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Re: SJ23 in heavy weather

David,
Glad to hear you are okay. I have been knocked down on my SJ 23 twice. In both cases, I had less than 2 knots of boat speed and was caught off guard by a sudden gust. Basically the foils don't become effective until over 2 knots. This is quite different than a strong wind and a 5 foot sea. If the boat was going to roll, it would have done so in your circumstance with the combination of wind and wave on your beam.
In both of my knockdowns, no water entered the cockpit and the boat righted as soon as I released the main.
There is a great weather book called "Mariner's Weather" by J.P. Crawford. Your local library might have it. There is no weather report as effective as you interpreting the sea and sky which is not as difficult as you might think. My scariest knockdown was about 100 yards from the finish line in a friend's Catalina 22. Bob, you will remember this as I think you were on the committee boat. Most other racers had finished and we were determined to finish under full sail not withstanding the impending squall. The wind went from about 15 knots to over 40 in an instant. I was literally hanging from the lifeline and water did enter the cockpit although not the companionway. We were held down for what seemed like an eternity until I was able to release the big 150 and the full main. Then as if to add insult to injury, the race gods caused our engine to fail and we had to be towed back to the club. Good thing Keith had stocked the cooler with beer (the squall disappeared as quickly as it came).
Bob, I'll bring your handles tomorrow night. I've been waiting for you to pick them up. 

Regards,

Doug Murray

Bob Schimmel wrote:
It is good to hear you two made out OK and that the boat survived in one piece. To hopefully answer some of your questions, I've experienced two knock downs, one with the mast just about horizontal. This was the wort one since I was pinned down for about a minute by a wall of wind till the wind pressure let up. Storm front. In both cases the cockpit stayed dry. However, I was praying for the main to break, which didn't happen. I couldn't release the mainsail or the jib and the companionway was wide OPEN. I was sailing solo both times. 
These events are what prompted me to:

   * install a traveler control line that I could release from either
     side of the cockpit -
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/f_rigging_tips/f28.html * lock the drop boards in the companionway - 
     http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/b_hull_tips/b19.html
   * seal the sliding hatch -
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/b_hull_tips/b04.html#seal_hatch
I still have to improve on a sheet net or bag to contain cockpit lines for safety and another net on the back of the cockpit to store toys I leave lying about. I am also in the midst of improving my forward hatch latches which should be done as soon as my buddy delivers the parts I ordered! Hint, hint Doug.
Today I watch the weather a whole lot closer and reef well before the s__t hits the fan. But sometimes you still get caught. Oh damn. The way to look at this event is; you should have a lot more faith in the hull and you two have an experience that _you can talk about_ for along time. You are stronger for it. 

Regards

Bob Schimmel
(Always stay curious)

bpschim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx






DB27513 (David) wrote:
Having just got back from an extraordinary boating trip in on our SJ23 from New Bern NC to Oriental NC on the Nuese River, my wife & I got to talking about likely scenarios when an SJ23 is caught in heavy weather. This past Sunday, we left Oriental to return to New Bern at about 9:30am. A front was supposed to have passed through during the night, and all forecasts as of Saturday put winds @ NW 15 - 20 & diminishing in the afternoon. While we had not heard whether the front had moved through over nite, we assumed it had been relatively small, and had come and went. We left the marina with one reef in the main and a 110 jib. About 3/4 mile out, we saw a line of dark clouds approaching. The wind quickly built to 30+, building a steep chop of 4 - 5 ft running down the river. For the next 20 minutes, it took everything we had to continue to steer the boat, get the jib down, and then the main. The bow of the boat was heaving up & down a good 10ft, with my wife hanging on, as the boat climbed over each wave. We ended up splitting the main before she could finally get it down, as I was unable to steer the boat directly into the wind. Somehow I managed to start the motor, and with our weenie 8 horses fully cranked, we managed to turn the boat through the eye and head back in. Thats when we were broadsided with a 5 footer that nearly put the mast in the water. I was looking straight down at the starboard winch, almost submerged.
We made it in, but IMHO, only barely. Thinking back, I would have done some things differently, but as mentioned above, what happens when an SJ23 rolls bad? Does the cockpit flood? If the hatch is open will the cuddy flood? Is that the sign that shes going down? Is there any significant righting moment in an SJ23?
The water was 65 deg, a mile to both shores, and we both had on loads of clothes. Swimming to shore was not an option. If we had gone over, hopefully we would have had the waterproof VHF & GPS in hand.
In retrospect, we needed to have local, recent forecasts, and more importantly, should have talked around. Others captains were in the know, and chose not to go out that morning. The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude 


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