CAPSIZING

I would like to express my views about the recent correspondence on capsizing. I fully agree with your editorial that we should be attempting to avoid capsize at all costs but I also agree with David Weinstock that capsize practice is something the DCA should be promoting.

I would draw an analogy between road safety and capsizing. None of us would wish to have an accident in a car but this doesn't mean that we should not have safety features built into our vehicles. To even give the impression that capsize drill is unnecessary is like saying that you don't wear a seat belt because you are not going to have any accidents. If despite all our attempts to avoid it, a capsize should occur then a small amount of preparation could turn a potential disaster into nothing more than an inconvenient wetting. I have capsized my dinghy and was surprised at how many lessons this taught me. I wish I could say that I planned the capsize as a drill on a lake with a nearby safety boat, however it was entirely inadvertent and due to an error on my part. It was fortuitous that it occurred on a lake with an attendant safety boat (thankfully I didn't need it) but had I capsized in a sea with a heavy swell the result might have been very different.

Where I strongly disagree with Mr Weinstock is in his resignation from the association; it seems to me that that doesn't solve anything. We should be encouraging each other to sail safely and I believe that it is important that we learn from each others' experiences. So to put my pen where my mouth is (to misquote a well known saying), I have written about my capsize in the hope that others may learn from my mishaps. I would recommend to all DCA members that you capsize your boat at least once, if nothing else the confidence of knowing that you can right it again is well worthwhile.

Dave Jennings