Single-Handed Cats

[beiland]

Capsize on the Hudson River
Submitted by Roland Schulz

Below are pictures from the evening race at the Manhattan Sailing Club on July 14, 2011. During the race, a brief but vicious thunderstorm came through New York Harbor, with winds of 45-50 knots and driving rain. One of the boats, a J/24 named Great Republic, capsized, almost righted itself, and then went over for good, sinking just northeast of Ellis Island.

Scuttlebutt News: Capsize on the Hudson River

[beiland]

Originally Posted by Factor

The TRUE wind didnt go from 15 to 60 in 15 seconds. Didn't and indeed can't.

I think you should have a look over here.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post733475


or here
Sail World - Powerboat-world: Sail and sailing, cruising, boating news

'It came up really quickly to 60 knots, which we've sailed through enough times to know what it's like. Usually, it blasts through after a minute or two, then it's over and we can keep going. So when the stuff really hit the fan, the instinct is to bear off and run with it, initially—we didn't have time to drop the sails or put in a reef.

'We're just screaming downwind—the water had been pretty flat—and I'm doing my best to stay under the rig, hoping that I didn't wipeout too badly. It was unbelievable! I'm not sure how fast we were going, but water was just BLASTING off the side of the boat. I had three guys up on the foredeck, trying to get the jib down, and then the boat just dove down, right into the lake. So we called everyone back [from the foredeck]; I figured that if the bow goes in [to the lake any further] that I'd lose control of the rudder.

'It just never stopped. It just came on stronger and stronger. It got to the point where we just had to stop and lay the boat down. Heaving-to wasn't an option.

'Our owner always tracks [and graphs] information coming off the anemometer on his laptop—after [the worst of the storm] had passed, we took a photograph of the screen. There was a twenty-minute section in there where we were obviously exposed to some very challenging conditions.

'There was about a seven-minute section where the wind was pegged between the instrument's maximum, which is 100 knots [Ed. Note: 100 knots is 115 mph or 200 kilometers per hour], and 90 knots. It's just blasting out there.

[smj]

WOW I'm stunned. From all I've learned on this forum I thought it was only multihulls that capsize.

[Factor]

At the risk of being pedantic, that story - tragic as it is, does not evidence a movement from 15knts to 60 knots in 15 seconds, didn't say it couldn't come up quick I said, and I rely on a review of weather stations wind records, that it will take more than 15 seconds to make that movement.

Again without wanting to get picky, I am well aware that eye witness accounts to anything, whilst getting the overall issue correct, rarely get a number of things precise, and when time is considered, it is extremely rare that eye witnesses get timings correct.

To be clear. Not saying that winds cant increase very quickly just not quadruple in 15 seconds, and when they do increase they do so with, usually, some visible warning.

That aside, these are tragic outcomes, perhaps racing at that location or time of year will need to be considered by the ultimate coronial inquiry.

[sailingaway221]

I have seen squall fronts move very quickly and have 40 - 50 knot winds almost instantly the squall line hits... so I have no doubt you " could " get that wind gradient... but from what i have seen it usually has some king of geographic factor to it.... IE you sail around the point and wham it goes from 15 to 45 in a matter of ten feet.......I just hope that the weather gods and my luck both are aligned.

[Joli]

There are several monos that lack ultimate stability; they float very well in a capsized position.

I've sailed this race and the BV Mac many times and while these conditions (15 to 60 in a heartbeat) are not common they happen often enough that it's wise to expect it every couple/three years.

Given the cold water and the severity of these storms I won't sail these races on a boat that lacks ultimate stability.

Condolences to the families.

Originally Posted by smj

WOW I'm stunned. From all I've learned on this forum I thought it was only multihulls that capsize.

[BOATaHOLIC]

Cat Man Do makes some great points.... I've owned two Lagoons and sailed Leopards and there should be NO PROBLEM for two fairly experienced sailors cruising a Leopard 46, 47, 43, 45 or 40....they are really well set-up and hold up well. Most people dont know this but Moorings, who developed the Leopard line, asks charterers to fill out these substantial "Comment Cards". So they have tens of thousands of comments from Type A charterers (bored out of their minds who HAVE to be doing something at all times!) who LOVE to suggest improvements and voice their opinions about the deficiencies. So, Moorings (Leopard) have EXCELLENT FEEDBACK and have listened and made the improvements to the boats. There are a lot of little "nice touches" in Leopards that come from all this and I like them...