Hi Patrick,
Being caught out in a sudden gust like that for
the first time may be frightening at the time,
but there is almost no chance of a capsize in
that situation.
Even without the tendency to luff up (which was
discussed a few weeks ago) it is still safe for
a couple of reasons, albeit a bit uncomfortable,
and messy if you have any lockers open
The force on the sail is balanced by the weight
of the keel, and two things work in your favour:
- the keel exerts more of a righting moment as
it moves further from the vertical when you heel,
so is trying harder to pull you upright
- as the sails move from the vertical they spill
wind, so the more you heel, the less the force
that is trying to tip you over.
A capsize is only likely to occur if there are
very large seas and the roll is induced by a wave,
so not likely in the Med.
Dinghies capsize because they don't have keels.
Now that you know what the mountans can do, you
know where to look and what to expect - that's
what the pilot books refer to as 'local knowledge'!Alisdair
Being caught out in a sudden gust like that for
the first time may be frightening at the time,
but there is almost no chance of a capsize in
that situation.
Even without the tendency to luff up (which was
discussed a few weeks ago) it is still safe for
a couple of reasons, albeit a bit uncomfortable,
and messy if you have any lockers open
The force on the sail is balanced by the weight
of the keel, and two things work in your favour:
- the keel exerts more of a righting moment as
it moves further from the vertical when you heel,
so is trying harder to pull you upright
- as the sails move from the vertical they spill
wind, so the more you heel, the less the force
that is trying to tip you over.
A capsize is only likely to occur if there are
very large seas and the roll is induced by a wave,
so not likely in the Med.
Dinghies capsize because they don't have keels.
Now that you know what the mountans can do, you
know where to look and what to expect - that's
what the pilot books refer to as 'local knowledge'!Alisdair