Capsize Ruminations

Howard Rice on capsizing, righting, re-entry and much more!

(This presentation was delivered to members of the West Coast Trailer Sailor Squadron as part of an on-the-water safety clinic I conducted there last month)

Because many of us choose to sail small boats with light centerboards, daggerboards or leeboards, we may experience a capsize.

Capsizes and man-overboard incidents should of course be avoided but at the same time should not be feared. Knowing how you and your boat will react in trying conditions leading up to a possible capsize, and then what to do as you re-board and sail away is important information that is best learned through hand-on-helm experience.

Theory in books, chalk talks, or diagrams on whiteboards are valuable but can only take you so far toward mastery of capsize prevention and recovery. A capsize can rattle even the steeliest of nerves as seeing your boat on its side as you tread water is a bit unnatural and can lead to a feeling of panic. Capsize practice or experiential learning will enable you to become more comfortable as you sail because you have the confidence to right, re-enter, and sail away. General safety preparedness, capsize prevention and recovery is a skill set just as important as trimming sails, launching, navigating, managing weather, and all the other skills involved in our engaging and challenging pastime.

There are many aspects in the prevention of capsize, recovery, re-boarding, and sail away that I won't be touching on here because they can only be experienced individually, given that we all sail different types of boats, and have different skill sets and levels of fitness. That said, please note that basics are the same regardless of these broad factors.

Each sailor and boat is different thus requiring subtle adjustments to logical steps or common practice. Self-sufficiency and self-rescue should be a paramount objectives for any sailor. Of course, we live in an age of rescue or assist options ranging from cell phones, waterproof floating VHF radios, personal locator beacons, lots of boat traffic, great designs, group sailing, and modern boats with lots of flotation. This means that for many of us, assistance is nearby should we need it yet we should be prepared to capsize and recover on our own because we can't count on any of these factors.

In my view, there are more dangerous boats out there than safe ones, and respectfully there are more sailors just hoping they will never capsize than there are savvy sailors who sail sound boats, practice, and are prepared.

You may be wondering what small steps you can take to prevent a capsize and if it happens, how do you right your boat, get back in to sail, or row on? These are especially important questions for any sailor who may have physical limitations due to size, strength, health issues, or age.

Seven Elements To Consider