Start racing. Capsize: what if it all goes wrong? (page 4)

Ok, we've run through some techniques for getting the boat back upright after a capsize. Sometimes it doesn't all go smoothly! In this section we'll look at getting back aboard, inversions, and what to do if the masthead strikes root in the sea-bed.

Getting back on board

This causes lots of problems, but the difficulty isn't physical: the situation is that the gunwhale's level with your eyes, there's no foothold, surely you need to levitate to get back aboard? Well, if you were on dry land that'd be true, but in the water buoyancy is supporting all your weight. With a bit of manoeuvering, it only takes a very marginal bit of lift to get aboard: here's how.

1. Grab the gunwhale with both hands at the widest point of the boat. You should be on the windward side, with the sails all flogging and the boat pointing 60° or more off the wind.
2. Pull the gunwhale downward and backward as if you were pulling the boat under you. This rolls the boat towards you and brings your chest onto the gunwhale.
3. Reach forward with both hands, grab the toestraps (for preference, but anything will do!) and pull yourself the rest of the way on board: think 'snake going over log'.
4. Plunge face-first into boat-full of water!

Getting aboard where the boat is widest means that the gunwhale rolls down to only millimetres above the water: most of your weight is floating as you initiate the move, and after that you are moving horizontally, just skidding your torso over the gunwhale. Works every time!

Things I've seen and wouldn't bother with myself include:

• Getting aboard over the transom: This risks damage to the rudder/tiller and you lose the advantage that rolling the boat gives.
• Hauling yourself aboard by grabbing the mast or shrouds. It works, but takes a big effort: you'd need to be a lot younger and fitter than me!
• Turning the boat head to wind before getting back on board. I just have no idea what piece of logic lies behind this!

Whoops! it all went upside down!

Your first inversion is a pretty strange experience: suddenly your boat is a smooth whale-shaped thing with the centerboard sticking straight up in the air! But don't waste time marvelling at this strange turn of events: righting two handers is just a variation on the original method: with one of the crew each side of the hull, the crew gropes for the fairlead and finds the jibsheet, which he flips over to the helm. The helm pulls the boat up, and as it comes up the crew tucks into the cockpit to get scooped. Similarly, for singlehanders with righting lines, just grab the line one side, swim round to the other and start pulling. Keep the pressure on and pretty soon the boat's upright and you're floundering your way back on board.

Singlehanders without righting lines: you've got to clamber onto the hull and start it coming upright by standing back by the gunwhale and pulling on the centreboard. The downside is that if the masthead is touching the bottom, standing on the hull will help drive it into the seabed, but there aren't many options: you'll just have to hope for the best!
Careful! If the self-bailers are the stainless steel type, they can be a bit sharp and spikey at the aft edge where they're prone to getting bent by the launching trolley.

The mast's stuck!

Typical scenario: windy day, novice crew. They capsize, they faff around. By the time they get organised into some kind of recovery the hull's tried to invert and the masthead's stuck in the seabed. They try a quick pull. Nothing happens. They give up. Here's the cure:

• Don't faff! Get on with it! The longer you mess about the more chance the mast will get stuck in the ground and take root!
• Don't expect the whole mess to come right in a couple of seconds! Keep pulling! It will come up!*
* probably. If it seems to be a problem (or you are the rescue boat driver trying to retrieve these crazies), assess the effects of wind and tide on the hull. If you consider they are trying to drive the masthead into the ground, anything you can do to turn the hull round so that the wind/tide are pulling it out will be a big help.

Careful! This can put a big load on the mast!
If you really can't get upright, stay with the boat! Scramble up on the hull. Sit tight. Await rescue.

Final thoughts: Be Prepared!

Think ahead! When you are up to your neck in water is not the time to consider:

• What stops the rudder falling off.
• Why the bucket/bailer isn't going to float away.
• Whether the buoyancy tank hatches are all secured.
• Whether the buoyancy bags are properly inflated and secured.
Have a plan. Discuss it with the crew. If you don't have a crew, discuss it with your friends. (What? nobody is that sad!) If the boat capsizes, what will you do? Obviously, for the capsizaholics amongst us, it's not a problem: we can do this with our eyes shut. It's the occasional indulgers who really need to have thought it through.

More Capsizing Resources!

Ashley Deakin recommends... this piece at Rooster Sailing, which I CERTAINLY am not brave enough to do myself, but I expect Ashley will want to demonstrate next time the wind is F6! He says it's ok but you lose your hat! Here's someone showing us how on u-tube. Anyone identify the class? I can hear someone saying 'Dude' so it must either be the USA or Essex......