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capsize
From Newsday: MEN RESCUED AFTER CAPSIZING JENNIFER SMITH May 22, 2006 Two local men were rescued from Long Island Sound yesterday afternoon after a gust of wind flipped the boat they were sailing, Suffolk police said. John Gearity, 56, of Coram, and John McCready, 52, of Huntington, were on a 28-foot sailboat about a mile northeast of Port Jefferson Harbor when a storm front blew in from the north, bringing heavy rain and whipping winds up to 35 mph, police said. The boat capsized at 2:28 p.m., throwing both men into 54-degree water. Officers from the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau heard a radio transmission reporting the incident and arrived six minutes later.
From Newsday: MEN RESCUED AFTER CAPSIZING JENNIFER SMITH May 22, 2006 Two local men were rescued from Long Island Sound yesterday afternoon after a gust of wind flipped the boat they were sailing, Suffolk police said. John Gearity, 56, of Coram, and John McCready, 52, of Huntington, were on a 28-foot sailboat about a mile northeast of Port Jefferson Harbor when a storm front blew in from the north, bringing heavy rain and whipping winds up to 35 mph, police said. The boat capsized at 2:28 p.m., throwing both men into 54-degree water. Officers from the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau heard a radio transmission reporting the incident and arrived six minutes later.
capsize
It seems to me its really unusual to hear of a capsize of a boat that size, especially if its not in a hurricane in the North Atlantic. I would be really curious to learn more as well. Most boats of that size would come back from a knockdown.
It seems to me its really unusual to hear of a capsize of a boat that size, especially if its not in a hurricane in the North Atlantic. I would be really curious to learn more as well. Most boats of that size would come back from a knockdown.
capsize
I doubt that the 28' sailboat actually turned over. Virtually all keelboats can be knocked-down to put the sails flat on the water but the weight of the keel wil quickly right the boat, especially if the ocupants release the main. If the occupants had attached themselves to the lifelines they would not have been thrown into the water. Only the boats such as the flat bottomed and non-weighted keel boats like the West Wight Potter 15 and 19 will not right themselves and will completely turn upside down (180 degrees) and be virtually impossible to be uprighted. Novelman
I doubt that the 28' sailboat actually turned over. Virtually all keelboats can be knocked-down to put the sails flat on the water but the weight of the keel wil quickly right the boat, especially if the ocupants release the main. If the occupants had attached themselves to the lifelines they would not have been thrown into the water. Only the boats such as the flat bottomed and non-weighted keel boats like the West Wight Potter 15 and 19 will not right themselves and will completely turn upside down (180 degrees) and be virtually impossible to be uprighted. Novelman
a safety note
The previous posting mentioned being attached to the life line.... life lines are not designed to handle the force of a harnessed person tethered to the life line... not a safe practice... attach to a jackline or padeye.... as far as a capsize - if fix keel boat... did not happen ... not with 35 knots of wind unless there was a sea state with breaking waves in excess of 6-8 feet and hitting them abeam... i love stories from the press.... : )
The previous posting mentioned being attached to the life line.... life lines are not designed to handle the force of a harnessed person tethered to the life line... not a safe practice... attach to a jackline or padeye.... as far as a capsize - if fix keel boat... did not happen ... not with 35 knots of wind unless there was a sea state with breaking waves in excess of 6-8 feet and hitting them abeam... i love stories from the press.... : )
Lot's of experts.
I'm surprised the number of opinions considering the make and type of boat is unknown.
I'm surprised the number of opinions considering the make and type of boat is unknown.
Maybe...
it wasn.t a true capsize, but a knock down that ejected the occupants.. The press wouldn't know the difference and "capsize" sounds more dramatic.
it wasn.t a true capsize, but a knock down that ejected the occupants.. The press wouldn't know the difference and "capsize" sounds more dramatic.
capsize
I sail out of the same harbor the capsized boat sailed out of (Mt. Sinai Harbor). The story is that the boat was a 28' catamaran, new to the owner who did not pay attention to weather forecasts predicting a strong front moving through with gusts upto 35+ kts. The two men were lucky to have been picked up so quickly. A final footnote is that upon their return to the harbor they went to the local launch service and asked for a full refund as they are through with sailing!!
I sail out of the same harbor the capsized boat sailed out of (Mt. Sinai Harbor). The story is that the boat was a 28' catamaran, new to the owner who did not pay attention to weather forecasts predicting a strong front moving through with gusts upto 35+ kts. The two men were lucky to have been picked up so quickly. A final footnote is that upon their return to the harbor they went to the local launch service and asked for a full refund as they are through with sailing!!
I sail a Cat
I sail a beach Cat - 19' long. A bigger Cat that you can't right when you flip it scares me - I feel safer on a bigger boat, with one hull, and a keel. I've rented or chartered this year from 22' to 34', all monos. I am glad when I got caught out off Catalina Island by too much wind, the boat was a Catalina 34 with a nice big 'keep it upright' keel underneath it. I made the same weather mistake these 28 foot cat guys did - only the Catalina 34 took good care of us and it wasn't hard to handle at all - just a bit tough to pick up the mooring, but even that we got right after a few trys. JM2C, OldCat
I sail a beach Cat - 19' long. A bigger Cat that you can't right when you flip it scares me - I feel safer on a bigger boat, with one hull, and a keel. I've rented or chartered this year from 22' to 34', all monos. I am glad when I got caught out off Catalina Island by too much wind, the boat was a Catalina 34 with a nice big 'keep it upright' keel underneath it. I made the same weather mistake these 28 foot cat guys did - only the Catalina 34 took good care of us and it wasn't hard to handle at all - just a bit tough to pick up the mooring, but even that we got right after a few trys. JM2C, OldCat
Mono vs multi...
I cut my teeth on my home-made catamaran in the 70ties as a teenager and now sail a mono. If someone cap'd a cat at that length they were either inexperienced sailors or inexperienced multi sailors! The beam must have been roughly 14' wide.
I cut my teeth on my home-made catamaran in the 70ties as a teenager and now sail a mono. If someone cap'd a cat at that length they were either inexperienced sailors or inexperienced multi sailors! The beam must have been roughly 14' wide.
doh!
I am new to sailing also, but atleast I am smart enough to check the weather before I go out. I check the weather channel or Metro Traffic & Weather (local weather station), I also check the internet, and usually while I am getting the boat ready to go I turn on the WX channel on the handheld VHF. I am sure one of these days I will get caught in some freak weather, but I'll be darned if I get caught in something they knew was coming.
-- Jeremy
I am new to sailing also, but atleast I am smart enough to check the weather before I go out. I check the weather channel or Metro Traffic & Weather (local weather station), I also check the internet, and usually while I am getting the boat ready to go I turn on the WX channel on the handheld VHF. I am sure one of these days I will get caught in some freak weather, but I'll be darned if I get caught in something they knew was coming.
-- Jeremy
Funny
that they asked for a refund That made my day. Good points made here like the media doesn't know the diff between a knockdown and a capsize. Cats are very easy to capsize if you don't know what your doing. When the wind jumps from 15 to 35+ knots in the blink of an eye because of a storm and you got all your sails up, you better believe it's going over and the day of sailing is over. Good to see we scared another group out of sailing. Now if only the boat sank so it wouldn't take up a slip someplace
that they asked for a refund
That made my day. Good points made here like the media doesn't know the diff between a knockdown and a capsize. Cats are very easy to capsize if you don't know what your doing. When the wind jumps from 15 to 35+ knots in the blink of an eye because of a storm and you got all your sails up, you better believe it's going over and the day of sailing is over. Good to see we scared another group out of sailing. Now if only the boat sank so it wouldn't take up a slip someplace
capsizing catamaran
Glad it was a catamaran, so the Admiral won't be scared. Many years ago I capsized a rented hobie on Cape Cod. Interestingly, my friend had capsized his a few minutes earlier, so once I saw he was OK I put on my best monohull expertise and kept sailing with a very cautious eye. A few minutes later a big gust came up so I did what I would do in my monohull -- I released the mainsheet, which I had been holding in my hand, and turned smartly into the wind. While I was swimming I tried to figure out why that didn't work. I realized that once the pontoon lifted out of the water, wind could come up underneath, and the trampoline became a sail. Also, I was going so fast and the boat was so light that centrifugal force from my sharp turn to windward increased the negative righting moment. So i learned a couple of things: on a catamaran being overpowered, steer downwind; keep the weight as far outboard as possible; and don't sail catamarans with your wallet in your pocket.
Glad it was a catamaran, so the Admiral won't be scared. Many years ago I capsized a rented hobie on Cape Cod. Interestingly, my friend had capsized his a few minutes earlier, so once I saw he was OK I put on my best monohull expertise and kept sailing with a very cautious eye. A few minutes later a big gust came up so I did what I would do in my monohull -- I released the mainsheet, which I had been holding in my hand, and turned smartly into the wind. While I was swimming I tried to figure out why that didn't work. I realized that once the pontoon lifted out of the water, wind could come up underneath, and the trampoline became a sail. Also, I was going so fast and the boat was so light that centrifugal force from my sharp turn to windward increased the negative righting moment. So i learned a couple of things: on a catamaran being overpowered, steer downwind; keep the weight as far outboard as possible; and don't sail catamarans with your wallet in your pocket.
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