Perhaps in our safety recommendations we might have a statement to the effect that a capsize is never an acceptable risk; the consequences are quite unpredictable in terms of damage to gear and person. I don't believe any of us thinks otherwise, but we seem to be in danger of forgetting it. To be an acceptable risk, i.e. one with a 95% probability of being able to get up and carry on under your own efforts, you and your crew must train in the same conditions as those in which it might happen. The boat may have too much buoyancy or too little or be too heavy - and no two capsizes are the same. You can only find out by trying and I have yet to meet anyone who has capsized in a force 6 just for the learning experience, but I have seen many in my local club take to the rescue boat in much less.

Or course, any dinghy can capsize, but it is we who make the circumstances. A boat does not tire, does not make bad judgments, does not get seasick and will float long after the crew have sunk, so the more we depend on our own skill and strength and the less on the boat, the more risk we take. Understandably we will never agree on what the risk we take is, but we must all decide for ourselves whether our boat will cope with our mistakes; if not we must get into training and stow, lash and protect gear accordingly. I suspect that most of us confuse this issue and without really thinking about it, suppose that because a capsize is unlikely it will be less serious when it happens.

The safety recommendations are not perfect. I would like to see something about sail management. But I will go along with the capsizability test, because it is easy to apply and also measures the kind of stability I need for camping on board. As far as I am concerned, sport has got too much like a military exercise. I do not want to put passengers (which is what they usually are) through a capsize drill. As a national organisation, the DCA has a responsibility for setting standards and this, for me, is what we stand for and what Eric set up for - unadulterated cruising.

Peter Francis