Capsize of French Alliage 42, Tao

[Cavalier]

Did anybody else catch this story?

Loss of Yacht “Tao”

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Did anybody else catch this story?

Loss of Yacht “Tao”

I think there was a thread about it that got over taken by the Cheeki Ratiki tragedy. It's been a busy spring for these stories sadly.

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by mbianka

I think there was a thread about it that got over taken by the Cheeki Ratiki tragedy. It's been a busy spring for these stories sadly.

Sad yet true. I was also wondering whether this has been a truly bad year for capsizes or whether the stories just get picked up more readily as part of the media's current 'story arc' in light of RH and CR?

[robert sailor]

These boats are interesting as they seem to break the rules. The ballast is laid in the bottom of the hull and the righting moment on these boats is very low but because they don't have a keel (as long as the center board is up) then instead of tripping over the keel they tend to slide sideways. I was visiting Jimmy Cornell in the South Pacific and he said that they also were a treat to sail under spinnaker as again the boat would not broach it would simply slide sideways for awhile and then straighten out. The downside(no pun intended) is that once inverted they don't have much of a righting moment and need a wave to get them upright again which is not cool. The good news is that they made it off safely and everyone is OK

[boatman61]

Good unbiased analysis in the article.. and for those who may consider the use of them sound reasons for a drogue..

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by Cavalier

Loss of Yacht “Tao”

Sad story.
Interesting reading however...

[robert sailor]

Have carried a series drogue with us for many years now and fortunately have never had the need for it but one day...you just never know. The good thing about the SD is that you set it and forget it, lock the wheel and go jump in the bunk. They can be a pain to retrieve though.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Good unbiased analysis in the article.. and for those who may consider the use of them sound reasons for a drogue..

Wondering about what the article said about rogue waves. The Window is only place I have experience related to rogue waves, and that is from a distance.

The Window

How common do you think rogue waves are?

[JPA Cate]

How common do you think rogue waves are? Might be a good topic for its own thread, if only we could come to a consensus on what actually constitutes a "rogue wave." FWIW, one insurance company rep here in Oz told friends of ours who had a knockdown with injuries in Bass Straits that he thinks they are far more common than is usually acknowledged. But what IS a rogue wave? Any wave more than 80% above the predicted average height? Combined seas and swell plus 50%? Other?

Ann