righting a capsized Day Sailer

[Guest]

I am a new sailer with a 1966 Day Sailer.

What is the best way to uncapsize this boat? Please help. We had quite an ordeal I don't want to do again. With the right info I hope to flip my boat back up and get back underway quickly.

Sincerely,

David Welborn

David Welborn (dwelborn-at-searay.com)

[Guest]

Hi Dave,To right a capsized dinghy,make sure the cen- terboard is in the down position and the bow is headed into the wind.Stand on the centerboard and climb in.Take down sails if necessary and bail.To prevent going over in windy conditions, always keep a hand on the mainsheet to uncleat it quickly.Moving your centerboard up a little will lessen the heeling. I'm surprised no one answered since Feb.Good Luck; Dick Munsell Springfield,MA

Dick Munsell (RMunsell-at-webtv.net)

[Guest]

There are some other posts at this site regarding performance, sailing in winds, etc. that discuss the capsizing issue with Daysailers. Essentially the bottom line is that a 1966 Daysailer really can't be righted easily. You have to prevent it from going turtle, then you have to take at least two or three people to right it. At that point its rails will be awash, and most people who have gone through it say that the boat usually nees to be towed into shallow water carefully and bailed out there. I am just passing on the experience of others, because in the years I owned a Daysailer I never capsized it.

Ken Cobb (kcobb-at-bspmlaw.com)

[Guest]

I'm curious, what were the conditions that the DS capsized in. Wind speed etc.



Don (donny083-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

I seems to me, that if time allows, you would want to get the main sail down first. Lifting a wet submerged mainsail, would be difficult for one person to do.

warren mathisen (wmathise-at-sowega.net)

[Guest]

Dave:
I'm new at the sailing game as well and have some curiosity about how my DS-1 would handle in a capsize. When I first came on to this site I saw a discussion with a woman by the name of Kate who said she weighed 110 pounds and had some reservations about how to handle a capsize. She got some advice and then came back saying that she'd done it on a trial basis. As I understand it she obtained some sort of float which she attached to the top of the mast. I believe she said these types of floats were used on catamarans. This would keep the DS-1 from turning turtle (with the mast straight down). I believe she was successful in keeping it from turtling but also believe she mentioned that she had to get a friend to tow her to shore because the boat was unbailable when righted and also quite unstable. Not a great prospect!
Hope this gives you some insight. Kate, where are you?
Ray Gendron

RAY Gendron (rvgen-at-aol.com)

[Guest]

Warren,

You are correct--lowering the mainsail before righting is a good idea. If one person stays on the centerboard to prevent the boat from turtling, the other can swim around, release any cleated sheets, and lower sails. This helps get the boat up and keep it up once you're there.

This spring we righted a boat w/o doing this only to find the main still cleated once the boat came up. The mainsail immediately backwinded, and the boat came back down went turtle since we were both on the low side now. We were in about 15' of water and this mistake led to a broken tapered racing mast (~$1000)!!!

Someone asked about conditions when capsizing. Typically, below 15 MPH you're pretty safe, but above that, mistakes, gusts, shifts, slips, etc. can get you. I once almost capsized when a gust heeled the boat over and my foot slipped off the centerboard trunk. Had I not had a 210 lb. crew hiked WAY out, we'd have been over. As it was, we took on 3+" of water before I could release the main and bring us back down.

One other thing. It's been mentioned before, but the 1st generation plank seated DS's can be bailed once righted. I helped a guy who'd been knocked over earlier this year and his boat looked like a giant bath tub, but the rails were NOT awash. It only took a 5-gallon bucket and 15 minutes later he was sailing again.

Editorial comment: Too bad George O'Day changed Uffa Fox's original design and made the gen 2 DS 1 non-self-rescuing. I read in the DS Quarterly that Uffa was furious when he learned about this because there's no reason a boat of this size should not be able to self-rescue.

Kevin Clark
DS 11791 (an '84 Spindrift DS1)
( that is also not self-rescuing w/o the addition of extra flotation)

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)

[Guest]

Properly sailed, you will NEVER capsize! The number one thing to ALWAYS remember is to ALWAYS sail with the mainsheet in your hand, you can use the camcleat to hold the tension, but ALWAYS keep the mainsheet in your hand and ready to release! I sail my DS II singlehanded 95% of the time on windy Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts and have never capsized in the 4 years that I've sailed her. I previously sailed a 12' O'Day Widgeon (early wooden seat model) and never capsized, the only time that I came even close to going over was the first time that I tried to set the spinnaker with my sister at the helm...she was not used to sailing a centerboard boat and did not have the mainsheet in her hand when a gust hit, when water started to come over the leeward rail..you can bet she grabbed the sheet fast! No, we didn't go over....but that sure taught me a lesson!

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Oh, one more tip from experience! Get a tiller extension, also known as a "hiking-stick". This allows you to sit on the windward rail (admittedly not the most comfy place on a DS I!) and you will be surprised at how much less the boat heels with someone sitting up there instead of on the cockpit seats!

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

Yes, I think that hanging on to the mainsheet was the first thing I learned, sailing.
One of the first things I try to teach a novice. If she starts to go over, just
let everything loose. Then you have to do it once to prove it to yourself.


Warren Mathisen (wmathise-at-sowega.net)

[Guest]

Someone wrote:

"Properly sailed, you will NEVER capsize!"


That may be, but everyone of us makes mistakes from time to time, plus there are some gusty conditions where you have only fractions of a second to release the sheets or you are over.

This spring, our regional champion who's been sailing these boats since the 60's was knocked down by a sudden, violent gust. He was w/ his regular crew and all it took was the right gust (probably 35+ MPH) and a jib sheet that got stuck for a second and they were over. I think it had been close to 15 years since he capsized.

The guy I capsized w/ has been sailing his DS since the 70's and is regarded as one of the best sailors in our fleet. He couldn't release the main quick enough when a gust caught us at the downwind turning mark and we were over in a heartbeat.

I mentioned earlier about a near capsize I had in my boat when my foot slipped off the centerboard trunk during a strong gust. Try releasing the main sheet when you're airborn and crashing into the leeward seat!

In all these examples, the conditions were BAD. 15-30 MPH w/ higher gusts. Most people would be on the shore on such days, but sometimes you may get caught in bad weather or race in very high winds and in such cases, properly sailed or not, there is a chance you will get knocked over so be prepared for it and learn how to recover. I totally agree w/ the previous poster that you and your crew always want to have your sail sheets in hand and ready. Most the time this will be enough to save you, but in certain situations, even that may not be enough.

Kevin Clark
Dallas, TX
DS 11791

Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)

[Guest]

I just lost a DS II and am looking for a new/similar boat. I am considering the DS I because of it's supposed self-righting abilities. I would like a DS I v. DS II opinion from anyone who has had experience capsizing both or either in semi rough conditions.
Thanks.

Margot (margot-at-projectpenguin.com)

[Guest]

I've seen the SLI/CapeCod style Daysailers capsize (not turn turtle ) during a race and pop back up and keep racing. While I love my 1967 Daysailer , I live in fear of capsizing and having to bail all that water. Been there, done that.
There is a reason most Daysailers carry a 5 gallon bucket onboard.
I am envious of the new boats self rescuing capabilities, but I love the history, price (cheap) and open cuddy of my boat.
I guess there is always a trade off.

Chris Lewton (clewton-at-erols.com)

[Peter McMinn]

I'm fairly new with the Daysailer tribe and would like to know what defines a Generation 1 & 2 DS1. Also, how are Generation 2 boats "self-rescuing"?
Regarding the bailing issue, has anyone had success installing/using self bailers on an early 60's DS1?

[Guest]

Really none of the DS I models are "self-rescuing", the newest DS, the DS IV (sometimes called a DS I, although it is an improved and different model) and the DS II and III are theoretically self-rescuing. Self-Rescuing is defined as being able to right the boat and sail away without outside assistance. The normal crew should be able to right the boat by standing on the extended CB and bail out any water without help.
The DS II and III have self-bailing cockpits and most had plywood (early boats used vinyl-coated canvas) panels to close the cuddy opening (didn't seal completely) to limit the amount of water that gets into the cuddy in a capsize. The DS IV has either a water-tight hatch (small) or a gasketed fiberglass panel (larger) to seal the cuddy and has a cockpit molded as part of the deck. This traps a lot of air inside the boat providing flotation in a capsize, the boat floats like a corked bottle. Some of the DS IVs have self-bailers that bail underway (but not while moored) to reduce the need for manual bailing.

Though I realise that I will be critised for saying this, I still say that when sailed with proper care, a daysailing Day Sailer should NEVER capsize. When racing, a capsize is a distinct possibility as the boat is pushed hard in competition. Always sail with the mainsheet in your hand, let the camcleat hold the tension, but keep the line in your hand ready to release it in a gust. Also, always remember that the DS CAN capsize and sail the boat as a centerboarder, not like a keel boat that has a heavy ballast keel to keep her upright. I have now sailed 7 seasons in my DS II without coming close to going over.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)