Next message: ShanicaJII: "Re: lv-ab: Boat Yard Blues"
You are quite correct in your observation. Unfortunately, I suspect that the
unpredictable nature of wave action as compared to the relatively
predictable nature of wind action appears to make it very difficult to
quantify wave action in a meaningful way from an engineering point of view.
I have seen no data that manages to accurately depict the affect of wave
action on boats from a strictly engineering point of view. I have always
assumed that it is because there are too many variables at play (height,
frequency, direction, wind direction, wind speed, wave speed, etc.). Maybe
it's just because I haven't looked hard enough.
My point was made simply to illustrate that a cruising cat is a very stable
vessel. They don't run on one hull like a hobie cat is designed to do. If
mine ever did that I would have a cardiac. Indeed I recently read an account
of a 50 foot racing cat (note: not a cruising cat...a serious go fast boat)
that was running in 20 foot + seas, at over 30 knots of speed when it
turned over in the north Atlantic. It surfed down a wave and the bows buried
under a wave as they caught up to it, and it pitch poled. The entire crew
was able to seek shelter in the upturned hull and wait for rescue. They were
stuck for a couple of days like that. Two tugs showed up and managed to turn
the boat back over and tow it to harbour. Later, the skipper admited that he
knew that they should have been taking better precautions, but that the
genereal feeling of "well being" lulled them into a false sense of security.
He admited that they were going way too fast for the sea and wind conditions
and that his error was the cause of the accident.
That really is something to remember when cat sailing. I have torn along at
14 knots, and honestly felt extremely comfortable..no heeling, no really
obvious sense of speed except for the woosh of the water off of the
transoms. It would be easy to become complacent, especially without a knot
meter aboard. And that is a major key to cruising in a cat safely in my
opinion. It's time to reef the minute you think of reefing. You don't mull
it over and consider the possibility. If the subject crosses your
mind...it's usually time. I'd be interested to hear what other cruisers on
multihulls think about that.
>From: Richard Goodwin <>
>To:
>Subject: Re: lv-ab: Catamaran life...
>Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2001 14:59:20 -0400
>
>You seem to be addressing how a cat can be rolled due to the wind, but I
>would think it more likely that a cat, or for that matter any boat,
>would roll or pitchpole due to some combination of wind and waves,
>especially a nice big surprise wave. Is there any data available on the
>relative behavior of cats and monohulls in extreme wave conditions, or
>combination wind/wave conditions such as you might encounter if you get
>caught out in, say, a tropical storm?
>
>Dick
>
> > The point = Rolling a properly designed cruising cat (theoretically)
> > requires :
> >
> > 65 knots of wind on the beam
> > Full genoa (not reefed)
> > Full main (not reefed)
> > Both sails sheeted in tight as a drum.
> >
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