L&VW
Well-Known Member
About 6:15-AM on Saturday (today), sailing happily in 12-knot winds, I got into the "wind-shadow" of a large island. Another Sunfish sailor (all-white sail) had taken advantage of this large and temporarily-empty lake to do some downwind "surfing" from the northern part of the lake to his destination about in the middle of that same island.
But in tacking for a return trip, I suddenly found myself sliding backwards into the lake -- my first capsize in a Sunfish! 'Don't know how it happened -- but for some unaccustomed deep swells -- never felt there was a good reason for the tipover. The wind had picked up a little.
In seconds, the boat "turned turtle", and I found myself attached to the inverted topside of the deck
-- mainsheet tangled with PFD -- and totally under water! Quickly, I managed to free myself —thinking at the time—this is how an Olympic sailor drowned!
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I reviewed what could have gone wrong: I later found perhaps one to a ½-gallon of water inside the hull. The result of a suspected daggerboard-trunk leak in today's 2-mile reach in a decent wind?
While "turtled", a small amount could have snuck in through a 6" Holt and Allen inspection port that never was equipped with a rubber seal. (But I wasn't very punctual in removing what water had collected yesterday). Could that "bilge-water" have contributed to exaggerate the motion of capsize, AND to ease the righting?
From my position floating slightly upwind and using the daggerboard as a lever, the Sunfish returned to right-side-up rather easily. There wasn't all that much water inside the cockpit -- a good thing, as I had closed off the troublesome Sunfish bailer. It took a few pulls on the opposite gunwhale to get my whole--entire--self back inside the cockpit. While partially immersed, I took the opportunity to bail some water out which seemed to ease getting the rest of me safely (lifted?) back into the cockpit.
So far, the only losses are a very old canoe paddle and a pair of socks. "The jury is out" on camera and cellphone, which are presently undergoing "intensive-fan-therapy". 'Guess I'll know in a few days. While inverted, both would have been pressed against the top of the cubby in an open-topped container, and didn't appear very wet. Would the "roof" of the cubby stay dry in a "normal" turtle?
I could have retrieved the paddle, but was very inclined towards getting back to home base!
Even though fully immersed, I never lost my hat!
But in tacking for a return trip, I suddenly found myself sliding backwards into the lake -- my first capsize in a Sunfish! 'Don't know how it happened -- but for some unaccustomed deep swells -- never felt there was a good reason for the tipover. The wind had picked up a little.
In seconds, the boat "turned turtle", and I found myself attached to the inverted topside of the deck
-- mainsheet tangled with PFD -- and totally under water! Quickly, I managed to free myself —thinking at the time—this is how an Olympic sailor drowned!
__________________________________
I reviewed what could have gone wrong: I later found perhaps one to a ½-gallon of water inside the hull. The result of a suspected daggerboard-trunk leak in today's 2-mile reach in a decent wind?
While "turtled", a small amount could have snuck in through a 6" Holt and Allen inspection port that never was equipped with a rubber seal. (But I wasn't very punctual in removing what water had collected yesterday). Could that "bilge-water" have contributed to exaggerate the motion of capsize, AND to ease the righting?
From my position floating slightly upwind and using the daggerboard as a lever, the Sunfish returned to right-side-up rather easily. There wasn't all that much water inside the cockpit -- a good thing, as I had closed off the troublesome Sunfish bailer. It took a few pulls on the opposite gunwhale to get my whole--entire--self back inside the cockpit. While partially immersed, I took the opportunity to bail some water out which seemed to ease getting the rest of me safely (lifted?) back into the cockpit.
So far, the only losses are a very old canoe paddle and a pair of socks. "The jury is out" on camera and cellphone, which are presently undergoing "intensive-fan-therapy". 'Guess I'll know in a few days. While inverted, both would have been pressed against the top of the cubby in an open-topped container, and didn't appear very wet. Would the "roof" of the cubby stay dry in a "normal" turtle?
I could have retrieved the paddle, but was very inclined towards getting back to home base!
Even though fully immersed, I never lost my hat!