Coast Guard advice for all Cat Sailors

[markpierce]

Have had numerous "knock downs" in a monohull, but never rolled over.

I there a tendency for catamarans to "trip"?

[Zzmeyer]

Originally Posted by Factor

Beauty - eye of the beholder and all that

No that is just rubbish - Some can some cant just like monos. I have pushed Benetau First series boats to tack when they were the windward boat on a Pescott amongst a number of others. On many a Seawind I have sailed just as high and fast as similar crusing monos.
Yeah, beggared if know where they are all parked. . Nope

Note, kind sir, that my current boat is a cat and I was being a touch facetious. I dare say you can’t name a multihull as beautiful as a Hinckley Bermuda 40. I think few would argue slips are as easy to find for a multihull, but my point was rather Multihulls, like monohulls are both just fine. The only cat I ever raced on was US1 Stars and Stripes and it held its own against a monohull.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by Luff Shack

I am a good friend of the owner of this boat. The name of the boat is Exit Strategy.

Thank you for your informative post It's very useful for those who actually want to take some knowledge from this unfortunate event.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Good report.

NEVER underestimate a squall. Certain areas are well know for nasty ones, and the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay are two of them. If anything, I am consistently guilty of taking all sail down early. Most of the time it is an over reaction, but I don't mind.

I'll sail HARD in steady wind, but there's no fun in sailing around microbursts. Better to just motor for a while. In this case, there is no way of knowing what the peak wind speed may have been.


I will add that the PDQ has keels too far forward (you can see that in the image) because it was designed for drying out (I actually moved mine aft). It also has small rudders. Thus, in a hard gust, particularly if the transom began to lift and the boat was moving slowly, he would have had no ability to bear away. It probably rounded up.

Here's the problem with saying never underestimate squalls, or as others have pointed out (not necessarily about this thread) it's not the boat, its operator error. We "operators make errors at times!! that's human.

Unfortunately I can say I've made mistakes, or situations have changed quicker than I reacted, you need a boat that forgives your screw ups ,a boat that absorbs your errors.

I said on this forum many times I'd like a big cat in the future, my only hesitation is me getting caught out by my own stupidity, tiredness, crew on watch while I'm a sleep etc, yes I know cats flip rarely.

Of course a mono wont absorb your error of bad navigation and running into a reef etc but often it will forgive you in the scenario of a micro burst.

NOT saying monos are better.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by refuge

...Why hasn’t a rig manufacturer capitalized on the option of a turtle preventer for catamarans? Seems fairly easy. Certain inclination and dump the main sheet? Would be wise for mono’s too. ...

Turtle prevention. It has been tested many times. Google it. Doesn't work.


Sheet release. Many systems, many problems in a seaway. And since they were broad reaching and the boom was probably pinned against the shrouds, releasing the sheet wouldn't do much.


And then there is this (near my home marina, not an internet search). Fortunately, for the crew, the water was shallow. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, it will become a hazard to navigation as some as some enterprising chap salvages the mast.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

Wear Life Jackets At All Times.

At ALL times huh? That is proven to be BAD advice for folks trapped inside a ship's hull or a ditched airplane. An uninflated vest is a different story.

Seeing how cats have such a propensity to "flip" all the time.....I've decided to paint the bridge deck of my cat international orange. Wear crash helmets indoors at all times and invert everything in the forward berths for life upside down.

Yup, that should so it.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by gatorman49

Voice call uses significant bandwidth. Texting does not. Further, text signal repeat thus likelyhood of getting through crowded system or dealing with a weak signal.

Yes, but after watching the video it would seem the phone was submerged in water, I’m surprised anything worked.
Seeing as how it most likely was submerged, being inoperative is likely

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Yes, but after watching the video it would seem the phone was submerged in water, I’m surprised anything worked.
Seeing as how it most likely was submerged, being inoperative is likely

Easy to find waterproof cases for smart phones and many have significant water resistant or water proof abilities on their own. I like a Pixel due to google offering the Fi service but there are plenty of other options.

https://www.androidauthority.com/bes...phones-718588/.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Turtle prevention. It has been tested many times. Google it. Doesn't work.


Sheet release. Many systems, many problems in a seaway. And since they were broad reaching and the boom was probably pinned against the shrouds, releasing the sheet wouldn't do much.


And then there is this (near my home marina, not an internet search). Fortunately, for the crew, the water was shallow. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, it will become a hazard to navigation as some as some enterprising chap salvages the mast.

True and there was this during what seemed to be a low level squall in weds night racing this summer on Chesapeake. All monos stayed afloat and self righted if knocked down. No one expected the wind burst. Operator error mainly with benefit of hindsight. Boat inversion terrifies me more than sinking, others can feel differently.

[smj]

Originally Posted by malbert73

True and there was this during what seemed to be a low level squall in weds night racing this summer on Chesapeake. All monos stayed afloat and self righted if knocked down. No one expected the wind burst. Operator error mainly with benefit of hindsight. Boat inversion terrifies me more than sinking, others can feel differently.

Attachment 200326

Yep, the guy in the red life jacket on the inverted trimaran looks pretty darn terrified!

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by malbert73

... Boat inversion terrifies me more than sinking, others can feel differently....

Really? That is hard for me to understand. I guess I've inverted enough beach cats and dinghies to get past that.


I always expect wind bursts. Really. I can't say I've been surprised, since the first few I expereinced, 40 years ago.

[LoudMusic]

Looks like a great time to do a bottom job.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by smj

Yep, the guy in the red life jacket on the inverted trimaran looks pretty darn terrified!

Actually from folks who were there 2 people almost drowned- 1 got trapped underneath in some lines and fortunately was an ex USCG so had training in escaping underwater. Another got washed away and with the chop was struggling to keep head up. Luckily a PFD blew right to him and he was able to hold on until the squall passed

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Really? That is hard for me to understand. I guess I've inverted enough beach cats and dinghies to get past that.


I always expect wind bursts. Really. I can't say I've been surprised, since the first few I expereinced, 40 years ago.

Of course not dinghies and beach cats- have turtled these racing more than I can remember.

I mean cruising boats. I cruise with kids and cats. Even if sinking is as common as turtling as a freak occurrence- sudden inversion like the OP story leaves no time to prepare and the thought of my kids or family trying to get out is chilling. We’d all be scared of sinking and most accounts I’ve read you have minutes or more to get PFDs on and launch a life raft or dinghy.

To each their own. Pretending this squall risk is preventable or can’t happen isn’t realistic if you cruise a cat. It won’t keep me from owning one in the future but I like performance so I have to acknowledge and plan for that in my risk analysis

[smj]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Actually from folks who were there 2 people almost drowned- 1 got trapped underneath in some lines and fortunately was an ex USCG so had training in escaping underwater. Another got washed away and with the chop was struggling to keep head up. Luckily a PFD blew right to him and he was able to hold on until the squall passed

Sorry to hear they had a hard time.