Lessons Learned

[algonquin]

You have brought up several great points. We can learn from others and their actual experiences. There is a wealth of info on this site that we should not hesitate to apply to our DS and crew. Why reinvent the wheel. I eagerly read and head the advice of others. Although I haven’t turned turtle I have laid my DS on its side in a gust. Like you, I also took on 40 gallons or more lake into my boat before she up righted. Left my wife and I quite wide eyed and with a new respect on just how light this boat really is.

My added advice to this situation is to practice getting from the lake back into your boat several times in a controlled situation. In the event you and your crew go unexpectedly into the lake you will have a proven method of getting back into your boat. This isn’t something you want to learn with no notice. Brad

[Phill]

Great post, thankfully lessons learned were soggy but not painful!

Just a reminder that cleating the main in the conditions you described will almost always end with water in the boat, if not boat in the water.

Most DS's will turtle when capsized. My experience is that it takes two to right the old O'Day versions. One body is not enough. I once tried a 'controled' capsize to remove the capsize fear from my 10 year old daughter Tami, as we prepared to attend our first NACR in 1992. She weighed about 75 and I was 160. Not enough with the two of us to get it back up. (lake was about 3' shallower than the mast, so 'stuck in mud' mast may have been the problem) A 130 lb rescuer joined me and the two of us, 160 + 130, were able to get the DS upright again. Then the bailing started with just two bleach bottle bailers . From then on we always carry at least one 3 - 5 gallon bucket to speed up the bailing.

Hope this helps.... phill

[Phill]

The best way to help kids get over capsizes, adults too, is get them some Laser time. Before long capsizes are the 'brag about' part of sailing. Our club has 4.7 and Radial rigs that we can use to help the smaller ones still get some experience on Lasers without the full rig.

The best floatation solutions I have seen have been two prominate Califorina DS'ers. Bill Fiock has removed the cuddy shelves and put 6" thick foam slabs from the cuddy opening to the forward bulkhead that fit under the notch in the cuddy near the outside edge and are shaped as they reach the waterline area. He has them held in with aluminmum straps. (cant remember exactly how) He has many capsizes experience with this set up and swears by it for easier recovery. It seems to prevent most turtles and with the extra foam floating the boat higher when righting, he has less to bail. He is usually able to recover quickly enough to loose only a few places when racing. His is the old style 60's DS I. Another DS'er, Chuck Wilson, glassed in foam under the cuddy roof. As thick as the cuddy is deep at the forward end and tapered to about 2" thick at the cuddy opening. If you didnt know it was there, you'd never notice it. He thinks adding foam there will prevent turtling also. No news as to how it has worked out, but a sound idea. Both these guys sail in SF Bay and outside at Santa Cruz, so unexpecxted capsizes are a fact of life, even for these Pacific Coast Champions.

Another idea is to fill the area under rail seats and coaming area. Something like a 4" x 4" , or larger, would help the boat float highter. The oldest DS's, three digit sail #'s, have that area sealed by a fore/aft bulkhead running the length of the cockpit, and have the entire stearn area also sealed, like the newer SLI DS's built in the 90's and the current Cape Cod version.

Hope these ideas help. Happy SAFE sailing.
phill

[Phill]

All the above suggestions presume that all the floatation tanks, ie seats and forward tank, are sealed as good as possible, and stuffed with dry viable foam floatation.
phill