This section was added after the OK Inlands at Northampton SC, Oct 2009. The weather
on the Saturday was phenomenally windy, and as it increased the capsize recovery
problems became more intense! The first serious problem was trying to catch up with
the boat again after getting separated in a windward roll-in down the run. (Yes I
know, should have held on to something! The mainsheet would have been particularly
good). Once I broke the surface I was about a boat's length away from the hull, and
even inverted the boat was blowing downwind fast enough that it took 2 or 3 minutes of
frantic 'swimming' (it's what I call it!) to catch up. Any windier, I wouldn't have
caught up at all. The recovery from this one went ok, though the swimming effort found
me seriously knackered when the boat was finally upright with me in it.
The first race probably involved 4 or 5 more capsizes (it all got a bit hazy), but
the race was completed without anything dropping off, so it was just about do-able. Over lunch
the wind seemed to have eased back a bit, but sailing down to the start of the second race
it was pretty obvious that this wasn't the case, and my boat pitchpoled. This time I needed
help to get back to the boat: no way could I keep up swimming, and once I'd got it upright,
the wind load on the rig was so severe that I couldn't force the gunwhale low enough to
get aboard: even with my shoulders on the side deck the boat was heeled about 15 degrees to leeward.
It required a rescue boat to haul the bow upwind to the point where the hull came level and
I could get back aboard. This experience indicated that the weather had got beyond
my ability to cope with it and a careful beat back to the beach came next.
Conclusion: eventually, the point comes where the only sensible place for your boat is on the trolley, in the dinghy park. Tied down!