CAPSIZING

It concerns me that many people live in a fools paradise where capsizing is concerned. It has been strongly inferred in these pages, that learning how to recover from a capsize, and practising the manoeuvre will virtually remove most of the risk inherent in this misfortune. However I would like to make the following points.

Centreboards - the usual capsize drill requires that a centreboard will be available to assist you, and will be sticking out of its slot. If it is a wooden one it frequently happens that this becomes broken in the first desperate attempt at recovery. If the capsize occurs when running, then it may have to be extracted using the lever inside the hull. If the hull is inverted and/or contains the usual tangle of gear and cruising equipment, this may be impossible.

Capsize drill is invariably taught in sheltered water, often in calm conditions. The students depart after a couple of successful recoveries imagining that it is always as easy. I have yet to see anyone receiving such instruction offshore or in the middle of the Solent in a force five. Perhaps this is not so surprising in view of the dangerous situations that can occur after a capsize in these conditions, and which have been well documented. This of course accounts for the fact that rescue boats are always kept busy in a racing fleet on a breezy day. My guess is that once the students have been taught the basics, it is assumed that they will soon have plenty of practice when racing. If they can't recover unaided then there is always the rescue boat!

Hypothermia - if one is going to have to wait for assistance then it is essential to get out of the water. Heat loss is many times greater in water than in air, even allowing for the wind-chill factor. In other words, sit on the boat, upturned or not.

Many of us understand all this. We also know that dinghy cruising can be dangerous and accept it. However we should not lead others to believe that proficiency in capsize drill will remove the risk, whether or not our own creed is 'capsizing is not an option'. Proficiency in capsize recovery is of undoubted value and should increase your expected life span - but only if you don't take its efficacy for granted.

Where do we go from here? Those of us who have accepted the risks in the past will probably decide to go on dinghy cruising. In view of the low incidence of fatalities we are probably justified in taking this attitude. Fortunately we have the RNLI which is still willing, and even keen, to look after us whenever it get the chance. To those who doubt their own ability to recover from a capsize, and perhaps more importantly, to the arrogant who think they know they can, then please don't forget your pyrotechnics and/or VHF radio, and make sure you can reach them, when struggling and exhausted in the water.

Note: Since writing the above, I have learnt of an interesting description of a Wayfarer capsize on the internet at HYPERLINK http://www.imagic.demon.co.uk/openboat/capsize.html www.imagic.demon.co.uk/openboat/capsize.html. This reinforces the lesson we learnt from the very similar description in our own Bulletin 147: that in rough seas the Wayfarer will generally capsize again immediately after righting, and that two or three such recoveries exhaust the crew to such an extent that they are then in serious danger from hypothermia.

Peter Bick