DCA Boat Safety Recommendations state that 'testing oneself and one's boat in sheltered conditions is strongly advised', and 'Consideration should be given to the problem of getting back into the boat,' but too few of us seem to follow this advice. Some may feel that capsize practice is not necessary in their case because they sail prudently in 'proper cruising boats'. Yet all wear cumbersome lifejackets or buoyancy aids, which have no use unless and until the wearer has capsized, been sunk or has fallen overboard! Furthermore a significant number of prudent and highly experienced members have capsized in 'proper cruising boats' in light or moderate conditions*.

It is understandable that members are reluctant to give up a precious sailing day to capsize testing, but the DCA 50th anniversary programme provided a convenient opportunity for those who wished to test themselves and their boats. Only the writer did so, and although not everything went according to plan, some useful (and unexpected) results were obtained. Relevant details of the boats (class, rig, buoyancy amounts, etc), and of the tester/s physique, are given, because these factors are interrelated. (For instance, too much buoyancy in the wrong place can make it difficult for a lightweight person to get on the centreboard to right his/her boat).**

Tester: Single-handed male, 5 feet 11 inches tall with long reach, 12.5 stone (80 kg), 81 years old, poor upper body strength, limited spinal articulation, but otherwise very fit for age. Wearing short summer-weight wetsuit, but no lifejacket. A strong and capable member (Steve Bradwell) stood by in his boat for the Boat 1 tests, and took the photographic record.

Location and conditions: East Head (within Chichester Harbour) giving a choice of level shallows, or of deep water close in to shore. Warm calm water, light winds, but very crowded with boats.

Boat 1

11-foot Mk I Gull (old-established Proctor design), double-chine hull in GRP, 57 inches overall beam. 70 sq. ft. sail area, timber mast and spars (gunter). Wooden centreboard. Standard fore and aft buoyancy tanks with 5 inches diameter hatches sealed by simple moulded rubber covers. Supplementary buoyancy of expanded polystyrene of approximately 40 lbs lift under each side bench, plus two 25 litre plastic containers centrally under the thwart. Boat stripped of gear except for Bruce anchor. Only mainsail set.

Boat strongly resisted overturning, but righted very easily from 100 degree (normal) capsize, too fast for tester to scramble in over side. Tester attempted to board from stern using rope strop held against rudder, but failed. Eventually scrambled aboard with difficulty at bows. Water up to centreboard case top, so had to sail ashore flooded. An attempt was then made at turn-turtle capsize with tester under boat, but it was found that water not deep enough for full inversion. Boat was easily righted from 160-degree inversion. Again tester had to board from bow. No significant buoyancy tank leakage despite ancient moulded rubber hatch covers.

Boat 2

14 foot dayboat built by Woodnutt c.1958. Pre-war style round bilge hull with moderate (64 inches) overall beam, but broad at waterline with slight tumblehome. Generous freeboard. Very heavy mahogany/GRP composite construction. 3/8-inch steel centreplate, estimated weight 60lbs. Heavy non-tapered alloy Bermudan mast and boom. approx 110 sq. ft. sail area. Moulded-in side buoyancy tanks aft, plus homemade expanded-polystyrene extensions forward. Small moulded-in bow tank plus some added expanded-polystyrene low-down under foredeck.

Because there was some doubt whether the very heavy Woodnutt 14 would float when capsized it was tested in shallow water well before low tide. Turn-turtle capsize could not therefore be tested. (In any case there was no safety back-up available for this test.) Boat was difficult to capsize, but then remained stable on water when capsized at 100 degrees. Despite initial doubts it floated surprisingly high on its side with centreplate some 6 inches clear of water. (Presumably due to the side buoyancy and boat's broad bilge section.) Tester righted boat by climbing onto centreplate and standing halfway along it holding gunwale for leverage, but again failed to scramble over gunwale as the boat came up. Tester then tried homemade stern boarding ladder but failed due to lower rung swinging under stern. He then tried boarding from bows but was foiled by high freeboard, also failing to board from amidships because of high freeboard and the boat's stability (it would not rock over far enough). Finally got in over stern with great difficulty by fastening rudder in raised position and using it and the upper rung of the ladder. Flooded boat was very stable and floated with centreplate slot clear of water. It was sailed through 360 degrees (sluggishly but under control), and was then bailed with two-gallon bucket.

Conclusions

The octogenarian tester's successful righting of two very different types of dinghy will hopefully challenge other members into meeting DCA BSR 3 recommendations and publishing their own results. His boarding techniques clearly need further attention, but although his personal difficulties would not necessarily apply to younger people, they might well apply to middle-aged females. (A doctor advised that middle-aged females typically have only 2/3 upper body strength of middle-aged males, and elderly females only half that of elderly males). In actual practice crews would of course be weighed down with heavy, water-saturated clothing. However although these brief and informal tests left several points unresolved, valuable and unexpected knowledge was gained.

*Many 'proper cruising dinghies', with prudent and experienced DCA members helming, are known to have capsized unexpectedly in what had been light or moderate conditions. These include the Cormorant, Cornish Coble, Drascombe Lugger, 14 foot Kittiwake yawl, and so on, as well as traditional wooden clinker boats. Reasons included katabatic gusts, freak gusts coming unseen from astern combined with mainsheet snagging, freak waves, heavy centreplate hitting obstruction, and being knocked over by non-right-of-way boats.

** Charles Stock's alternative approach to the capsize question (carrying two hundredweight [100 kg] of concrete ballast in lieu of buoyancy in his beamy 16 footer!) is however also valid.