Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
Me, my wife, Amber (9) and Eric (5) were visiting my sister and her kids today. They had just picked up a Sun Fish and Hobby Cat (about 11- 12 ft) sail boats. We were practicing and messing around in these beginner sailboats on the bay. Great day and great sailing weather with steady winds. Every was going well and my nephew was getting really good on the Hobby Cat.
After numerous outings on the water, staying within sight of the beach, my sister watched as the Hobby Cat with her son and my wife turned on its side, then turtled in about 20 feet of water, right near the channel marker (about 300 yards from shore). When I realized what had happened, and with the kyacks and two sailboats out on the water first thing I did was look around to see who was on the boat. I was relieved to see my kids were on the beach, and realized it was my wife and nephew out on the water. I was relieved that it was adults, and they had PDF's on, and there were power boats all around. I was a bit worried that they were crossing the channel when they flipped, so being hit by a big yacht was a real danger.
My sister was out in a kyack and her boyfriend was in the sun fish, and headed out to help. A yacht stopped and my wife got on after fighting a strong current in the channel that was taking her away at a good clip. My sister and nephew eventually righted the Hobby Cat. The boyfriend got there in the sun fish, and switched to the kyack and towed back the sun fish while my sister and her son sailed the H. C. back. My wife took a ride on the yacht back to the marina.
Everyone was OK.
I felt helpless as I had no way of getting out there to help, and had to comfort my kids as they were scared and afraid Mom had drowned, especially when the H C came back without her. Even I was wondering what was going on. With no communication, and only being able to see a little through the zoom of a camcorder, it was a tense hour or so until everything was sorted out.
What caused the Hobby Cat to flip was two things. 1) my nephiew was sailing, had one sail up so he was not running fast, and was leaning over a bit when 2) a 30 foot boat came by at high speed and too close. The wake was too much for the boat being leaned over and it turtled.
Everyone made it home safe and sound.
As my nephew and wife were shoving off for that trip, my wife asked me to come along and I walked up to the boat but then declined because I didn't have a vest on. Wish I had the vest on and had gone. Could have helped right the Cat much sooner.
My wife told me the Hobby Cat went over so fast she was trapped underneath. Her life vest kept her "floating" inside the cockpit and she had to push down to swim out.
Afterwards, we still sailed and had a good time. But it was tense, and the life vests prevented a scary situation from becoming deadly.
Tomorrow we are going out in our Bayliner, and my wife made me promise not get get a sailboat.
Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!
After numerous outings on the water, staying within sight of the beach, my sister watched as the Hobby Cat with her son and my wife turned on its side, then turtled in about 20 feet of water, right near the channel marker (about 300 yards from shore). When I realized what had happened, and with the kyacks and two sailboats out on the water first thing I did was look around to see who was on the boat. I was relieved to see my kids were on the beach, and realized it was my wife and nephew out on the water. I was relieved that it was adults, and they had PDF's on, and there were power boats all around. I was a bit worried that they were crossing the channel when they flipped, so being hit by a big yacht was a real danger.
My sister was out in a kyack and her boyfriend was in the sun fish, and headed out to help. A yacht stopped and my wife got on after fighting a strong current in the channel that was taking her away at a good clip. My sister and nephew eventually righted the Hobby Cat. The boyfriend got there in the sun fish, and switched to the kyack and towed back the sun fish while my sister and her son sailed the H. C. back. My wife took a ride on the yacht back to the marina.
Everyone was OK.
I felt helpless as I had no way of getting out there to help, and had to comfort my kids as they were scared and afraid Mom had drowned, especially when the H C came back without her. Even I was wondering what was going on. With no communication, and only being able to see a little through the zoom of a camcorder, it was a tense hour or so until everything was sorted out.
What caused the Hobby Cat to flip was two things. 1) my nephiew was sailing, had one sail up so he was not running fast, and was leaning over a bit when 2) a 30 foot boat came by at high speed and too close. The wake was too much for the boat being leaned over and it turtled.
Everyone made it home safe and sound.
As my nephew and wife were shoving off for that trip, my wife asked me to come along and I walked up to the boat but then declined because I didn't have a vest on. Wish I had the vest on and had gone. Could have helped right the Cat much sooner.
My wife told me the Hobby Cat went over so fast she was trapped underneath. Her life vest kept her "floating" inside the cockpit and she had to push down to swim out.
Afterwards, we still sailed and had a good time. But it was tense, and the life vests prevented a scary situation from becoming deadly.
Tomorrow we are going out in our Bayliner, and my wife made me promise not get get a sailboat.
Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!
...... I would chalk it up as a good learning experience. 
