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Yeah, it probably wouldn't have happened with more crew. I was on the foredeck and had just raised the chute when the puff hit. I was reaching for the snuffer line and the gust pulled it loose from the cleat I had it wrapped on. Next thing ya knew, the chute un-snuffed and the snuffer line was about 12' off the boat. I stepped from the deck onto the side of the staysail boom as she laid over. I looked back, grabbed a shroud and watched my helmsman laying on the bottom side of the cockpit trying to get the rudder to do ANYTHING while noticing the house was staying dry as well as the cockpit. Wonderful designs these old S&S's. It was kinda slow motion and I looked at the Mizzen spreader in the water and then the Main spreader as it came out of the water. She was off and rounded up like a shot then so I stepped from the staysail boom back to the deck. I went to the mast as she started falling off and blew the halyard rather than do that broach again. I learned a few things, had a great run back and caught pneumonia because I was soaked and the wind chill dropped to about 10 F in minutes with the gale and cold front. Nothing some penicillin couldn't fix.
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