Cyprus-Forum.com

[Kikapu]

This is what's called a "Pitch Pole" is sailing terms and it can happen to any size Catamaran Big and Small, given the right (wrong) conditions. I have seen a 80ft Racing Catamaran towed into harbour few years ago in Vigo, Portugal, upside down, who were caught in the same storm as we were the night before. They had lost all their rigging but the crew were safe. The idiots were going "full steam ahead" in 40ft waves. All this takes just a few seconds to be up side down!!!

http://www.pacificfog.net/Temp/CatSass.swf

[Niki]

Amazing pics!

They were lucky people and it looked like there was a kid there? Irresponsible!

[Kikapu]

Niki,

While I was cruising few years ago, whole family would be sailing together with their very young kids who were no more than 3-4 years old. The kids loved it, and the good thing about kids is, they are not afraid of anything. In bad whether parents would be worried scared but the kids would have a great time.

The good thing about a Catamaran is, it may capsize but it hardly ever sinks, so one can hold onto the boat, even if it's up side down until help arrives, so I do not think if there was a kid with them, that they would be in any danger, specially if they were wearing their safety gear.

[Niki]

Niki,

While I was cruising few years ago, whole family would be sailing together with their very young kids who were no more than 3-4 years old. The kids loved it, and the good thing about kids is, they are not afraid of anything. In bad whether parents would be worried scared but the kids would have a great time.

The good thing about a Catamaran is, it may capsize but it hardly ever sinks, so one can hold onto the boat, even if it's up side down until help arrives, so I do not think if there was a kid with them, that they would be in any danger, specially if they were wearing their safety gear.

Unfortunately I know of a different story. We went on a sailing and watersports holday every year. The place in Greece we loved most - 2 years ago had the death of a little girl sailing on a cat with her family as it tipped and she was trapped underneath. This was in gentle med waters.

I am sure this was a fluke but you still have to be so careful.

[Nikitas]

Kikapu,

Reading your text, before seeing the photo sequence, you almost shook my faith in multihulls. Then I saw it.

Too much sail, too high a mast, too high center of effort, too little seamanship. These guys should have read what cat designer James Wharram has to say about overpowering cats. It is fun to do that stuff when racing, kind of a bummer when cruising.

I still plan to sail from Rhodes to Cyprus on a cat someday. With a fine northerly at about force 5, a broad reach all the way and enjoying it with a glass of wine in hand. No heeling and no heaving!

Nikitas

[Kikapu]

Niki,

While I was cruising few years ago, whole family would be sailing together with their very young kids who were no more than 3-4 years old. The kids loved it, and the good thing about kids is, they are not afraid of anything. In bad whether parents would be worried scared but the kids would have a great time.

The good thing about a Catamaran is, it may capsize but it hardly ever sinks, so one can hold onto the boat, even if it's up side down until help arrives, so I do not think if there was a kid with them, that they would be in any danger, specially if they were wearing their safety gear.

Unfortunately I know of a different story. We went on a sailing and watersports holday every year. The place in Greece we loved most - 2 years ago had the death of a little girl sailing on a cat with her family as it tipped and she was trapped underneath. This was in gentle med waters.

I am sure this was a fluke but you still have to be so careful.

It can happen Niki. My guess is, they were on a small catamaran, like a Hobie Cat and I'm going on a limb here and say that the child was also hooked to the boat, so not to fall into the water, so upon the boat capsizing, she got trapped under the trampoline. With her life jacket on, she would have been thrown clear from the boat into the water and away from the boat if she was not hooked to the boat. She would still be alive, I believe. Too many people casual sailors do not think of what may happen, so they are not prepared for it, when it does.

A family of 4 drowned in Lake Tahoe, 6,000 ft above sea level in California few years ago, because the weather changed for the worse and they were on a very small sailboat, with very little experience to deal with the elements.

[Kikapu]

Kikapu,

Reading your text, before seeing the photo sequence, you almost shook my faith in multihulls. Then I saw it.

Too much sail, too high a mast, too high center of effort, too little seamanship. These guys should have read what cat designer James Wharram has to say about overpowering cats. It is fun to do that stuff when racing, kind of a bummer when cruising.

I still plan to sail from Rhodes to Cyprus on a cat someday. With a fine northerly at about force 5, a broad reach all the way and enjoying it with a glass of wine in hand. No heeling and no heaving!

Nikitas

Nikitas,

Don't lose your faith in Catamarans, because they are great sailing vessels, as long as you know their limitations, one is in safe hands.

Funny you should mention James Wharram, because I have sailed one of his designs on open seas (blue water) as well as coastal in all conditions, and she did really well. It is a "simple boat" but extremely safe and strong as long as it was “professionally” built. Did you also read his book “Two Girls, Two Catamarans” from the 60's. I think that’s where every male sailor has gotten the “wishful ideas” of having more than one woman on the boat.!!! I got a lot of looks and comments when we pulled into Waikiki Harbour on the island of Oahu, Hawaii with two Girls aboard with only just “poor me”.

I see that you like "downhill" sailing. Did plenty of that also in the tropics, which is a very comfortable sail, and a lot of the times, clothes were optional for the crew.

The problem is, you will never get constant winds in the Med. It will be from NO wind to Variable, which may also be "on the nose", in which case, forget about your "champagne sailing" because you'll end up wearing it, before you can drink it.

[Nikitas]

Kikapu,

You lucky sod!!!! All that sailing and girls! How did you get involved with the sea anyway? I have read about James Wharrams voyages and designs in the yachting press. Very interesting man he is.

I am definitely a downhill sailor. For my plan I will make sure there will be a week of favorable winds before I set out. Thanks to the net and satellites and the Poseidon website you can predict the weather pretty closely. Did that when I sailed on merchant ship to Cyprus and back and it worked. I never spilt my wine once.

How about a thread with your sailing adventures? And how does a blue water sailor end up in landlocked Switzerland? Dont you miss the smell of brine?

Nikitas

[Kikapu]

Kikapu,

You lucky sod!!!! All that sailing and girls! How did you get involved with the sea anyway? I have read about James Wharrams voyages and designs in the yachting press. Very interesting man he is.

I am definitely a downhill sailor. For my plan I will make sure there will be a week of favorable winds before I set out. Thanks to the net and satellites and the Poseidon website you can predict the weather pretty closely. Did that when I sailed on merchant ship to Cyprus and back and it worked. I never spilt my wine once.

How about a thread with your sailing adventures?
And how does a blue water sailor end up in landlocked Switzerland? Dont you miss the smell of brine?

Nikitas

It's a long story and there is a woman in the story.

Sailing stories are great amongst sailors, but not sure if non sailors find it that interesting. I can dish out 15 months worth of sea stories as one Adventure that only you and Niki would find it interesting.

[kalahari]

I have had a similar experience on a much smaller cat. I was sailing a 24 ft cat off Lemnos with my instructor. I was out on the trapeze and we were blazing along. The weather was good and the sea was relatively flat. But, and here's the but, there were many mountains around the bay and we suddenly sailed into dead wind. The hull dropped, I bounced off the side and, with the sudden drop in velocity, shot forward on the trapeze. My weight swung to the front of the boat (I was now flying around the front of the mast) and the boat was dragged nose first into the water. We lost a pair of sunglasses, and I thought it was an exhilerating experience, but my instructor later tols me how dangerous this situation can be.
He told me how he knew of a guy whose ear had been sliced clean off as he shot past the wire mast shroud, and another whose stomach skin had been sliced upwards as he did the same – the only thing that stopped it being worse was the life preserver preventing further upward slicing.

So I was really very lucky! I learned from this not only to watch the water surface more carefully, but also to keep a handle on the power you're putting into the sail.

These guys are just plain daft – look at the sail they've got up in those conditions. Amazing photos though. A wonderful study in futility!