This speaks for itself

[mjname]

Uhm so this isn't how a day of sailing is suppossed to go? He didn't beach the boat or bring down the roller furling so they're doing better than I.

All kidding aside I single hand and it's a little frieghtening how quickly she went overboard. Life lines have just become a much bigger deal. I usually just tie a rope around my chest. I purchased a harness/inflatable vest but was putting off installing life lines. They just became a high priority.

[Sailormon6]

Jerry--- love the avatar! I know you've been using it for awhile, but today is the first time I looked at it up close.

Do you know who authored of the Sorbbonne speech?

[sailingdog]

I've noticed that the French as a country, not as individuals, are very hard of hearing...

[sailaway21]

I like that also, Jerry. Sounds like something Lombardi might have said. Of course, being educated by the Jesuits he'd probably have read it.
Something did seem to have happened to the French, the twentieth century was none too kind to them, and as far as the twenty-first goes-well it ain't lookin' too good, either!

[jerryrlitton]

I am glad you like it sailormon, it does rather sum it up for the rest of us. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with that quote. I agree with you sailaway, maybe we all should be a little like that. My personel favorite is..

"He who dares, wins"

Winston Churchill


Jerry

[pigslo]

While pigslo is 50 years old, he hails and sails from Houston, Texas.

[Giulietta]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

I've noticed that the French as a country, not as individuals, are very hard of hearing...

But unfortunately very good at aiming water hoses!!

[sidiag]

Originally Posted by jerryrlitton

"He who dares, wins"

Winston Churchill


Jerry

Sir Winston may have used it but I don't think that he originated it.

see this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Dares_Wins

seems to have originated in ancient Greece.

[sailingfool]

Yikes, I've been skiing the past week so I'm just getting caught up on the movies...

I watched this several times. Initially I gave the skipper/crew the benefit of the doubt, as flying the spinnaker in over 14 knots apparent is marginal territory where s**t can happen to the best.

In case anyone's spinnaker employment may benefit I offer some opinions on the situation.

When flying the spinnaker in marginal conditions, the crew should be as far aft as possible to minimize burying the bow which can lead to a loss of control. Two crew should have been sitting on the stern.

Once the boat broached someboady should have blown the spinnaker aftguy which would have allowed regaining control and bringing the spinnaker down. You can alwys reset the sail if you still have the stomach. As far as I could see, neither spinnaker sheet was EVER released during the entire incident which meant the spinnaker was flying the whole time. (Don't put stopper knots on your spinnaker sheets so it will run out if released...) Not dumping a sheet led to the resulting crisises.

The spinnaker trimmer hauled in the spinnaker sheet by hand, getting between the sail and the sheet turning block and ending up with several armfuls of line in his lap. If the spinnaker had filled at this point he could have lost an appendage if not his head - always handle a sheet only from the working end, and use a winch if force is needed.

Taking five minutes to get back for the MOB worked out ok here but it isn't hard to imagine a different date on their calendar where it would not have...When the person went over, the boat should have been turned into the wind immediately and the spinnaker dropped on the bow. http://www.ukhalsey.com/LearningCenter/mob.asp has some excellent videos on MOB that I found very helpful especially relatively to spinnaker drops.

YouTube has some other good sailing stuff like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmyEmcMS6F4