om for all this on the web site! But we will put up a few more, along with some instructive discussion (you can't get away from it).Cadets C_ H_ (crew) and C_ T_ (skipper) find out how far you really have heel an FJ before it will capsize (right). These boats "feel" tippy, and they heel to 20 or 30 degrees (the boat at right is heeling to about 25) quickly & easily. But it takes much more than that to pull them all the way over! And this boat has taken on water, it's stability is suffering from the free surface effect.
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Here's another pic showing the FJ heeling even further. We're looking at it somewhat from the side, but it still appears to have tipped beyond 45 degrees... you can see the splashes where the skipper & crew fell out of the cockpit, no doubt convinced it was OVER. But the boat pulled itself upright immediately after this pic was taken.
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On second glance, it also looks like these guys are about to lose their paddle!
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The above video features cadets N_ & W_, view is from the deck side. They (like so many others) underestimate what it takes to capsize the boat... it dumps them out & rocks back upright... but they go on to perform quite well on all other counts. We get a good close-up of crew Cadet N_ making a good throw-able coil out of the righting line, and accurately lobbing it over the up-side gunwhale. We can't see skipper Cadet C_ but he is very prompt in getting into action with the centerboard & righting line, you can see the line go taut & the boat start rotating upright.
Here's an important point- several teams did not work together on doing the 'scoop' to get the crew aboard. Most did not communicate (difficult in the noisy pool environment, it's true... but won't exactly be quiet in a storm out on the river), and this led to bad timing and worse technique. Some crews were a detriment to the skipper's efforts, pullin
g back against the boat to hold it capsized. Others scooped into the boat causing no difficulty.Photo (right) of Head Coach Rezab showing how it's done... correctly, that is... pressure still on the centerboard, holding tension on the righting line. Cadet Fouts has done a good job getting in towards the center of the boat & staying low.
Another important point along the same lines... the purpose of the 'scoop' is to have a person aboard to take control of the boat! Remember, you just capsized... persumably, conditions are difficult, windy or choppy... and the boat will require active measures to tame it.
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Now that we've beaten the subject of CAPSIZING totally to death & beyond, how about one more video...
This last video shows Cadets C_ & C_. They make one very serious... potentially deadly, in fact... mistake at the beginning, and then perform efficiently and flawlessly from then on. We are viewing from the hull/centerboard side, so the video does not show C_ as crew, but you can see the results: righting line comes hurtling over the gunwhale; as the boat comes upright he is low & to the middle of the boat having done a perfect 'scoop' and he then both helps the skipper and moves to take control of the boat.
THINGS WE LEARNED-
... FJs are not as tippy as many think (however, you should not stand on, or try to walk across, the foredeck of one)
... Centerboards have several purposes
... Even without the mainsail attached, the boom is something to watch out for
... We can handle a capsize -IF- we keep the drill procedure in mind & work together
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(photo at right) Cadet F_ as crew, assisting Sailing Squad XO C_ (as skipper) climbing aboard over the transom after successfully demonstrating an alternate righting procedure for a capsized FJ.
Coach King Says- any cadet who wants the entire video of 12 Apr 2010's capsize drill may have it for the asking. It contains at least some footage of every capsize done by every cadet present. It's about 40 minutes, unedited.
Thanks again to Coach Brian O'Flanagan for shooting the video
Thanks also to Mr. Herm Schiller for some of the still photos
posted by Assistant Coach Doug King
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