Hi all,
In response to issues we've had over the past couple of seasons, we're
introducing new guidelines for fleet safety. *Starting tonight, if the race
committee boat has to halt racing in order to help you right your boat, we
strongly encourage you to consider sailing in for the night. *Every sailor
needs to make this decision on his or her own, but if you're unable to
self-rescue in the event of a capsize, you're probably in over your head.
Starting on today, we expect all boats to be able to self-rescue if they
capsize. Accidents do happen, but halting racing for 15 boats (plus the
Lasers) so the race committee can rescue one boat is unfair to the larger
group. I understand that asking sailors to retire for the night sounds
punitive, and apologize for that, but we're putting this rule in place to
encourage sailors to think carefully about whether they're ready for the
night's conditions.
Below, we've detailed the correct way to right your boat if you capsize in
the cove. Getting your mast stuck in the mud is brutal, but if you go
through the right steps you can recover on your own. The key is to never be
on top of the boat or the daggerboard. Your mast hits the mud faster than
you realize, and if you're on top of the boat for just a few seconds
you'll drive it further down, making self-rescue impossible. Instead, you
need to allow yourself to fall in the water, then hang off of the
daggerboard to right the boat. Doing so lifts the mast out of the mud, and
while you'll need to be patient it will eventually allow you to recover.
See below for high-quality diagrams detailing the right and wrong way to
right your boat. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions on
capsize prevention or recovery.
The right way, using your body weight to pull the mast out of the mud:
[image: Inline image 1]
The wrong way, where your weight drives the mast further into the mud:
[image: Inline image 2]
Thanks to Dan, Adam, Eric and Claire, who all contributed to this.
Best regards,
Al
asargent at stanfordalumni.org | +1 415 742 1430
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