Could a 40-50' Cat Survive This -

[capcook]

I was reading "Close To The Wind" the other day and while every cruiser would try to never be caught in such a storm, I was wondering if one could be survived in a 40-50 CAT.

Pete Goss turned his Mono into the wind in order to travel 160mi's to rescue a fellow racer during the Vendee Globe Yacht race of 96/97. The other yacht had been demasted and was sinking. He describes 60ft waves in a confused sea with 80kts of wind. With just a storm jib up his yacht was "hurtled into a hole at 45 degrees and stopped dead". He wrote "we were being knocked down every 30 minutes or so"..

So I was wondering, if you deployed a drogue or parachute on some really big line, kept just a storm jib up for control, could you survive such a storm in a 40-50 CAT or would a 60ft wave just toss you over and out... any thoughts...

Cheers

[neilpride]

HI CAP, even for a monohull is a serious stuff, 80 knts off wind is hurricane conditions, very hard to find for a cautious cruiser this kind off conditions, remember that vende globe crews and boats are trained for this kind off weather , if ill be caught in this mess , i tell you i dont want to be in a cata, and i dont want to be in a mono, i want to be in hard ground.
I think 60 ft of waves put a brutal presure in drogue lines, but maybe is the last resort in this conditions.
Cheers.

[cat man do]

[PUP] Multihulls in the deep blue

D

[capcook]

Thanks Catmando... good article... does sound like CATs would have a decent chance of survival... I guess I would also agree that being on land is most desireable... Still, the conditions quoted in the Close ot the wind were far from as bad as it can get... an 80kt wind is bearly a Category 1 Hurricane... down in Florida we probably wouldn't even miss work if hit with a Cat 1 storm... I can't imagine then being in a more typical Hurricane of Cat 2-3 with winds over 120kts...

cheers

[imagine2frolic]

Most all boats are, or can be a lot tougher than the sailors. Fastnet Force 10 is another good read......i2f

[sneuman]

Originally Posted by cat man do

[PUP] Multihulls in the deep blue

D

Let's keep this in perspective, the above report is pretty much useless from a statistical standpoint. There were far more monos than catamaran cruisers 15 years ago, so it's logical to assume that while the absolute number of catamarans that issued a Mayday was lower than for monos, almost certainly a much higher percentage of catamarans caught in this storm did so. I believe a Kiwi who is an active member on this board has also pointed this out -- along with the fact that there were many monos that made it through that storm without issuing a Mayday.

I am only pointing this out because that report has been misrepresented and misquoted elsewhere on the forum.

Now, that doesn't discount that these plucky multis did well and that some monos didn't do so well.

[neilpride]

I remmeber the multi ENZA with Sir Peter Blake be in similar conditions , survival conditions , with a tiny storm jib and some times runing under bare poles towing a drogue, your question if a 40 to 50 ft cata with a storm jib towing a drogue in 60 ft seas survive depend of to many factors, the cata is a production mass cata , a custom cata? is the equipment in order to be in such conditions? is a fiberglass construction or a metal construction? the crew have experience to deploy a drogue? etc...the same questions for a mono.
I be in Biscay Bay with a lagoon 380 in Gale conditions , i never see 45 to 60 ft waves in my life , and is a lot off punisment for a lagoon to be in 35 to 40 knts off wind so just imagine 60 ft seas, no please!!!! better to be in the bar with friends waiting for weather!! lol.