[MHml] CatSass Pitchpole

[Alec Mackenzie]

Apparent wind probably on the beam

If she was sailing hotter, I doubt she would have had the 
spinnaker up.

look at the upper mast bend as she pitchpoles. The spinnaker 
is working very well until it is too late.

When sailing within ~20 degrees of true down wind, you don't 
have any where to go if the wind picks up.  loosing sail 
area is your only option.  In this case It looks like the 
wind was probably not strong enough to flip the boat with 
just the main, But I was not on the boat, and it is always 
easier to second guess the events after the fact. 
Eye-witness accounts say the pitch pole was gentle, 
suggesting that a little less power and it would not have 
happened.

Lets hope we get the full story from one of the Cat Sass 
crew.

Alec


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Glenn Brown" <gbrown at alumni.caltech.edu>
To: "Informed discussion of multihull issues" 
<multihulls at steamradio.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: [MHml] CatSass Pitchpole


>> Cat Sass is a Viva 27 - just shy of 28 feet long.  She 
>> was
>> originally called "Viva". She is one of two, the other is
>> Tyger Tyger sailing in Southern California.
>
> I crewed on Geoff Deutschman's Tyger Tyger.  Fun boat!  I 
> heard
> something like 5 were made (in Newport Beach), and I've 
> sailed with
> another ("Avalon Darlin'"), and seen another at a mooring 
> in Newport
> Beach.  The last I heard, Avalon Darlin is on a trailer in 
> Arizona...
>
> Anyway, these boats were not built with a spinnaker, but 
> they seem to
> have plenty of volume in the bows, and lots of freeboard. 
> Geoff has a
> spinnaker on his, and even won the Santa Barbara to King 
> Harbor race in
> the last few years.  I've heard only great things from the 
> two owners I
> know, although only one has a spinnaker.  They fold for 
> trailering, FWIW.
>
> Watching the Cat Sass capsize, I was suprised she was 
> sailing so deep,
> as this is a fast cat, and that can't have been the best 
> trim for
> downwind, in my estimation, though they were near a mark, 
> and I am
> monday morning quarterbacking.  I wonder if sailing hotter 
> might have
> been more recoverable.  The video will be on my mind if I 
> get another
> chance to crew on Tyger Tyger!
>
> --Glenn
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