Subject: Re: [Catalina22] Sailboat Survival Skills (was Sailboat capsizes under Golden Gate)

From: "Bob Ferguson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 17:09:17 -0500

Chris,
 
It appears in the photos that the boat was surfing the front face of a
very large wave which broke directly over the transom.  I don't think
this is something that is likely to occur to a sailor unless you are a)
competing with the surfboarders to catch the biggest wave at the beach,
or b) in the open ocean with very high winds and very large seas all
around.  Both Francis Chichester and Joshua Slocum reported conditions
like this in their books of their solos circumnavigations (which, if any
list members haven't read, should go to the top of your reading lists!)
but not many C-22's will be seeing those kinds of conditions, I hope.
 
Bob Ferguson
l' etat bleu   #11334

>>> [email-masked] 5/2/2005 4:56:10 PM >>>

Dick,

I saw the pictures, and read what I could find on the Golden Gate
capsize, but this newbie sailor still isn't really sure what went
wrong (translated: How do I avoid the same thing?)

What actually caused the boat to go down?  I figured just riding
the crest of a wave should necessarily sink a small boat like
ours or his, should it?  

Can you enlighten me as to what actually conspired to sink his
boat?

Chris

On Mon, May 02, 2005 at 04:59:44PM -0400, Dick King wrote:
> Hi Jim - Leave it to the news media to screw it up (or maybe the TV
pictures 
> of the recovered boat were from file film).  I think I know what a
Sunfish 
> looks like.  The boat in the recovered boat photos appears not to be
a 
> Sunfish.  Am I alone in the wilderness or can someone else verify
this?
> 
> Why would two guys take a Sunfish fishing? Especially shark fishing?
Now I 
> know teenagers can do some dumb things (I know I did), but come on.
> 
> Dick King
> Melbourne, FL
> 7976 Jagged Edge
> A bad day sailing beats almost anything worth doing.

-- 

Chris Hallinan
'81 C22 #10243 "Wings High"
Sutton, MA
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From: Chris Hallinan <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 2 May 2005 19:14:32 -0400

Thanks Bob,

Was it the wave over the transom that doomed the boat, or was it
the wind and/or position of the sails that capsized her?  I think
I recall on one of the pictures they didn't have the companionway
closed, and maybe the cabin got flooded, too, which I can see
would definitely swamp the boat and lead to sinking.  

-Chris

-- 

Chris Hallinan