in the second reef and raced on.
When we were knocked down, we did round up pretty quickly; backing the 135 and folding the whisker pole around the shrouds and then flogging the headsail and sheets into Dacron macrame.
Al had been down on the low side adjusting something and once I had grabbed the lifelines and could look for him he was clinging beside me. He didn't tell me until 2 yrs later that the water in the cockpit was 2" shy of the open companionway.
For Pete's Sake popped up very quickly and the cockpit emptied through the walkout as quickly. Al packed the broken pole away then climbed on the bow pulpit and tugged on the folds in the foresail as we ran under main alone. He managed to get the mess untangled, rigged the whisker pole off my old C27 and we carried on as we observed some boats in the distance limping along under bare poles or headsail or heavily reefer main.
They missed a bet as it was very shortly after we got stored out that, with dusk approaching, we surfed to 16.1 kts on the GPS, 18.3 on the knot meter. We went on to win the race but not before being becalmed the next afternoon for 3 hrs.
Al and I always wore PFD's when racing (actually even during pleasure sails). Looking at pictures of the start afterwards it became apparent that very few crews wore PFD's at the start, albeit wins were still pretty light at the start. We were clipped in as the wind freshened above 25, or at all times after dark or on deck.
This is a cut and paste youtube link to a good representation of the wind at the start and as the day progressed. Note that no one was wearing PFD's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntyVBe94LvE
Regards
Peter
for.petes.sake@rogers.com if you would like to correspond on this further
