6th session... Capsize Drill in the YMCA Pool

Well, almost all the Sailing Squad passed the capsize drill. There were a few cadets absent, but they will get a chance to prove their skill on capsizing... or rather, dealing with a capsize and righting the boat... later on.

This is a big step forward which will enable us to sail in stronger winds, and since we've had one sailing session cancelled due because of this, we will be able to SAIL MORE!

This session started out with Head Coach Jerry Rezab demonstrating a few do's and don'ts with a capsized FJ, and Cadet K_ F_ as crew. Cadet F_ is a freshman but a returning sailor from last fall semester and one of the more experienced in the NJROTC Sailing Squad. Cadet F_ got the most practice, completing 3 capsize drills including 1 as skipper.

This photo (left) shows Head Coach Rezab why it's normally a bad idea to stand up in an FJ.


Now for some video. Unfortunately, due to the terrible acoustics of the pool dome and high background noise, we can't hear any of the discussion... or shrieking... during the capsize drills even though ALL were captured on tape.

In the next video (below), we see another returning sailor M_ M_ teamed with E_ M_. A little nervous, maybe? They couldn't wait for the mast to hit the water before jumping ship! This is why we drill under the most controlled & benign circumstances possible, to reinforce good practice... stay with the boat! During this session, we demonstrated just how far over an FJ (and most other sailboats behave similarly) will heel before capsizing, so hitting the 'EJECT' button prematurely is not a good idea.

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Another thing we learned is that it's not as easy as it sounds to untangle ropes in the bottom of a turned-over FJ, and rig the correct one as a righting line, coil it & toss it over the up-side gunwhale to the skipper ... who is waiting patiently, holding the centerboard.
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Now in the next video (below) we see the capsize drill from the skipper's side. This team showed that improvising to solve problems is one of the best skills to have. The video also shows why the skipper has to be patient. Sometimes it seems like the boat is NEVER going to come back right-side up, but if you keep hanging on, it does.


Final Observation... if your skipper is Cadet G_, don't even bother trying to help him aboard because he's the fastest out of the water we've ever seen.
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Here's a pic (right) of Cadets K_ F_ (skipper) and J_ P_ (crew) after Coach King demonstrated why you don't stand on the foredeck of an FJ.

No skipper/crew team performed the capsize drill flawlessly. In general, there was too much prompting needed. Remember, you will need to be able to handle a capsized sailboat on your own, in rough weather; maybe improvising your way thru unforseen difficulties and possible gear breakage. This session was a good first step though, and everybody did many things right... nobody panicked, nobody tried to climb the cockpit, no skippers bounced on the centerboard, nobody broke anything. Everybody saw some of the difficulties, and handled it.

More videos to be posted later!

posted by Assistant Coach Doug King

Thanks to Coach Brian O'Flanagan for the video