Small boat sailing

[Cat30owner]

Just to add to the MOB answers........I thought you guys would get a good laugh out of my MOB situation. I started my sailing on a C-30 and still own it in Ventura CA. One of my dockmates was selling his boat and asked if I had a dingy. So he gave me a little fiberglass Sabot with sail, sideboard and wooden mast and boom. So I LP'ed it revarnished and re rigged it. Man what fun.( I thought) I have sailed 3 times and quickly found out it is a whole different kind of sailing , but fun. Yesturday Friday the 11th I went to the marina to take it out after work and it was alittle breezy in Ventura harbor but what good experience right? I found myself laying back over the rail often and dumping the mainsheet to keep from going over. I was doing well and saw some small boat sailing club or class going on by yhe harbor entrance where the wind was unsheltered. So I sailed down the channel and did not want cross them so I decided to tack. The boom is very low to dive under and you have to be pretty quick.As I dove under to tack and change hands with the sheet and tiller the wind caught and over I went...... Right in front of the 5 or six other sailboats. I have never dealt with this situation before but no big deal just right the boat, get in ,bail and sail. But instead of it lying on its side it completly capsized, sail mast and all. Now what? Okay I dove under the dingy released the main sheet and came back up. I could not turn it over with side board so I climbed onto the bottom of the boat grabbed the opposite rail and pulled with all my might. Finally after being circled by a few boats asking if I was OK I got it to right itself and the sail and boom were swinging wild. I had to retrieve the rudder but lost my hat ( oh well) One of the small boat sailors told me to point it into the wind and try to get in the stern,What a task! The rudder pintle was bent and the mainsheet block was broken. I am thinking...... I sure am glad I did not ask my wife to come this time. HAHAHAHA. I rebent the pintle and installed the rudder while the boom was swinging wild over my head I had to sail it back by holing the boom with one hand and the tiller with the other. As I sat in 1 foot of cold water I laughed bact to the dock I go........Man they sure go over quick!!!!! Happy sailing to you all. I hope I do not see myself on you tube HAHAHA. John Ventura West Marina

 

[Anchor Down]

Starting at the Top

John, I started off the other way, like most: learned in the sailing dinghy, then moved up to keel boats (I own C30 #4780 now). Yeah, those little critters are pretty nimble, ain't they?I sure turned mine over enough times, so you're not alone: you're just paying your dues late…Jeff

 

[CalebD]

Starting at the bottom

I learned on a Sunfish how to right a 'turtled' (completely capsized) sailboat. I think the Sunfish is bigger than your dinghy but the same methods apply. It is always best to right the sailboat with the bow into the wind; this way when the sails come up they wont fill with wind allowing the boat to take off while you are still in the water. To actually right a sunfish you grab the centerboard and stand on the hull while pulling with all your weight (if your dinghy has no centerboard then I wonder how you did it?). This manouver will right the boat and put you in the water unless you are nimble enough to walk over the hull to the cockpit as the boat is righting.A suggestion I have is to not have the main or jib (if you have one) sheet cleated when you come about as they can fill quite suddenly as you now know. You can also come about more slowly at the risk of getting in irons or not getting the boat turned about (this would not be a racing turn). These little gals do not handle the same as your heavier, bigger boats do.I remember trying to right a turtled Prindle 16' catamaran rental in Megan's Bay on St. Thomas. It was much more difficult than the sunfish but some of the procedures are the same (eg., bow to the wind, body weight in the right place). My friend 'turtled' the boat after I had jumped off (he had done the same and I picked him up). I had to swim 200 yards to the capsized cat and we managed to right it several times only to have it take off on us after each righting and capsize again. One problem with the catamaran is that it helps to have the mast come up to windward as this helps raise it. It also helps to push it right over again on the other side. The rental guy on the beach (a native) came out in a little motor boat and proceeded to foul things up much worse than we had. This episode happened way before YouTube so I feel a lot better about it.I think I have learned a lot from each embarrasing moment I have had on the water. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Wanderer138]

Welcome aboard

Some say you are not a true sailor until you have mastered small boat sailing, because things happen faster in small boats. That's not necessarily all bad, because it's a great way to learn how to sail with finesse, which in turn is the key to learning how to sail really well.The first thing they teach in small-boat sailing classes is how to right the boat after a capsize. After a few dunks, you start recognizing the signs of an impending capsize and not too long thereafter you figure out what you need to do to avoid one. The really cool thing is that once you've developed that skill, you can then apply it to sailing your keelboat. You will be amazed at how much better you will sail the bigger boat. Happy sailing.PeterH23 "Raven"