Jump to content

Everglades Challenge 2020


Joe Anderson

Recommended Posts

Hi Chick, if you had a simple loop over the main sheet that if pulled (falling overboard event) the mainsheet from the cleat, boat would roundup and wait for you.  Something like that work?  My lanyard setup I use not simply keeps you oriented to the center of the cockpit, can’t fall overboard from there but it does present some problems. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Most men in their 80's have trouble getting back in a capsized or swamped boat or one in dry conditions after expending the energy used in offshore conditions.   Running or managing many races of relatively high level competitors who face far less energy requirements have shown this to be true.  I've seen healthy and apparently active sailors need considerable help after a capsize in boats designed to allow this easily for younger sailors.  Its easy to ruminate about what provisions need to be made to a boat and what equipment would allow the older sailor to get back a board and continue sailing.  Such discussions should probably take place in very sober conditions and then tested out to see if it is practical or possible.  I sailed well past my 80th year but, in practical moments, I knew that there were seriously degraded human issues to be dealt with. 

 

It has been rare that a serious accident or death has claimed a sailor over the 60 years of my involvement with sailboats but it has not been a non existent event.  In each case, the cause of the loss has been determined only because it happened where other people were able to witness the event, ether directly or by evidence.  In this case, that appears not to be possible and possible steps need to be studied and taken where possible, practical or useful. 

 

We all feel the loss of Jim Slauson acutely as we would feel the loss of any member of our sailing sport even though most of us may not have known him personally.  As I read back over this note, it may seem a bit detached but I am unable to make it more meaningful than it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only had some breif interactions with Jim on the start beach this year but he took that time to thank me for helping him via email with rigging questions he'd had as he got the boat ready for the event. I somewhat regret that i didnt have all my gear 100% squared away at the time and so was also mostly head down packing etc like most other blearey eyed participants. I would have liked to get a tour of his boat or talk to him further and as a veteran of the event I ought to be more squared away but we joke that everyone packs last minute.

 

Anyway, Jim had added a furling code zero kit to the boat for this year as well as a tiller extension and done a lot of work repainting the decks, tabernacle and reworking the tiller which was customized by original builder and made in aluminum. Its hard that we will never know the sequence of events that caused his dissapearance. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Alan & Others for the thoughts/ideas.  Would it be practical to have a thread that would capture in one thread/place all the possible/tried additions/modifications etc. for safely releasing sheets, etc. to slow/stop the boat, practical trailing lines, and deep water re-boarding  for solo sailors/crews, especially seniors, of the variety of B&B boats members have, with pictures if possible? Then follow-up with the capsize drills/camps to practice their use.  Just thoughts, R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pete has designed the neatest boarding ladder on his CS20.3 Chessie.  It is compact, doesn’t look like a jungle-gym and comparatively easy to build, most importantly easy to use.  I R&Ded at the Messabout but with Mathew Flinders my CS20.3 is enjoying a vacation. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a similar story to add to this discusion from the 2014 EC.  I entered with a Wayfarer 16.  This boat has a very low freeboard and I was quite confident in being able to re-board if I was separated from the boat.  In spite of that, I installed a collapsable ladder that could be let over the side to assist with a re-board event.  However, I presumed a swamped boat with even lower freeboard and mounted the ladder amidships.  When my accidentally jibed boom knocked me out of the boat just southwest of Indian Key Pass, I was fortunate to grab the portion of mainsheet trailing the boom with my left hand as I fell backwards.  I was able to then knock the self steering off and the boat was head to the wind.  The water was fairly calm, but I made several attempts to jump up and grab my ladder to no avail.  After a couple of jumps, I noticed that I was getting further from my goal and knew that this was not going to work.  I rested for a while, clinging to the side of the boat, thinking of options.  When I came up with a plan, I was very reluctant to let go of my death grip on the mainsheet.  I finally decided to proceed and carefully made my way to the stern of the boat.  It was there that I determined to shimmy up the rudder using my legs for power.  I made it and hyperventilated in the cockpit for several minutes before I could do anything further.

 

During this fight to get back on my boat, I injured my shoulder, neck and my previously injured back. (As anyone knows, disc surgery never is completely normal again.)  After several hours, I made it to Chokoloskee and dropped out of the race.  I had good luck in my situation:  i.e. grabbing the mainsheet to stop the boat, fairly flat water and a dying breeze (boom left a lump on my hard head, but it didn't knock me out).  I cannot imagine how Jim could have reboarded his boat with higher freeboard, heavy seas and a drifting boat in high wind.

 

Be safe out there folks.

 

Gary (Mishigama)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great of you to post.  I agree the 17 (mine is a I, not a III) is a terrific boat, but one that can absorb as much knowledge as one can muster.  I've only had one "scary" jibe.  And why was that one a slam instead of a flop?  Dunno. Still learning after 3 yrs.  (See previous.....)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like everyone else, I've read the accounts and looked over the CG photos with a really awful pit in my stomach. I am really sorry for Jim under any scenario I can dream up to explain what went wrong. The mind begs to understand what happened, and I am completely embarrassed i hadn't noticed that the CB appears to be missing, and not just retracted. Granted, it's hard to imagine how the CB could drop out, but on my boat, at least, even without the bumper, the forward-most leading edge would still be visible from almost any angle with the board completely retracted - it's recessed maybe 3/4" from the bottom. Trouble with his CB might explain how he got so far downwind and off course, and perhaps suggests a way to explain his going overboard.

 

Graham and Alan, I cannot imagine how hard this must be on you both. We love the boats you create - they're sound, seaworthy craft that we're proud to own and sail. Keep up the great work.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't think "missing centerboard" either and I still don't. And it wouldn't make sense either as the up-haul line AND the pivot bolt would both have to be cut/removed for the board to be missing else we would see the board dangling by a line. In the picture of the boat after it capsized the view of the trunk I see as consistent with the board just being completely retracted. Even if there was a bumper installed at the top of the trunk I wouldn't really expect to see any of the board except maybe a glimpse of the very fwd part which I think i see. It's certainly a wake-up call to anyone who takes their boat out alone. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Could that be a sliver of a line right at the front of the opening right along the lip edge? You would think if it was part of a full  board even in that area, it would fill a larger portion of the slot, and not just a slight difference along the slot edge. The opening just looked to be so shadowed and dark. You guys surely would know better how the board fills the slot, even when its fully retracted. Hopefully the boat gets recovered and maybe put some closer to what the conditions was on the boat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Alan Stewart said:

I didn't think "missing centerboard" either and I still don't. And it wouldn't make sense either as the up-haul line AND the pivot bolt would both have to be cut/removed for the board to be missing else we would see the board dangling by a line. In the picture of the boat after it capsized the view of the trunk I see as consistent with the board just being completely retracted. Even if there was a bumper installed at the top of the trunk I wouldn't really expect to see any of the board except maybe a glimpse of the very fwd part which I think i see. It's certainly a wake-up call to anyone who takes their boat out alone. 

Yes Alan, I agree with you I think the centerboard is painted the same color as the hull, a dark blue. Making it hard to see in the photo but the top leading edge is just barely visible.  After reading the article I couldn't stop wondering if maybe Jim had suffered from a some medical issue and was unconscious inside the cabin of the boat. since the boat capsized before the swimmer had a chance to gain entry into the boat. Swimmers are specifically not permitted to swim under and into capsized boats for good reason. But that would be an explanation why the PLB was never activated and why a PFD was never found. Troubling to be sure and a good reminder to us all that sailing solo offshore is a high risk sport for which we should take every safety precaution possible.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Mark Baumgaertner said:

Yes Alan, I agree with you I think the centerboard is painted the same color as the hull, a dark blue. Making it hard to see in the photo but the top leading edge is just barely visible.  

Mini 6.5s are required to paint their rudders and canting keel bright orange for easy spotting when capsized. Something to consider if you are sailing off shore or in races like the Everglades Challenge.

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/17/2020 at 2:46 PM, Paul356 said:

Great of you to post.  I agree the 17 (mine is a I, not a III) is a terrific boat, but one that can absorb as much knowledge as one can muster.  I've only had one "scary" jibe.  And why was that one a slam instead of a flop?  Dunno. Still learning after 3 yrs.  (See previous.....)

@Paul356– there is a big difference between a  Wayfarer and a hard-chined cat ketch sailboat.  The Wayfarer has a gigantic main and a small jib.  That, coupled with its multi-chined hull makes for some delicate situations when gybing.  If you are not ready for a gybe in a Wayfarer, you are going to get wet.  Been there, got wet.  The Wayfarer is a swell boat.  It simply behaves a lot differently than a CS or BRS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding the invisible centerboard, I have a theory.  The tip of the c/b on a mark 3 boat has approx 17# of lead on it.  If the board was fully down, and the boat suddenly went turtle (say, from the prop wash of a helicopter), that 17# pendulum could come crashing down through the top of the c/b trunk.  I wonder if this is what happened to that c/b.  This worried me when building my BRS 15, since I went with a weighted c/b and no downhaul.  I installed a block of oak at the top rear corner of my trunk.  My swinging c/b would have to shear that block out, and knock the seat loose, if I turn turtle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Thrillsbe said:

Regarding the invisible centerboard, I have a theory.  The tip of the c/b on a mark 3 boat has approx 17# of lead on it.  If the board was fully down, and the boat suddenly went turtle (say, from the prop wash of a helicopter), that 17# pendulum could come crashing down through the top of the c/b trunk.  I wonder if this is what happened to that c/b.  This worried me when building my BRS 15, since I went with a weighted c/b and no downhaul.  I installed a block of oak at the top rear corner of my trunk.  My swinging c/b would have to shear that block out, and knock the seat loose, if I turn turtle.

 

I would put this in the not likely category.  The cleat that runs across the top is pretty thick and the sides are plywood. I can tell you that on my 20 the board sits below the slot. I may have a picture somewhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Thrillsbe said:

This discussion has me thinking that I want to make my stopper block lower in the box.  This would cause the c/b to always poke out of the slot a couple of inches— enough, maybe, to grab onto it if I were to turn turtle.

Kinda interfere with your trailer keel rollers, though.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.