by Peter McMinn » Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:16 pm
A couple of weeks ago, I capsized my DS1 for the first time in the six years I've owned her. I was single handling and the mainsheet got stuck in a jibe attempt. Anyway, by the time the cloth touched the water, my legs had climbed over the gunnel and were planted on the CB before my head knew what they were doing (thank you, Lasers). I was conscious enough, though, to stand as close to the slot as possible, reducing the leverage and the possibility of snapping the CB. The boat righted immediately and became a novel floating pond. Much to the delight of the people on shore, I scooped and scooped with a 4 gallon bucket until some gracious souls in a motorboat towed me to the dock, where the fun & games continued.
What I learned from this capsize:
1. Know my centerboard. Having had the board out many times for servicing, I'm fully aware of where it is best reinforced with fiberglass, and therefore where to stand on it after a capsize.
2. Carry a square, 4 gallon bucket. A fellow sailor in another DS tossed one to me, and it really worked well with the bailing.
3. Check and maintain the integrity of my tanks. I was suprised that in my 45 year-old boat, the stern tank (enclosed in 1960 boats) was relatively air-tight, while the bow tank had about 10 gallons in it when I pulled the plug (actully a cork from what was probably a late 60's Chardonnay).
4. Install positive floatation--either in noodle foam or air bag. Still have to get to this!
5. Understand that motorboats, in fact, do serve a purpose.
6. Always have a big red clown nose at the ready to enhance the effect.
Cheers!
Peter