Atlantic 57 Catamaran Capsized

[Steadman Uhlich]

Also noted in the crew account is that the LEOPARD's life raft was INSIDE the boat and had to be taken outside.

Also note that it was dark inside the boat, and that made finding items difficult.

Also note that the slippery "awlgripped" hull surfaces made it difficult to stand on the overturned hull.

[beiland]

Went looking for videos of roaring sound described by folks that have experienced tornadoes up close. Found some interesting videos:
1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkfDKSMr08o

(how about the wide variety of shapes, epecially the concentrated ones at minutes, 2:20, 3:15, and 4:30)

2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX2DE0D2x54

3) how they can start

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBcytUOOKkE

4) twin waterspouts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz5IVa9sRIQ

5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPTXqzMVFUA

[Polux]

Nobody knows if it was a tornado, As Chris white said referring to this accident:

"The circumstances of the capsize are at once very clear and yet somewhat mysterious. There were three experienced, awake and alert sailors on board who all have vivid impressions of the event.....A capsize could be caused by a micro burst from a thunderstorm or large squall. These can be violent and dangerous."

This are the statements of some members of the crew:

1"Around 1900 the cooking was done, true wind speed was about 18 knots, (apparent 24) and I was about to harden up when a roar from a gust of wind hit the boat. The starboard hull lifted and continued rotating over. Even though I was standing at the helm station I had no time to disengage the autopilot before I was off balance as the boat went over completely."


..........


2"The weather never felt threatening or dangerous. It was just very frustrating. Windspeed would drop to 6 or 7 knots and we would be motoring against 'lumpy' seas, then it would increase to 15/18 knots and we would be sailing again. Within the hour we would be reefing as the apparent wind reached the high twenties, then shaking out the reef or reefs as the wind died to nothing again. Charles, always a conscientious sailor, reacted immediately by reefing or shaking out the reef to meet the wind conditions. It was much work to make little headway towards our destination.

A little after 7pm on Wednesday I was having a hard time preparing dinner, as water was spilling out of the cooking pot repeatedly extinguishing the stove. We were on a starboard tack with double reefed main and staysail making about 6 knots to weather I asked if we could run off a little while I finished cooking, so Charles and Bert went out again, eased the sheets and took in the staysail a few turns.

When they came back in from the cockpit, I heard Charles say something to the effect that, "Of course, now the wind is dying again!"

At that point there was a loud roar coming from the starboard aft quarter. I stopped what I was doing, thinking that it could not possibly be the wind as it was not accompanied by the familiar rushing of water across the hull. It was like a train passing! Then I was thrown back into the fridge door, heard everything crashing around in the galley and inside lockers, and was hit in the face by the galley stove. When the boat settled I was pinned under the stove and in the flickering light saw water rushing in. Confusion, disbelief, the ultimate nightmare. But how could this have happened? On my watches over the past two grey days I had never seen the true wind exceed 28 knots, and the sea state was not close to anything that could flip a 57' catamaran."

What they describe seems to me like a boat sailing on squalls, without very little wind in between and suddenly a huge one.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Polux

What they describe seems to me like a boat sailing on squalls, without very little wind in between and suddenly a huge one.

I agree Polux. Also, their description of recent wind speeds in the high 20's is not "calm". Nor do the sea states after the capsize seem calm. Were they motorsailing at the time? Several of the cat owners have said they have no problem hanging out inside their saloon's for extended periods in whether like this, which I guess is fine for them. We don't and won't as IMO it creates a disconnect with the immediate weather.

[beiland]

The combination of
1) a ROAR (VERY often utilized to describe a tornado event),
2) and a calm after the event...

....certainly make it sound as though it is one of those UNUSUAL events not encountered in ordinary stormy weather,....particularly the calm right after the event !!

[neilpride]

Whats the odds to get caught by a waterspout?? I mean is really bad luck....

[did-g]

water was spilling out of the cooking pot repeatedly extinguishing the stove.

Huh? No pressure cooker?

The cook had a lot of chance, imagine her with boiling water all over and then in salty water with second or three degree burns, life threatening condition.

[PhiSig1071]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Statement of Charles Nethersole

The leeward daggerboard was lowered about 3 feet.

Am I the only one who noticed this? Am I missing something here? I thought on a cat with daggers you were only supposed to use the windward board?

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I agree Polux. Also, their description of recent wind speeds in the high 20's is not "calm". Nor do the sea states after the capsize seem calm. Were they motorsailing at the time? Several of the cat owners have said they have no problem hanging out inside their saloon's for extended periods in whether like this, which I guess is fine for them. We don't and won't as IMO it creates a disconnect with the immediate weather.

A little after 7pm on Wednesday I was having a hard time preparing dinner, as water was spilling out of the cooking pot repeatedly extinguishing the stove. We were on a starboard tack with double reefed main and staysail making about 6 knots to weather I asked if we could run off a little while I finished cooking, so Charles and Bert went out again, eased the sheets and took in the staysail a few turns.

This part indicates clearly that the situation was not as calm as they seem to make believe: A performance 57ft cat with double reefed main, doing only 6k to weather and with a motion that made it impossible to cock? On what kind of sea condition is this possible? Certainly not on a calm sea.

[smj]

Yep, nobody knows for a fact that it was a tornado, but it makes sense in so many ways.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Boatguy30]

Originally Posted by PhiSig1071

Am I the only one who noticed this? Am I missing something here? I thought on a cat with daggers you were only supposed to use the windward board?

I think you have that reversed. Can't see how position of boards makes any difference given relatively slight sea state.

[PhiSig1071]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

I think you have that reversed. Can't see how position of boards makes any difference given relatively slight sea state.

I thought the prevailing mindset on daggers was to have the windward one down so that there was less lateral resistance leeward of the main point of effort (mainsail/mast). So that a gust if wind was more likely to allow the boat to slide somewhat rather than "catch" on the board and capsize. I thought that was the collective agreement on the spate of Iroquois capsizes that occurred, they were mostly caused or significantly contributed to by the windward board being down.

I freely admit that I could have it totally backwards.

[CookiesnTequila]

Originally Posted by PhiSig1071

Am I the only one who noticed this? Am I missing something here? I thought on a cat with daggers you were only supposed to use the windward board?

That is the same theory as the keels vs no keels - so as to not promote the leeward hull biting if you get pushed sideways from a large/breaking beam seas. But I doubt very much that less boards, or only windward board would have made a difference in this situation!

One thing I noticed is no mention of radar being on. I wonder if they would have seen it coming if it was...

[PhiSig1071]

Originally Posted by CookiesnTequila

That is the same theory as the keels vs no keels - so as to not promote the leeward hull biting if you get pushed sideways from a large/breaking beam seas. But I doubt very much that less boards, or only windward board would have made a difference in this situation!

One thing I noticed is no mention of radar being on. I wonder if they would have seen it coming if it was...

Yes, but the daggerboards offer significantly more lateral resistance over mini-keels. If mini-keels were as effective as boards no one would use boards, and the Atlantic would certainly not have both.

Your Catana has boards right? So which is it? Are you supposed to sail with the windward or leeward board down?

[JPA Cate]

Probably, because radar gets a return off rain, it would get some sort of return off the water in the waterspout, but I've never seen one on radar, don't know what it would look like on screen.

Ann