Swamped (Knocked down) Sirius 21?????

[c bowers]

Hello Sirius owners

I am wondering if anyone has had the unfortunate experience of "swamping" or being knocked down (if that is the correct term) while sailing your sirius 21? I have not seen any mention of this and I often wonder how much the boat can heel over safely? I find the boat quite stable but the wind can be unpredictable and I do not look forward to going over in NL water in May or June especially (we still have iceburgs at this time). I understand I must lock the keel to help right the boat in the event of a capsize. If you have capsized how difficult is the boat to right itself?

All comments/responses appreciated!

C Bowers
sail #168

 

[centerline]

i had a macgregor 21 with the swing keel and did everything i could to purposely have a knock down.... and i learned a lot about the boat, sail trim, rig tuning and sailing in general during those "sea trials"....

your boat isnt so much different than the mac 21 and the only thing I can tell you for sure, is that when you get out there and start sailing it, you will learn that it takes a lot to knock it down.
but if you have some wild wave action going on at the same time, or you jibe and broach, then you can find the right combination to get it scooping water into the cockpit.....
In my experience on the lake and nothing over 3 foot waves, I dont think its possible to have a knock down in any wind under 15kts as the boat has a tendency to round up....

once you find the right balance to your rigging and get the feel of the wind on the boat and rudder, you will be able to sail it along with the rail almost touching he water.... and then after you can sail it like that, you will learn to reef and trim your sails so the boat has a far easier time of it without heeling so much, yet still moves along at hull speed....

 

[Trailmaker]

The boat does have a tendency to round up and spill wind when the sails are overpowered. I sail in some pretty gusty and windy conditions and have NEVER taken any water into the cockpit.

Smooth Sailing!

 

[Patrica Lee]

Hi Trailmaker,
I have a inclinometer on my boat and quite often in the past I've had it heeled over to 50 degrees for fairly long tacks. You are basically standing on the other cockpit seat wall. You need a fairly strong and steady wind. I have never worried about flipping it over as the wind starts to spill off the sails long before that will happen. I usually just did to scare the girls on board and showoff for the tourists on the ferry. Of course reefing early makes the boat way more controllable and comfortable to sail.

 

[kpgraci]

In theory wind alone cannot capsize a self righting keel boat, nor can non-breaking waves, however a breaking wave with a height of 1/3 the boat length (6 feet or so in our case) easily can. Never say never, but I would not worry too much about it.

 

[srust58]

I have had one experience I would consider a knockdown in my Sirius 22. We were sailing through the wide main entrance channel in the Slate Islands (Lake Superior) and were hit by a downdraft coming off of a nearby cliff. We heeled over far enough to take water into the cockpit over the coaming on the lee side. It happened so fast that the boat didn't really get a chance to round up at first. My wife was sitting on the lee side and got soaked from the butt down. As we rounded up the boat came back up and I asked my wife why her butt was so wet.
The photo is taken in Tee Harbor(Lake Superior). A friend was knocked down while at anchor here in a 23 footer...hit broadside by a downdraft during a thunderstorm. With normal gusts or strong winds my Sirius will round up well before we have water coming into the cockpit. We have put this boat to the test in our 28 years of ownership and have had her out in waves up to 10 feet on the open waters of Superior.