the meeting that was discussing the importance of members assessing their competence levels and set off for a paddle/sail. This weekend was only the third time we had sailed our new, single outrigger canoe but we had had a good sail on Friday in decent winds and were keen to get more experience in the boat.
The lake was flat calm as we set off so with sails furled we paddled across to Low Wray. A gentle breeze got up so we set the sails and I was keen to take the helm, with Peter controlling the main sheet and the mizzen sheet cleated off. We were on a port tack with the outrigger on the windward side and Peter was sitting out. The breeze started to increase slightly in strength, but with gusts no stronger than we had encountered the previous day. Suddenly the outrigger lifted out of the water. My immediate reaction was to turn to windward but instead of rectifying the situation, the outrigger continued to lift rapidly and within seconds Peter and I were in the water with the canoe having completely capsized and inverted.
The shock was quite frightening, mostly I think because it was so completely unexpected. So there we were, in the middle of Lake Windermere, at the end of January and with no one around. It struck me that we had broken every suggested rule by not telling anyone of our plans and by going alone. My initial fears about being tangled in the rigging or the boat sinking proved unfounded and after climbing onto the main hull we were able to right the boat by pulling the outrigger over on top of us. Fortunately the main mast had come out so we were not trying to lift the full rig free of the water. Once upright it did not take too long to bail the water out, retrieve the mainsail and store it on the outrigger booms and paddle back to shore.
Reflecting on the incident, we were very glad that we were correctly dressed for cold-water immersion, even though we had not anticipated capsizing. Everything in the boat had been tied in so we did not lose anything. Discussing the reason for the capsize was interesting. Peter had no sense that there was any pressure on the sail and so did not loosen the main sheet to "spill the wind". Once the outrigger was clear of the water, the main hull, because of its shape, is completely unstable. Turning it into the wind possibly increased the centrifugal turning force and hastened our demise.
Peter and DaveP took her out again the following day in much stronger winds, but this time they had filled the outrigger with water ballast. This worked well but we are still going to consider adding a safety ama (see below), similar to those used by the Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association. This is the "broken wing" configuration; the main ama floats in the water while a smaller ama is attached to the shorter cross beams on the other side and only comes into play when the boat leans significantly in its direction.
The Iceberg Trophy will serve to remind us that we survived this incident but that the unexpected can happen and that the importance of self-reliance should not be underestimated.
Safety Ama (PennyO)
Here's a list of safety ama web links:
• Duckworks Stoa Proa update
• Yahoo! Proa File International Group Stoa Proa message
• Proafile High Performance Outrigger Pt. II article
• Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association's web-site
• DGS WaterSports Building a Sailing Canoe construction tips
Oh! That Wasn't Supposed To Happen (SteveR)
All in!
As we were sailing up and down in the fierce winds prior to the scheduled paddling exercise at the winter meet, I saw Gavin capsize. I was fairly close to him at the time, so I sailed over to see if I could help him get his boat upright. I made contact with the upturned hull from upwind, aiming to pull the boat upright with my back to the wind, the most sure-fire method of successfully righting a sailing canoe. I grabbed hold of Gavin's upturned hull and five seconds later I was in the water myself, looking at my own capsized boat and thinking "Yes, I should definitely have taken my rig down first!" I later realised that the mast of Gavin's boat had been stuck in the mud, and that this
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