trimaran capsized

Published on July 26th, 2023 | by Editor

Lawson’s trimaran capsized off Mexico

Published on July 26th, 2023 by Editor -->

(July 26, 2023) – The family of missing sailor Donald Lawson reports a vessel found capsized off the coast of Mexico is, indeed, Defiant, Lawson’s 60-foot racing trimaran.

The U.S. Coast Guard informed Jacqueline Lawson, Donald’s wife, that the Mexican Navy was on the scene. Jacqueline positively identified the vessel as Defiant.

A U.S. Coast Guard Cutter has been dispatched to help in searching for the missing sailor from Baltimore, MD and is en route, 150 nautical miles out from the location.

The Coast Guard told Jacqueline yesterday that a vessel was found 315 nautical miles south/southwest of Acapulco.

trimaran capsized

Lawson had left Acapulco on July 5, 2023, singlehanding the ORMA 60 bound for the Panama Canal and ultimately Baltimore to prepare for a single-handed round the world record attempt this fall.

He communicated on July 9 that he had been experiencing problems with his hydraulic rigging and was without engine power, relying solely on a wind generator. But when he lost his wind generator due to a storm on July 12, he decided to return to Acapulco but contact was lost later that day .

Following a proclamation in June 2020 that he’d identified 12 records held by the World Sailing Speed Record Council that he planned to break, Lawson bought the ORMA 60 in April 2022 to pursue this initiative.

However, equipment issues and accidents marred his ownership of the boat which delayed his record-setting pursuits of which none were ever achieved.

UPDATE : As of July 27th, there has been no new information on the boat or Lawson.

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Tags: Donald Lawson , records , World Sailing Speed Record Council

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trimaran capsized

Boat of Baltimore sailor found capsized near Mexico, but he's still missing

Captain Donald Lawson.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s navy located the boat of a missing American sailor off the country’s southern coast, but the Maryland man who had been piloting it solo wasn’t found, authorities said Friday.

Donald Lawson’s capsized trimaran was found Thursday night by a patrol boat involved in the search 356 nautical miles (about 410 miles) southwest of the resort city of Acapulco, according to the navy’s press office.

The navy said that it would continue its search for Lawson, 41, an experienced sailor.

A plane had reported spotting a boat similar to the description of Lawson’s on July 23 about 320 nautical miles (370 miles) south of Acapulco. The navy sent boats to the area, but it wasn’t until Thursday night that they found it.

Port authorities in Acapulco said that Lawson had arrived on Jan. 26 for repairs to a motor and hull of the boat. After the repairs were completed, Lawson left Acapulco on July 5, headed for the Panama Canal, where he planned to cross to the Caribbean Sea and continue north to Baltimore, Maryland.

His wife, Jacqueline Lawson, told local media outlets that on July 9, he had sent her a message saying he was having mechanical problems and the motor was losing power. Three days later, he told her a storm had knocked out his wind generator and he would try to return to Acapulco. The last satellite positioning message received for the Defiant was July 13.

Lawson, who is Black, grew up in Baltimore and from his first sailing opportunity at age 9, set his sights on making it his career.

“From that day forward, that was my goal — become a professional sailor,” Lawson said in a profile published by U.S. Sailing last year.

He started out cleaning boats, folding sails and stowing gear in Annapolis. Later, he and his wife founded the Dark Seas Project, an effort to increase diversity in the sport of sailing. He is the chairman of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for U.S. Sailing.

Lawson was working toward challenging records for circumnavigating the globe solo.

The Associated Press

Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson’s capsized…

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Key bridge collapse live updates: a minute-by-minute timeline of baltimore disaster, subscriber only, baltimore sailor donald lawson’s capsized trimaran found in pacific; u.s. coast guard to aid search.

Donald Lawson said that he aspired to sail his vessel around the world faster than anyone else has.

Mexican authorities have located Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson’s capsized trimaran in the Pacific Ocean 300 miles south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, Lawson’s wife, Jacqueline, said in a statement Wednesday.

The search for the sailor — which has been ongoing for several days — continues, however. Lawson told The Baltimore Sun in 2022 that his trimaran, a speedy 60-foot sailboat named Defiant, was equipped with two life rafts.

For the first time since Mexican authorities began the search for Lawson over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard is deploying an asset. Active, a 210-foot cutter, has been dispatched to aid with efforts to locate Lawson, who has not been heard from since July 12 .

According to online marine tracking data, the Coast Guard’s cutter (a fast patrol boat) was stationed near San Diego last week.

Because Mexico is leading the search, the Coast Guard had not previously contributed assets, but offered to help Wednesday, Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel said.

Lawson set off July 5 from Acapulco, Mexico, to sail via the Panama Canal to Baltimore, where he planned to prepare for a solo circumnavigation attempt this fall. A pioneering Black sailor who grew up in Baltimore and attended Woodlawn High and Morgan State, Lawson previously said that he aspired to sail his vessel around the world faster than anyone else has.

The current American record for a solo, nonstop trip around the world in a boat no longer than 60 feet is 107 days. The world record is 74 days. Lawson hoped to do it in less than 70 .

However, Lawson communicated to his wife on July 9 that he had experienced problems with his boat’s hydraulic rigging and was without engine power; he lost his wind generator due to a storm on July 12, his wife said.

Mexican Navy captain Hugo Mijangos said in a phone interview Thursday the Mexican Navy first received a report about the missing boat last Friday. On Sunday, a search plane spotted what appeared to be Lawson’s boat 300 miles from Acapulco. The plane noted its coordinates, but then had to leave the area to refuel.

“We can’t say exactly that it was the boat,” Mijangos said in Spanish. “But for calculations and for similarities of the vessel, it appeared to be.”

Jacqueline — who had sailed extensively with Donald on the sailboat — said in Wednesday’s statement that she had positively identified the vessel as Defiant.

Calculating currents and wind, a Mexican search plane attempted to locate the boat Tuesday and Wednesday, but was unable to, Mijangos said. Now, Mexican ships — which will soon be aided by a U.S. Coast Guard’s cutter — are searching the area. Mijangos added search boats in the area are large enough that rough seas should not prevent them from reaching the boat if spotted.

On Tuesday , Jacqueline said in a statement: “We are not giving up hope and we are remaining hopeful of his return.”

In addition to the two life rafts, Lawson previously said that his sailboat had other emergency equipment including a position beacon, radios and a survival suit, which he noted can keep its wearer warm and dry.

“No further information is available at this time,” Wednesday’s statement from Jacqueline said. “Updates will follow as soon as the information becomes available.”

Baltimore Sun reporters Lilly Price, Dan Belson and Dillon Mullan contributed to this article.

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Multihull Capsize Risk Check

Waves, squalls, and inattention to trim and helm contribute to instability..

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In recent years we’ve seen a surge in interest in multihulls. Thirty years ago, when my experience with cruising multihulls began, nearly all of the skippers served an apprenticeship with beach cats, learning their quirks by the seat of their pants. They hiked out on trapezes and flew head-over-heels past their pitch-pole prone Hobie 16s, until they learned the importance of keeping weight way aft on a reach and bearing off when the lee bow began to porpoise.

By contrast, the new generation of big cat buyers skipped this learning process, learning on monohulls or even choosing a big stable cat as their first boat. Heck, nobody even builds real beach cats anymore, only pumped up racing machines and rotomolded resort toys. So we’re guessing there are a few things these first-time cruising multihull sailors don’t know, even if they have sailed cruising cats before.

It is extremely hard to capsize a modern cruising cat. Either a basic disregard for seamanship or extreme weather is required. But no matter what the salesman tells you (“none of our boats have ever …”), it can happen. A strong gust with sail up or a breaking wave in a survival storm can do it. And when a multihull goes over, they don’t come back.

Trimarans tend to be more performance oriented than catamarans. In part, this is because it’s easier to design a folding trimaran, and as a result Farrier, Corsair, and Dragonfly trimarans had a disproportionate share of the market.

In spite of this and in spite of the fact that many are raced aggressively in windy conditions, capsizes are few, certainly fewer than in equivalent performance catamaran classes.  But when they do go over, they do so in different ways.

Multihull Capsize Risk Check

Trimarans have greater beam than catamarans, making them considerably more resistant to capsize by wind alone, whether gusts or sustained wind. They heel sooner and more than catamaran, giving more warning that they are over powered. 

Waves are a different matter. The amas are generally much finer, designed for low resistance when sailing deeply immersed to windward. As a result, trimarans are more susceptible to broach and capsize when broad reaching at high speed or when caught on the beam by a large breaking wave.

In the first case, the boat is sailing fast and overtaking waves. You surf down a nice steep one, into the backside of the next one, the ama buries up to the beam and the boat slows down. The apparent wind increases, the following wave lifts the transom, and the boat slews into a broach. If all sail is instantly eased, the boat will generally come back down, even from scary levels of heel, but not always.

In the second case a large wave breaks under the boat, pulling the leeward ama down and rolling the boat. Catamarans, on the other hand, are more likely to slide sideways when hit by a breaking wave, particularly if the keels are shallow (or raised in the case of daggerboards), because the hulls are too big to be forced under. They simply get dragged to leeward, alerting the crew that it is time to start bearing off the wind.

Another place the numbers leave us short is ama design. In the 70s and 80s, most catamarans were designed with considerable flare in the bow, like other boats of the period. This will keep the bow from burying, right? Nope. When a hull is skinny it can always be driven through a wave, and wide flare causes a rapid increase in drag once submerged, causing the boat to slow and possibly pitchpole.

Hobie Cat sailors know this well. More modern designs either eliminate or minimize this flare, making for more predictable behavior in rough conditions. A classic case is the evolution of Ian Farrier’s designs from bows that flare above the waterline to a wave-piercing shape with little flare, no deck flange, increased forward volume, and reduced rocker (see photos page 18). After more than two decades of designing multihulls, Farrier saw clear advantages of the new bow form. The F-22 is a little faster, but more importantly, it is less prone to broach or pitchpole, allowing it to be driven harder.

Beam and Stability

The stability index goes up with beam. Why isn’t more beam always better? Because as beam increases, a pitchpole off the wind becomes more likely, both under sail and under bare poles. (The optimum length-to-beam ratios is 1.7:1 – 2.2:1 for cats and 1.2:1-1.8:1 for trimarans.) Again, hull shape and buoyancy also play critical roles in averting a pitchpole, so beam alone shouldn’t be regarded as a determining factor.

Drogues and Chutes

While monohull sailors circle the globe without ever needing their drogues and sea anchors, multihulls are more likely to use them. In part, this is because strategies such as heaving to and lying a hull don’t work for multihulls. Moderate beam seas cause an uncomfortable snap-roll, and sailing or laying ahull in a multihull is poor seamanship in beam seas.

Fortunately, drogues work better with multihulls. The boats are lighter, reducing loads. They rise over the waves, like a raft. Dangerous surfing, and the risk of pitchpole and broach that comes with it, is eliminated.  There’s no deep keel to trip over to the side and the broad beam increases the lever arm, reducing yawing to a bare minimum. 

Speed-limiting drogues are often used by delivery skippers simply to ease the motion and take some work off the autopilot. By keeping her head down, a wind-only capsize becomes extremely unlikely, and rolling stops, making for an easy ride. A properly sized drogue will keep her moving at 4-6 knots, but will not allow surfing, and by extension, pitch poling. 

For more information on speed limiting drogues, see “ How Much Drag is a Drogue? ” PS , September 2016.

Capsize Case Studies

Knock wood, we’ve never capsized a cruising multihull (beach cat—plenty of times), but we have pushed them to the edge of the envelope, watched bows bury, and flown multi-ton hulls to see just how the boat liked it and how fast she would go. We’re going to tell you about these experiences and what can be learned from them, so you don’t have to try it.

First, it helps to examine a few examples of some big multihull capsizes.

Techtronics 35 catamaran, John Shuttleworth design

This dramatic pitchpole occurred in a strong breeze some 30 years ago. In order to combine both great speed and reasonable accommodation, the designer incorporated considerable flare just above the waterline, resulting in hulls that were skinny and efficient in most conditions, but wide when driven under water in steep chop.

The boat was sailing fast near Nova Scotia, regularly overtaking waves.  The bows plowed into a backside of a particularly steep wave, the submerged drag was huge, and the boat stopped on a dime. At the same time, the apparent wind went from about 15 knots into the high 20s, tripling the force on the sails and rapidly lifting the stern over the bow. Some crew were injured, but they all survived.

PDQ 32 Catamaran

On July 4, 2010, the boat’s new owners had scheduled time to deliver their new-to-them boat up the northern California coast. A strong gale was predicted, but against all advice, they left anyway. The boat turned sideways to the confused seas and a breaking wave on the beam capsized the boat. There were no injuries, and the boat was recovered with only moderate damage a few weeks later. Repaired, she is still sailing.

Another PDQ 32 was capsized in the Virgin Islands when a solo sailor went below to tend to something and sailed out of the lee of the island and into a reinforced trade wind.

Sustaining speed with wider tacking angles will help overcome leeway.

Cruising cats can’t go to windward. That’s the rumor, and there’s a kernel of truth to it. Most lack deep keels or dagger boards and ex-charter cats are tragically under canvassed for lighter wind areas, a nod to near universal lack of multihull experience among charter skippers. Gotta keep them safe.  But there are a few tricks that make the worst pig passable and the better cats downright weatherly. Those of you that learned your craft racing Hobies and Prindles know most of this stuff, but for the rest of you cruising cat sailors, there’s some stuff the owner’s manual leaves out.

“Tune” the Mast

Having no backstay means that the forestay cannot be kept tight unless you want to turn your boat into a banana and over stress the cap shrouds. Although the spreaders are swept back, they are designed primarily for side force with just a bit of pull on the forestay. The real forestay tension comes from mainsheet tension.

Why is it so important to keep the forestay stay tight? Leeward sag forces cloth into the luff of the genoa, making it fuller and blunting the entry into the wind. The draft moves aft, the slot is pinched, and aerodynamic drag increases. Even worse, leeway (sideslip) increases, further increasing drag and sliding you away from your destination. Sailing a cruising cat to windward is about fine tuning the lift to drag ratio, not just finding more power.

How do you avoid easing the mainsheet in strong winds? First, ease the traveler instead. To avoid pinching the slot, keep the main outhaul tight to flatten the lower portion of the main. Use a smaller jib or roll up some genoa; overlap closes the slot. Reef if need be; it is better to keep a smaller mainsail tight than to drag a loose mainsail upwind, with the resultant loose forestay and clogged slot. You will see monos with the main twisted off in a blow. Ignore them, they are not cruising cats. It is also physically much easier to play the traveler than the main sheet. Be glad you have a wide one.

Check Sheeting Angles

Very likely you do not have enough keel area to support large headsails. As a result, you don’t want the tight genoa lead angles of a deep keeled monohull. All you’ll do is sail sideways. Too loose, on the other hand, and you can’t point. In general, 7-10 degrees is discussed for monos that want to pinch up to 40 degrees true, but 14-16 degrees makes more sense for cruising cats that will sail at no less than 50 degrees true. Rig up some temporary barber haulers and experiment. Then install a permanent Barber-hauler; see “ Try a Barber Hauler for Better Sail Trim ,” Practical Sailor , September 2019.

The result will be slightly wider tacking angles, perhaps 105 degrees including leeway, but this will be faster for you. You don’t have the same hull speed limit, so let that work for you. Just don’t get tempted off onto a reach; you need to steer with the jib not far from luffing.

Watch the fore/aft lead position as well. You want the jib to twist off to match the main. Typically it should be right on the spreaders, but that depends on the spreaders. If you have aft swept shrouds, you may need to roll up a little genoa, to 110% max.

Use your Tell-Tales

On the jib there can be tell-tale ribbons all over, but on the main the only ones that count are on the leech. Keep all but the top one streaming aft. Telltales on the body of sail are confused by either mast turbulence (windward side) or pasted down by jib flow (leeward side) and won’t tell you much. But if the leach telltales suck around to leeward you are over sheeted.

Keep Your Bottom Clean

 It’s not just about speed, it’s also pointing angle. Anything that robs speed also makes you go sideways, since with less flow over the foil there will be less lift. Flow over the foils themselves will be turbulent. Nothing slows you down like a dirty bottom.

Reef Wisdom

Push hard, but reef when you need to. You will have the greatest lift vs. windage ratio when you are driving hard. That said, it’s smart to reef most cruising cats well before they lift a hull to avoid overloading the keels. If you are feathering in the lulls or allowing sails to twist off, it’s time to reef.

Multihull Capsize Risk Check

Don’t Pinch

Pinching (pointing to high) doesn’t work for cats. Get them moving, let the helm get a little lighter (the result of good flow over the rudder and keel), and then head up until the feeling begins to falter. How do you know when it’s right? Experiment with tacking angles (GPS not compass, because you want to include leeway in your figuring) and speed until the pair feel optimized. With a genoa and full main trimmed in well, inside tracks and modified keels, and relatively smooth water, our test PDQ can tack through 100 degrees with the boat on autopilot. Hand steering can do a little better, though it’s not actually faster to windward. If we reef or use the self-tacking jib, that might open up to 110-115 degrees, depending on wave conditions. Reefing the main works better than rolling up jib.

Boats with daggerboards or centerboards.  The comments about keeping a tight forestay and importance of a clean bottom are universal. But the reduction in leeway will allow you to point up a little higher, as high as monohulls if you want to. But if you point as high as you can, you won’t go any faster than similar monohulls, and quite probably slower. As a general rule, tacking through less than 90 degrees, even though possible, is not the best strategy. A slightly wider angle, such as 100 degrees, will give a big jump in boat speed with very little leeway.

Chris White Custom 57

In November 2016, winds had been blowing 25-30 knots in stormy conditions about 400 miles north of the Dominican Republic. The main had two reefs in, and the boat was reaching under control at moderate speed when a microburst hit, causing the boat to capsize on its beam. There were no serious injuries.

Another Chris White 57 capsized on July 31, 2010. It had been blowing 18-20 knots and the main had a single reef. The autopilot steered. The wind jumped to 62 knots in a squall and changed direction so quickly that no autopilot could be expected to correct in time.

Gemini 105mC

In 2018, the 34-foot catamaran was sailing in the Gulf of Mexico under full sail at about 6 knots in a 10-15 knot breeze. Squalls had been reported on the VHF. The crew could see a squall line, and decided to run for cover. Before they could get the sails down, the gust front hit, the wind shifted 180 degrees, and the boat quickly went over.

38-foot Roger Simpson Design

The catamaran Ramtha was hit head-on by the infamous Queen’s Birthday storm in 1994. The mainsail was blown out, and steering was lost. Lacking any control the crew was taken off the boat, and the boat was recovered basically unharmed 2 weeks later. A Catalac catamaran caught in the same storm trailed a drogue and came through unharmed. Of the eight vessels that called for help, two were multihulls. Twenty-one sailors were rescued, three aboard the monohull Quartermaster were lost at sea.

15 meter Marsaudon Ts

Hallucine capsized off Portugal on November 11 of this year. This is a high performance cat, in the same general category as the familiar Gunboat series. It was well reefed and the winds were only 16-20 knots. According to crew, it struck a submerged object, and the sudden deceleration caused the boat to capsize.

Multihulls We’ve Sailed

Clearly seamanship is a factor in all of our the previous examples. The watch needs to be vigilant and active. Keeping up any sail during squally weather can be risky. Even in the generally benign tropics, nature quickly can whip up a fury. But it is also true that design choices can impact risk of capsize. Let’s see what the numbers can tell us, and what requires a deeper look.

Stiletto Catamaran

We’ve experienced a number of capsizes both racing and while driving hard in these popular 23-foot catamarans. The combination of light displacement and full bow sections make pitchpoling unlikely, and the result is very high speed potential when broad reaching. Unfortunately, a narrow beam, light weight, and powerful rig result in a low stability factor. The potential for capsize is real when too much sail is up and apparent wind is directly on the beam. The boat can lift a hull in 12 knots true. This makes for exciting sailing when you bring your A-game, but limits the boat to coastal sailing.

Corsair F-24 MK I trimaran

Small and well canvased, these boats can capsize if driven hard (which they often are), but they are broad beamed, short-masted, and designed for windy sailing areas. F-24s are slower off wind than the Stiletto, in part because of greater weight and reduced sail area, but also because the main hull has more rocker and does not plane as well. They are faster to weather and point considerably higher than a Stiletto (90-degree tacking angle vs. 110 degrees). This is the result of greater beam, a more efficient centerboard design, and slender amas that are easily driven in displacement mode. The boat is quite forgiving if reefed.

Going purely by the numbers, this boat seems nearly identical to the F-24. In practice, they sail quite differently. The Dash uses a dagger board instead of centerboard, which is both more hydrodynamic and faster, but more vulnerable to damage if grounded at high speed.

The rotating mast adds power that is not reflected in the numbers. The bridgedeck clearance is higher above the waterline, reducing water drag from wave strikes. The wave-piercing amas create greater stability up wind and off the wind. The result is a boat that is slightly faster than the original F-24 and can be driven much harder off the wind without fear of pitchpole or broach.

Without proper testing, calculating stability yields only a rough picture.

Multihull Capsize Risk Check

Evaluating multihull performance based on design numbers is a bit more complicated than it is with ballasted, displacement monohulls, whose speed is generally limited by hull form. [Editor’s note: The formula for Performance Index, PI has been updated from the one that originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Practical Sailor.

The following definitions of units apply to the adjacent table:

SA = sail area in square feet

D (displacement) = weight in pounds

LWL = length of waterline in feet

HCOE = height of sail center of effort above the waterline in feet

B = beam in feet

BCL = beam at the centerline of the hulls in feet.

Since a multihull pivots around the centerline beam, the overall beam is off the point and is not used in formulas. Calculate by subtracting the individual hull beam from the overall beam.

SD ratio = SA/(D/64)^0.66

This ratio gives a measure of relative speed potential on flat water for monohulls, but it doesn’t really work for multihulls.

Bruce number = (SA)^0.5/(D)^0.333

Basically this is the SD ratio for multihulls, it gives a better fit.

Performance index = (SA/HCOE)^0.5 x (D/1000)^0.166

By including the height of the COE and displacement, this ratio reflects the ability of the boat to use that power to sail fast, but it understates the importance of stability to the cruiser.

Stability factor = 9.8*((0.5*BCL*D)/(SA*HCOE))^0.5

This approximates the wind strength in knots required to lift a hull and includes a 40% gust factor. In the adjacent data sheet, we compare the formula’s predicted stability to observed behavior. Based on our experience on the boats represented, the results are roughly accurate.

Ama buoyancy = expressed as a % of total displacement.

Look for ama buoyancy greater than 150% of displacement, and 200 is better.  Some early trimaran designs had less than 100 percent buoyancy and would capsize well before flying the center hull. They exhibited high submerged drag when pressed hard and were prone to capsize in breaking waves.

Modern tris have ama buoyancy between 150 and 200 percent of displacement and can fly the center hull, though even racing boats try to keep the center hull still touching. In addition, as a trimaran heels, the downward pressure of wind on the sail increases, increasing the risk of capsize. The initial heel on a trimaran is more than it is on catamarans, and all of that downward force pushes the ama even deeper in the water. Thus, like monohulls, it usually makes sense to keep heel moderate.

These numbers can only be used to predict the rough characteristics of a boat and must be supplemented by experience.

This is the first real cruising multihull in our lineup. A few have capsized. One was the result of the skipper pushing too hard in very gusty conditions with no one on watch. The other occurred when a crew unfamiliar with the boat ignored local wisdom and set sail into near gale conditions.

Although the speed potential of the PDQ 32 and the F-24 are very similar, and the stability index is not very different, the feel in rough conditions is more stable, the result of much greater weight and fuller hull sections.

Like most cruising cats, the PDQs hulls are relatively full in order to provide accommodation space, and as a result, driving them under is difficult. The increased weight slows the motion and damps the impact of gusts. Yes, you can fly a hull in about 25 knots apparent wind (we proved this during testing on flat water with steady winds), and she’ll go 8-9 knots to weather doing it, but this is not something you should ever do with a cruising cat.

Stability by the Numbers

The “stability factor” in the table above (row 14) is based on flatwater conditions, and ignores two additional factors. Unlike monohulls, the wind will press on the underside of the bridgedeck of a multihull once it passes about 25 degrees of heel, pushing it up and over. This can happen quite suddenly when the boat flies off a wave and the underside is suddenly exposed to wind blowing up the slope of the wave. A breaking wave also adds rotational momentum, pitching the windward hull upwards.

Multihulls by the Numbers

Autopilot is a common thread in many capsizes. The gust “came out of no place…” No it didn’t. A beach cat sailor never trusts gusty winds. The autopilot should be disengaged windspeeds and a constant sheet watch is mandatory when gusts reach 30-40 percent of those required to fly a hull, and even sooner if there are tall clouds in the neighborhood. Reef early if a helm watch is too much trouble.

“But surely the sails will blow first, before the boat can capsize?” That would be an expensive lesson, but more to the point, history tells us that well-built sails won’t blow.

“Surely the rig will fail before I can lift a hull?” Again, that could only be the result of appallingly poor design, since a rig that weak will not last offshore and could not be depended on in a storm. Furthermore, good seamanship requires that you be able to put the full power of the rig to work if beating off a lee shore becomes necessary.

Keeping both hulls in the water is up to you. Fortunately, under bare poles and on relatively flat water even smaller cruising cats can take 70 knots on the beam without lifting … but we don’t set out to test that theory, because once it blows for a while over even 40 knots, the real risk is waves.

Everything critical to safety in a blow we learned on beach cats. Like riding a bike, or—better yet—riding a bike off-road, there are lessons learned the hard way, and those lessons stay learned. If you’ve been launched into a pitchpole a few times, the feeling you get just before things go wrong becomes ingrained.

Perhaps you are of a mature age and believe you monohull skills are more than enough to see you through. If you never sail aggressively or get caught in serious weather, you’re probably right.

However, if there’s a cruising cat in your future, a season spent dialing in a beach cat will be time well spent. Certainly, such experience should be a prerequisite for anyone buying a performance multihull. The statement might be a little pointed, but it just makes sense.

Capsize by Wind Alone

Multihull Capsize Risk Check

Capsizing by wind alone is uncommon on cruising multihulls. Occasionally a performance boat will go over in squally weather. The crew could easily have reefed down or gone to bare poles, but they clung to the idea that they are a sail boat, and a big cat feels so stable under sail—right up until a hull lifts.

Because a multihull cannot risk a knockdown (since that is a capsize), if a squall line is tall and dark, the smart multihull sailors drops all sail. Yes, you could feather up wind, but if the wind shifts suddenly, as gusts often do, the boat may not turn fast enough. Off the wind, few multihulls that can take a violent microburst and not risk a pitchpole. When a squall threatens, why risk a torn sail for a few moments of fast sailing?

You can’t go by angle of heel alone because of wave action. Cat instability begins with the position of the windward hull. Is it flying off waves?

A trimaran’s telltale is submersion of leeward ama. Is the leeward ama more than 30-40 percent under water? The maximum righting angles is a 12-15 degrees for cats and 25-30 degrees for trimarans, but that is on flat water. Once the weather is up, observation of motion becomes far more important. Is the boat falling into a deep trough, or is at about to launch off a steep wave and fly?

Just as monohulls can surprise a new sailor by rounding up and broaching in a breeze, multihulls have a few odd habits that only present themselves just before things go wrong. Excuse the repetition, but the best way to learn to instinctively recognize these signs is by sailing small multihulls.

Sailing Windward

Because of the great beam, instead of developing weather helm as they begin to fly a hull, multihulls can suddenly develop lee helm, causing the boat to bear away and power up at the worst possible moment. This is because the center of drag moves to the lee hull, while the center of drive remains in the center, causing the boat to bear away.

If the boat is a trimaran, with only a center rudder, this rounding up occurs just as steering goes away. This  video of a MOD 70 capsize shows how subtle the early warning signs can be ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI2iIY61Lc8 ).

Sailing Downwind

Off the wind, the effect can be the reverse. The lee hull begins to bury, and you decide it is time to bear off, but the submerged lee bow acts like a forward rudder. It moves the center of effort far forward and prevents any turn to leeward.  Nearly all trimarans will do this, because the amas are so fine. The solution is to bear away early, before the ama buries­—or better yet, to reef.

Conclusions

We’re not trying to scare you off multi-hulls. Far from it. As you can probably tell, I am truly addicted. Modern designs have well-established reputation seaworthiness.

But multihull seaworthiness and seamanship are different from monohulls, and some of those differences are only apparent when you press the boat very hard, harder than will ever experience in normal weather and outside of hard racing. These subtle differences have caught experienced sailors by surprise, especially if their prior experience involved only monohulls or cruising multihulls that were never pressed to the limit.

Although the numbers only tell part of the story, pay attention to a boat’s stability index. You really don’t want an offshore cruising boat that needs to be reefed below 22-25 knots apparent. Faster boats can be enjoyable, but they require earlier reefing and a more active sailing style.

When squalls threaten or the waves get big, take the appropriate actions and take them early, understanding that things happen faster. And don’t forget: knockdowns are not recoverable. It is satisfying to have a boat that has a liferaft-like stability, as long as you understand how to use it.

Technical Editor Drew Frye is the author of “Rigging Modern Anchors.” He blogs at www.blogspot/sail-delmarva.com

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22 comments.

It’s interesting to read the report of the Multihull Symposium (Toronto, 1976) regarding the issues of multihull capsize in the formative years of commercial multihull design. There were so many theories based around hull shape, wing shape, submersible or non submersibe floats, sail area and maximum load carrying rules. My father, Nobby Clarke, of the very successful UK firm Cox Marine, fought many a battle in the early Sixties with the yachting establishment regarding the safety of trimarans, and I am glad that in this modern world technolgy answers the questions rather than the surmises of some establishment yachting magazines of the time.

Thank You Mr.Nicholson and Thank You to Practical Sailor for this great read superbly shared by Mr.Nicholson God bless you and our great Sailing Family.

Great read! Multi hulls are great party vessels which is why companies like Moorings and Sunsail have larger and larger numbers in their fleets. More and more multihulls are joining the offshore sailing fleets. Dismasting and capsizes do happen. Compared to mono hulls I know of no comparative statistics but off shore and bluewater, give me a mono hull. That is probably because I took one around with zero stability issues and only minor rig few issues. Slowly though; ten years.

Great read! Multi hulls are great party vessels which is why companies like Moorings and Sunsail have larger and larger numbers in their fleets. More and more multihulls are joining the offshore sailing fleets. Dismasting and capsizes do happen. Compared to mono hulls I know of no comparative statistics but off shore and bluewater, give me a mono hull. That is probably because I took one around with zero stability issues and only minor rig issues. Slowly though; ten years.

What’s an ama? Those who are new to sailing or even veteran sailors who have never been exposed to a lot of the terms simply get lost in an article with too many of those terms. I would suggest putting definitions in parentheses after an unfamiliar term to promote better understanding.

Vaka is the central, main hull, in a trimaran.

Ama is the “pontoon” hull at the end of the aka, or “crossbeam”, on each side of a trimaran.

I’m a geek, and therefore live in a dang *ocean* of the Jargonian & Acronese languages, and agree with you:

presuming 100% of audience is understanding each Jargonian term, and each Acronese term, is pushing credulity…

( and how in the hell “composition” means completely different things in object-oriented languages as compared with Haskell?? Bah. : )

As I understand it: Cats have an advantage in big beam seas because they will straddle a steep wave whereas a Tri can have its main hull on the wave crest with the windward ama’s bottom very high off the water and acting as another sail. Also, rig loads on a mono hull are calculated to be 2.5-3x the righting moment at a 45 deg heal; the reason being at 45 degrees the boat will still be making headway and feeling the dynamic loads in the seaway but beyond 45 degrees is a knockdown condition without seaway shock loads. A multihull rig on the other-hand can experience very high dynamic shock loads that are too short in duration to raise a hull.

Though I agree with much of the article content, the statement: “… this is because strategies such as heaving to and lying a hull don’t work for multihulls.” does not ring true in my experience. I have sailed about 70,000nm on cruising catamarans, a Canadian built Manta 38 (1992, 39ft x 21ft) with fixed keels and my present boat, a Walter Greene Evenkeel 38 (1997, 38ft x 19ft 6″) with daggerboards. I came from a monohull background, having circumnavigated the world and other international sailing (60,000nm) on a mono before purchasing the Manta cat. I owned that catamaran for 16 years and full time cruised for seven of those years, including crossing the Arctic Circle north of Iceland and rounding Cape Horn. I usually keep sailing until the wind is over 40knots, then the first tactic is to heave-to, and have lain hove-to for up to three days with the boat lying comfortably, pointing at about 50 to 60degrees from the wind and fore-reaching and side-slipping at about 1.5 to 2knots. Usually once hove-to I wait until the wind has reduced to 20knots or less before getting underway again. Lying ahull also works, though I have only used that in high winds without big breaking waves, as in the South Atlantic in the lee of South America with strong westerlies. I have lain to a parachute sea anchor and it is very comfortable, though lots of work handling all that gear and retrieving it and was glad to have deployed it when I did. I heave-to first, then deploy the sea anchor from the windward bow while in the hove-to position. The daggerboard cat will also heave-to well, though takes some adjusting of the boards to get her to lay just right, though I have not experience being at sea on this boat in as high of winds as with the Manta (over 60 knots). Catamaran bows have lots of windage and have little depth of hull forward. Thus you need mostly mainsail and little jib to keep her pointing into the wind. I aim for the wind to blow diagonally across the boat, with a line from the lee transom to the windward bow pointing into the wind as an optimum angle. As per taking the boat off autopilot when the wind gets near 20 knots is just not practical. The longest passage I have made on my catamarans has been from Fortaleza, Brazil, to Bermuda, nearly 3,000nm and across the squall prone doldrums and horse latitudes, taking 20 days. The autopilot steered the whole distance. I have never lifted a hull nor felt the boat was out of control despite having sailed in some of the most dangerous waters of the world.

I believe that your Techtronics 35 should be Tektron 35 (Shuttleworth) and as far as I know the capsize that occurred off Nova Scotia was, in fact, a Tektron 50 (Neptune’s Car I believe) sailed by the Canadian builder Eugene Tekatch and was reported as being off PEI. This capsize was well documented under a thread in “Steamradio” that I can no longer find. It appears that Steamradio is now, unfortunately, no longer operating. The report of the capsize was along the lines of the boat being sailed off wind with all sail in a gale. I think Shuttleworth indicated that they would have been doing about 30 knots. They then hit standing waves off PEI, the boat came to a standstill and with the change in apparent wind to the beam, over they went. Reading between the lines, Shuttleworth was pretty unhappy that one of his designs had been capsized in this manner, unhappier yet that some of the findings of I believe an american committee/ board were that the design was somehow at fault. Given Shuttleworth’s rep it seems unlikely. As I say these are recollections only.

Shortly afterwards Neptune’s Car was up for sale for a steal price.

I think Jim Brown (Trimaran Jim) when speaking of the Tektron 50 referred to it as weighing less than similarly sized blocks of Styrofoam. Admittedly, blocks of solid foam weigh more than one might imagine, but still a vivid point. Though Tektron 50 was light, we have far more options to build lighter boats today, than in the past.

Good that Practical Sailor is looking at this issue and I agree with much of it, so thanks PS for that. Also fun to see Nobby Clark’s son chip in …. I met Nobby at the ’76 World Symposium in Toronto, when I was just starting to get interested in Trimarans. I have since owned 4 and as a naval architect, builder and sailor, now specialize in their design and ‘all things related’, with a quasi-encyclopedic website at: http://www.smalltridesign.com . So as a trimaran guru, I’d like to add a few things here. In my experience (now 45 years with multis) there is really too much difference between catamarans and trimarans to compare them on the basis of the same formulas. For example, lifting a hull on a cat brings about a major reduction in reserve stability ….. lifting an ama on a trimaran, certainly does not. Using 30-40% immersion of an ama is hardly a guide to limit or prevent a capsize on a trimaran as that’s not even close to normal operating immersion . I would recommend a reduction of ama bow freeboard to about 1-2% of the boat length (depending on a few size factors) is a better guide as the ‘time to really ease up’. This visual indicator is great on my boats but is very hard to judge on hulls with reverse bows where there is no deck up forward. For a number of reasons, I am against this shape but as I’ve already made my case on line about this, I’ll not repeat it here. Over 80% of the capsizes we see on line, show that mainsails were never released .. and that includes the capsize of the MOD70 in the YouTube referenced in the PS article. As several trimaran owners I deal with have also capsized or near-capsized their boats (particularly those between 22 and 40ft that ‘feel’ more stable than they really are, I am developing a few models of EMRs to help solve their issue, (EMR=Emergency Mainsheet Release) and these will be operated wirelessly by punching a large button under the skippers vest, as I am not in favor of any fully automatic release. This HAS to be a skippers decision in my opinion for numerous reasons. The first two units of this EMR dubbed ‘Thump’R, will be installed this Spring … one in Europe and the other in Australia, but one day, perhaps Practical Sailor will get to see and test one for you 😉 In a few words, my advice to all multihull sailors is to be very aware of the way your stability works on your specific boat and sail accordingly. We learn this instinctively with small beach boats, but is harder to ‘sense’ as boats get heavier and larger. I have sailed cats from a 60ft Greene cat to a 12ft trimaran and although some basics apply they are of course very different. But you still need to ‘learn the early signs’ of your boat, as these must be your guide. IMHO a good multihull design will be fairly light and easily driven which means that it will still sail well with less sail. This means that the use of a storm mainsail in potentially high wind can add much reserve stability and safety to your voyage. To give an example from my small W17 design that sets a rotating wingmast, the boats top speed to date is 15kts with 200 sqft, but with the storm mainsail and a partly-furled jib I can get the area down under 100sqft without losing rig efficiency. In fact, the tall narrow storm main with a 5.5:1 aspect ratio is now even MORE efficient as the wingmast is now doing a higher percentage of the work. In 25-30t storm conditions, I have now sailed 8kts upwind and 14.4kts down, and feel very dry and comfortable doing so … even at 80+. So get the right sails, and change down to small more efficient ones when it pipes up. A multihull storm sail should look nothing like a mono’s trysail … with our narrow hulls, we are sailing in a very different way. Happy sailing Mike

In the old days, low displacement, short and narrowly spaced amas were the design of choice. One was supposed to back off when they started to submerge. It was a visual indicator. Modern amas are huge. If a 24 foot tri like the Tremolino could be designed to use Hobie 16 hulls in the 70s, today it would carry Tornado hulls. The slippery shape of designs catches the eye, and their supposed less grabby when submerged decks, but these amas also carry 1.5-2x main hull displacement. The chance of burying them is significantly reduced.

The original intent of these slippery ama designs was to shake off wind. Though low drag shapes for reducing pitch pole risk are a consideration, it should be balanced against maintaining ama deck walkability. This is important in allowing one to service the boat or rig drogues or anchors, not to mention to position live ballast. I am thinking here of the smaller club and light crusing tris. You aren’t going to be able to do a lot of these things on monster luxury boats that are a different scale entirely. But they mater on the kinds of boat most people are likely to own.

Poring over tri design books, one will notice that the silhouette of, say, a 40 foot tri, and the smaller 20 foot design are very similar This yields a doubling of the power to weight ratio on the smaller boat. This difference can even be greater as the smaller boats are often nothing more than empty shells, yet may carry higher performance rig features like rotating masts. Smaller tris are often handicapped by the requirements of being folded for trailering which both limits beam and ama displacement, though it may tend to increase weight. On top of that, mainsail efficiency is much higher, these days, with squared shapes, and less yielding frabrics. And, of course, much larger sail plans. All the better, just so long as people realize what they have by the tail.

Excellent article…thank you!!!!!!!!!

Good article. One thing that concerns me about modern cruising cat is how far above water level the boom is. I first noticed this looking at Catana 47’s for hire in New Caledonia and recently saw large Leopards 48 & 50 footers visiting Fremantle Sailing Club, here in Australia, and in all cases the boom seems to be at least 20 feet (6 metres) above the water. This seems to greatly increase the heeling moment and reduce the amount of wind required to capsize the vessel. Mind you at 20+ tons, the weight of the Leopards probably makes them a bit more resistant to capsize. But why does the rig need to be so far off the water?

Notice to Moderator After having read this article a couple or days back, I emailed naval architect mike waters, author of the specialist website SmallTriDesign to read the article and perhaps comment. Nearly a day ago, he emailed me back to say that he had, yet there’s been nothing posted from him and now I see a post with todays date. With his extensive knowledge and experience I would have thought his insight to be valuable to your readers and I was certainly looking forward to seeing his input. What happened?

Yes, PS .. what’s cookin ? Thought readers would be interested to know that capsize control help maybe on the way 😉

Yes PS, what’s cookin’ ? Thought your readers would like to know that some anti-capsize help maybe on the way 😉

Great article! I’ve read it twice so far. Recently in Tampa Bay I sailed my Dragonfly 28 in 25 knots breeze and found that speed was increased (drag reduced?) after I put in one reef in the main. I think I should have reefed the Genoa first?

Absolutely Tim. Slim hulls, as for most trimarans and the finer, lighter catamarans will often sail more efficiently with less sail .., especially if with a rotating mast, and you can indeed get proportionally better performance. The boat sails more upright for one thing, giving more sail drive from improved lift/drag and less hull resistance .. and its certainly safer and more comfortable and can also be drier, as an upright boat tends to keep wavetops passing underneath more effectively. Even my W17 design has been shown to achieve over 90% of its top speed with only 1/2 the sail area, by switching to a more efficient, high-aspect ratio ‘storm mainsail’ set behind its rotating wingmast …, a far cry from a monohulls storm trysail in terms of upwind efficiency. Yes, wind speed was higher, but the boat sailed far easier and its definitely something that slim hulled multihulls should explore more, as they will then also be less likely to capsize. More here if interested http://www.smalltridesign.com

Darrell, is there some reason for blocking replies that hold opinions contrary to those of PS ? I am still hoping to read the expertise of those who actually study design and sail multihulls. The written target of PS is to accurately present facts and that implies the input of experts. Over the last 10 years, I have come to appreciate a few experts in the field of multihulls and right now, I see at least one of them is not being given a voice here. Your article made a lot of fine points but there are some issues needing to be addressed if PS it to remain a trusted source for accurate information. First, I have been told by a reliable source, you need to separate trimarans from catamarans and use different criteria to compare their stability as they do not respond the same and neither can you judge their reserve stability in the same way. I would also like to know what NA Mike Waters was hinting at when he said “capsize control help may be on the way” .. would you know anything about that? If not, then please invite or allow him space or the promise of PS fact-finding accuracy is heading down the drain for me. thanks

As a new subscriber to PS, it is a little disquieting to see no response to the two comments above by Tom Hampton.

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Why Catamarans Capsize, A Scientific Explanation (For Beginners)

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When people see a catamaran, many think of capsizing, which has proven to be a way less common event than your average forum thread would lead you to believe. This article will use a scientific approach to look at the data available for stability incidents with catamarans. 

This article is based on a study made by the UK government concerning recommendations for regulating catamarans. I have used that knowledge to discuss some of the common misunderstandings considering catamaran stability. Let’s get to the short answer! 

A Catamaran will capsize when rotational forces overcome the stability of the boat. Capsizing can happen in two ways, either the ship overtakes a wave and sinks it bows into the next one, inducing something called pitch-poling. Or a breaking wave, with the same height as the boat’s length, hits the vessel’s side, making it roll over to its side(a.ka. flipping).

Are you like me and need to understand why? Read on! 

What Does It Mean to Capsize?

In the context of boats, to capsize means to flip the boat upside down unintentionally.

On a small dingy, it is part of the sailing experience, and the boat can quickly be righted, but on a cruising cat, it can be the difference between life and death.

This can happen in numerous ways that will be discussed in great detail below. The most common is a combination of high seas, strong winds, and sailor error.

Not only is it dangerous to be in the middle of the sea stuck on what has now become a very expensive chunk of plastic, but the act of capsizing is also hazardous. Depending on where you are, inside, outside, or in one of the hulls, you may face the risk of getting thrown overboard, stuck in a hull upside down in the dark, or getting hurt by flying objects.

Much of the discussion around capsizing and what to do after it has happened is theoretical. In this article, I will show you the science behind catamaran stability and how that interacts with the power of the sea.

Why Does a Catamaran Capsize?

Catamaran stability can sometimes be a little tricky to understand. To get us off to a good start, here is some terminology that will be useful;

  • Wind heeling moment is the effect wind has on the rotational(heeling) movement of the boat.
  • Apparent wind angle is the angle of the wind when the boat is moving; this can differ from true wind, which is measured in a fixed position.

The study reaches a couple of conclusions, some of which are of interest to this discussion.

trimaran capsized

Heeling Is Greatly Dependent on Apparent Wind Angle and Sheeting of the Sails

This means that a catamaran (or any other sailboat, for that matter) will have a greater rotational force if the sails are sheeted in hard. This is because the wind gets “caught” in the sails, and the forces act directly on the sails, mast, standing rigging, and onto the hulls.

If, instead, the sails were loosened or “sloppy,” the amount of wind “caught” would be less, and therefore, more wind would be able to pass around the sails, thus decreasing the heel.

When it comes to apparent wind angle, the study shows that the forces are most significant when the wind is forward of the beam. This is primarily due to the aerodynamic effectiveness decreases aft of the beam.

Large Waves From the Side or Aft

Large waves are always a factor con safety at sea; they can be divided into  breaking waves,  waves whose amplitude (basically when waves get so big that they start coming apart(breaking) reach a threshold where the shape of the waves suddenly changes.

The other category is  non-breaking waves  or rolly waves. These are more gentle and cannot change shape in a violent and uncontrolled manner.

The study concludes that (1)catamarans have less roll response than monohulls during non-breaking waves, which means a catamaran will generally follow the motion and wave shape as it goes up and down it in a predictable manner, and that (2) this behavior shows no indications of being dangerous.

A monohull will instead rock from side to side and show a pendulum-like behavior.

On the other hand, breaking waves pose a real threat and are something to be aware of if traveling on a smaller catamaran. The test showed that a sufficient beam-to-wave ratio is needed to avoid capsizing.

A common beam-to-length ratio is 50%; that is, the length of the boat is at least double the size of its width.

Together with wind forces, breaking waves seem to be the most significant factor affecting the risk of capsizing.

Breaking waves with a height equivalent to the beam of a catamaran, half the beam of a trimaran may be sufficient to cause a capsize. Smaller or narrower yachts are, therefore, more vulnerable.

What makes breaking waves dangerous is their ability to bring the boat past its tipping point (or range of stability); much of this is due to the steepness of the wave. A 30ft non-breaking wave will act as a rolling hill in the English countryside, while a 15ft breaking wave is more of a black slope in a French ski resort.

The closer a boat comes to its tipping point, the less energy is needed to move past it. This is why the combination of factors is essential, large breaking waves, high apparent wind forward of the beam, and a minor error from the cockpit, and disaster is around the corner.

Effect of Keels (Daggerboards, Centerboards)

When a catamaran is hit with a breaking wave from its side, one factor that reduces rotational forces is the ability to move sideways with the wave, in other words, to slide sideways.

Usually, this is not wanted since it reduces the cat’s ability to go windward; this issue is sometimes addressed by adding mini keels, dagger, or centerboards.

The issue with keels is that the crew cannot withdraw them into the hull to reduce drag; this means that they can become a security issue when hit by large breaking waves to the side. It will hinder the sideways sliding actions and increase the risk of capsizing, as the study indicates.

Here’s an article I wrote comparing daggerboards to centerboards .

Placement of Weight (Vertical Center of Gravity, Vcg)

We have already discussed the importance of having a big enough beam to create sufficient stability. Moving the hulls wider apart will lower the center of gravity (or center of weight) and increase stability; this is true if all other factors are the same.

I f we move the hulls closer to each other, the catamaran becomes narrower, and the center of gravity will move upwards. What happens then? You guessed it, removing the wide base makes it less stable and more prone to heeling.

The same effect can be had by moving weight on the ship vertically (VGC); lower = more stable, and vice versa (a monohull moves it below the surface using a heavy keel).

Pitchpoling (Frontflip)

Pitchpoling is when a catamaran sails with the winds and waves, and the speed of the boat increases to levels above the wave speed. When this happens, there is a risk that the catamaran will semi-surf down the wave and hit the next one. This will slow the boat down, increase apparent wind, and create a rotational force that will make the boat invert if big enough.

Pitchpoling can happen in two ways, symmetrically or asymmetrically. According to the testing in the study, it is more common for one of the bows to dig down into the water and then diagonally flip.

Factors That Affect Pitchpoling

To increase the rotational forces needed for pitchpoling to happen, the center of weighing needs to be shifted aft. This means that a catamaran that is improperly balanced, for example, the bows filled with gear instead of empty, will increase the risk of burying the bows and potentially flipping over. More on weigh issues below!

Another way to offset your balance is to allow water inside the bows; this can happen after repeated slamming of waves onto the hatches. Once filled up, they can hold tons of water and be a severe threat due to buoyancy loss and shift in the center of weight.

Surfing a wave is cool, but it is much safer to lower the speed through reefing early; this reduction in speed makes it less likely to sail into the next wave or trough and risk pitchpoling.

If the boat speed is still too high, the next option is to deploy a drogue that will break the boat and add some directional stability. If this, for some reason is not possible, the study suggests that the vessel should hit the waves head-on.

What is a drogue?

trimaran capsized

Trampolines

We have already discussed the issue of burying the bows; the effect is massively increased with a solid deck that almost makes the boat into a spoon(a terrible thing if you do want thousands of kilos of water onboard). A better way to dissipate water is with trampolines that lets the water through in a much faster way, like eating soup with a fork.

The effect of having trampolines is twofold; firstly, it will reduce the time the bows are submerged. Secondly, it will decrease the weight of the water on top of the bows and, therefore, how deep the bows will dive.

What is a trampoline on a catamaran?

trimaran capsized

Hull Shape and Freeboard

There is a discussion that too narrow hulls can increase pitchpoling risk since the hulls might easier dive into the water. I understand the logic, but I am unavailable to find any data to support that claim.

You could also make the claim that wider hulls would increase the braking effect and therefore add to rotational forces. As said, we need more data on this!

Freeboard is the distance between the water and the deck; the bigger this is, the less chance of burying the bows, and vice versa. Same here, It makes sense logically, but there are little data to understand what is enough freeboard.

Real Cases of Catamarans Capsizing

Some news sites have reported on catamarans flipping in different parts of the world. Unfortunately, there is not much data, so drawing well-grounded conclusions is hard.

The previously named study mentions only one report of a catamaran capsizing due to waves hitting its side precisely at the moment of breaking. The cat was 9 m long, and the owner had modified the boat by adding keels.

The study consists of a data set of over 120 incidents reported, of which only 33 are catamarans showing that catamaran capsizing is something very uncommon.

The reason for a catamaran sailboat capsizes;

  • 28% Gust of wind
  • 16% wave and wind
  • 12% Pitchpoled
  • 4% Braking Wave

It is also worth noting that most catamaran incidents happened in the range between 6-9 of wind force(Beaufort). Most incidents were on boats smaller than 11m.

News reporting and other articles

While researching this piece, I came across several relevant news articles regarding incidents and a few well-written case studies. I have incorporated these in this article as a point of discussion rather than factual claims. At the bottom of this page, you’ll find the links if you want to read the articles in full length.

2019 Australia, 39ft catamaran capsizes. The daggerboards can be seen and appear to be fully extended; considering the discussion above with keels, daggerboards will decrease the possibility of sideways movement even further. This is also indicated in the study.

There is a discussion on whether or not to leave one daggerboard deployed and one raised, but once again, the discussions of which one and when vary. And I have not been able to find any scientific support for these claims.

2010 Tonga, 57 ft Atlantic catamaran. The crew describes the situation to be very gusty, with winds up to 60kts! A full report on this incident would be very interesting and could really add to the knowledge database. 57ft is a huge ship, but a boat of this size also has a lot of sail area, and during this incident, the autopilot was steering the ship under reefed sails.

A ship of this size should be wide enough to be able to handle some very big waves, and it would be interesting to see whether the crew stuck to the wind charts. I think there is a lesson to be taught here on autopilot and being on the lookout for bad weather.

You should definitely be behind the helm if there is a squall coming so that you are ready to compensate for a change in wind pattern and quickly put in another reef if the initial assessment was wrong.

Chris White, the designer of Atlantic Catamarans shares his thought on this incident;

To summarize: 1) Neither captain thought capsize was even a possibility until way too late 2) Both boats were under autopilot, which had the helm all the way through the capsize 3) The main sheet was never eased or released Chris White of Chriswhitedesigns.com

Mythbusting!

The first part of this article takes its trustworthiness from a scientific study backed by the United Kingdom government; in this next section, I will use that knowledge to address some common myths and misconceptions.

A Charter Is Harder to Flip Than a Performance Cat.

As far as I understand, this argument is based on the following premises;  the charter boat is heavier than the racing cat; therefore, it is more stable . As we have come to understand from above, it is a matter of total kilograms and where it is located.

A low and centered center of gravity means better stability. A cruising cat can easily be weighed in the wrong places due to all the extra gear that is usually brought along, such as generators or extra food for a long passage.

Moving the center of weight forward increases pitchpoling risk, and moving the weight up makes it vulnerable to breaching by breaking waves.

There is no need to believe a cruising cat is safer in that aspect inherently. Another common argument I hear is that the rigging would never be able to flip a fully loaded cruising cat since the standing rigging will break before lifting a hull.

What is standing and running rigging?

In theory, this might be true (I don’t have the data available), but in reality, this is certainly not the case; the data in the study clearly shows that catamarans can flip with their rigging intact.

Taking the combined factors of wind, waves, and the keels’ braking effect, there is not necessarily much force needed on the rigging for the boat to capsize. Yes (once again, in theory), a lighter catamaran will be easier to flip under some circumstances, but I would then argue that is more of a sailor error than due to the boat’s construction or weight.

Capsizing a Catamaran vs. Monohull

These two types of boats work in very different ways when it comes to stability; one significant factor is the ability of self-righting of a monohull due to its large and heavy keel.

On the other hand, the catamaran will stay bottom-up and mast down until intentionally righted by another ship.

Once the monohull starts leaning to its side, it will start to dissipate the pushing force that the wind acts upon the sails. This is an automatic way for a monohull not to become overpowered.

This lack of feedback (no or little heeling) on a catamaran means the sailor needs to rely on wind speed charts to tell him or her when to reef. If these charts are not followed, chances are the cat will get overpowered.

Another interesting aspect is that even though a catamaran is flipped upside down, it will still float due to the massive air compartments and low weight, something that a monohull will not. It will even stay afloat if there is a hole in one of the hulls.

What are the differences between monohulls and catamarans?

Catamarans Capsize More Often Than Monohulls

This is a wild debate in many online forums; some argue that it is less safe since it doesn’t have a keel, and some argue that I would rather be floating atop my inverted catamaran than alone in the middle of the ocean with a sunken monohull (while obviously totally missing the point of the discussion).

The truth is that there are no real data to back these claims, at least not that I am aware of. I have tried the insurance companies, but there doesn’t seem to be any big data available, only stories and myths.

trimaran capsized

The Skills of the Crew

When trying to avoid a catastrophe like a capsize, the most critical aspect is avoiding putting yourself in a bad spot, sailing above your skillset, and more winds and waves than the boat can handle.

This is evident, of course, but it is worth mentioning in detail what this actually means; planning to avoid bad weather and learning how to plan a sail safely and not rush is one of the best safety skills you can have. Once you’re out on the water, surprises will always come your way, so when that happens, use the radar to try to stay away and outrun the weather.

Outrun, you say, no boat is that fast. Well, the idea is to outrun it at an angle, not outrun it like Indiana Jones outruns a rolling stone. At least try to hit the part of the squall or bad weather with lower wind speeds.

Reef Often, Reef Early

Considering the data above, that most boats capsize during gusts of wind, there is a need to respect that data and make that old saying more accurate than ever. Reef early reef often. Make sure you turn off your autopilot; if there is a squall coming, you better be behind the helm to control your ship. Autopilot is stupid, your not!

Also, remember that reefing not automatically reduces speed!

As mentioned above, reducing sail area doesn’t necessarily reduce speed, but it reduces the area where the wind’s pushing can turn into rotational forces. Keep your speed so that you do not overtake the weaves and risk burying the bows.

trimaran capsized

Keels, Daggerboards, Centerboards

Before you decide on your standing operating procedures for heavy weather, make sure that you understand how your daggerboards will affect the boat handling. The research suggests that you might want to raise them, but make sure you understand why you do it and when.

Using fully deployed daggerboards while getting hit by a breaking wave to the side will increase the rotational force making a capsize more likely.

Heavy Weather Strategies

The boat’s performance is one thing; the crew’s skills are another; make sure you practice those skills and read up on the actual data that exists instead of reading too many forums and listening to know-it-alls. Ensure that your drills are based on science and not someone’s best guess! I encourage you to read the full article, it will be linked below, and go out there and look for more high-quality content.

  • https://catamaranguru.com/top-6-characteristics-of-a-good-catamaran/
  • http://www.wumtia.soton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/1441_merged.pdf
  • https://shuttleworthdesign.com/NESTalk.html
  • https://www.chriswhitedesigns.com/25-news/112-what-we-can-learn-from-anna-s-capsize
  • https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250304001_Model_Tests_To_Study_Capsize_and_Stability_of_Sailing_Multihulls

News articles

  • 2020 https://voilesetvoiliers.ouest-france.fr/securite-en-mer/disparition-en-mer/le-catamaran-hallucine-de-regis-guillemot-chavire-au-large-de-vigo-un-mort-trois-rescapes-491bc45c-237e-11eb-97e1-64af5fb563fa
  • 2019 https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/three-dead-two-rescued-after-catamaran-capsized-in-newcastle/news-story/8f94be3543c41368a4fd83b9b661033b
  • 2010 https://www.chriswhitedesigns.com/25-news/112-what-we-can-learn-from-anna-s-capsize
  • https://www.sailingtoday.co.uk/uncategorized/bullimores-33m-catamaran-capsized/

Owner of CatamaranFreedom.com. A minimalist that has lived in a caravan in Sweden, 35ft Monohull in the Bahamas, and right now in his self-built Van. He just started the next adventure, to circumnavigate the world on a Catamaran!

2 thoughts on “ Why Catamarans Capsize, A Scientific Explanation (For Beginners) ”

Hi , Thanks for the advice, very good to know. Look forward to having a look at links. Best of luck on the trip, have fun. Mike

Thanks, Mike! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂

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4 Sailors’ 118 Days at Sea: Survival Tale or Hoax?

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Four sailors’ survival at sea for 118 days in an upturned trimaran ranks as one of the world’s greatest survival stories--or one of its greatest hoaxes.

If the tale is to be believed, the trimaran Rose-Noelle was flipped over on June 4 by a huge wave in a 60-knot gale three days out of New Zealand’s South Island. It made land on Sept. 30.

Despite losing up to 40 pounds each, the three New Zealanders and an American survived the stormy southern winter in good shape--such good shape that some people doubt their story.

An official investigation into whether the sailors’ story checks out--and if so, why search and rescue efforts were so far astray--is not expected to be completed for another three weeks.

The investigator has declined comment until his inquiry is completed. But Capt. Melvyn Bowen, who conducted an initial investigation, is convinced that the four are telling the truth.

After visiting the wreckage on isolated Great Barrier Island north of Auckland where the Rose-Noelle drifted ashore, Bowen said he found convincing evidence, such as marine growth on the boat’s topside. “Personally I don’t feel it is a hoax,” he said.

But some questions linger. Local yachtsmen ask why, after such a long time at sea in appalling conditions, the men had no pressure-point or salt sores, which are almost universal for a long sea voyage.

Other points baffling investigators are how two radio messages were supposedly received from the Rose-Noelle by another yacht after the flip and how the Rose-Noelle drifted from 140 miles off the east coast of New Zealand around the top of the island to the west coast.

The pattern of the currents should have taken it farther east toward South America.

Plausible explanations to these mysteries have been suggested and, although skepticism remains, it is hard to imagine a motive for a hoax.

Skipper John Glennie has signed contracts for his story but the payments are hardly likely to compensate for the $145,000 loss of his 40-foot trimaran, which was smashed to bits on rocks.

“All those who think it’s a hoax are bloody idiots,” said crewman Phillip Hofman. Asked if there was any conclusive evidence, he said: “Yeah, the fact that I know we did it and three other people did it.”

The story as they tell it is a remarkable one.

Their 118 days adrift exactly equals the time Maurice and Maralyn Bailey of England spent in a tiny life raft and dinghy after their yacht was pierced by a whale off the Galapagos Islands in 1973.

Other than the undocumented story of a Hong Kong seaman who was reported to have been picked up during World War II after 133 days adrift, it is a record for survival at sea.

Here is their story:

After the boat capsized, they spent their first day trapped in the cabin. Then they hacked a hole in the hull and spent a nightmare four months crammed in a space the size of a double mattress.

For the first month water was desperately short, augmented by soft drinks and meager rations.

But after they rigged a system for collecting rain water, conditions improved and were considerably better, although colder, than those experienced by the Baileys.

Marine growth on the boat attracted more and more fish, and a large grouper even swam into the cabin one day.

“Toward the end we were eating better than you guys at home,” crewman Rick Hellriegel told a news conference on his return.

Glennie dived into the main cabin to retrieve more and more equipment. They had a gas cooker and even rigged up a barbecue on fine days.

But relations were strained. American Jim Nalepka said tension seethed among the four, who barely knew each other before the voyage. He and Hellriegel said they never wanted to see Glennie again. Glennie said the feeling is mutual.

Battles, not physical, were fought over half a biscuit or over who could sit on the well-lit side of the makeshift cabin where reading was possible.

“At one time, one of us, I won’t mention the person, was a liability, but we worked really hard to get that person out of that position. We thought the worst, you know, slitting his throat and pushing him overboard. But we did that in jest,” Nalepka said.

Despite the friction, the four knew they had to depend on each other and gradually jelled into a team. Hellriegel said it was a great help just having the body heat of four people during freezing winter weather.

Five or six times they were forced by the weather to stay below for days on end. That’s when spirits sagged and tensions ran high.

“Cabin fever, we called it. That’s a real condition,” Nalepka said. “Fighting over a half a biscuit seems trivial but no, it was too real. It was classic what we went through.”

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Latitude38

The three crewmembers onboard were all airlifted to safety by a Moroccan Army helicopter and turned over to the French consulate in Casablanca. The boat, meanwhile, was reportedly still mostly intact with all its hulls and crossbeams in place, though the mast broke into several pieces. A technical team with three members from Banque Populaire and two rescue divers arrived back at the boat on Monday to prepare the boat for towing. Conditions at the scene were said to have been pretty manageable, but weather was coming, so time was of the essence. The divers salvaged some parts and cut away other parts before towing could commence. The tow was slow to avoid further damage; it took 48 hours to cover 130 miles.

trimaran capsized

Ronan Lucas, director of the Banque Populaire team, said they would "make an initial assessment of the damage; it is found that many parts of the central hull deck around the mast foot are damaged, as well as the deck of the floats and the arm fairings; some of the caps were washed away."

The incident is a major setback for both Team Banque Populaire and for the new Collectif Ultim group that is promoting the racing of such monstrous boats. This new ‘league’ of mostly solo maxi-trimaran racing is just getting underway with their first big regatta in a week’s time as they prepare for the Route du Rhum later this fall and a round-the-world race to begin next year.

You can watch a video of BPIX’s first sail here . The brand-new boat reportedly cost between $15 and $20 million euros to construct. 

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Capsized "Virbac Paprec 70"

Capsized "Virbac Paprec 70"

Video: Capsized "Virbac Paprec 70"

Video: Capsized

2024 Author : Allison Derrick | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:04

Paprec

The capsizing of the MOD 70

You hardly want to watch: During the training for the Transat Jacques Vabre in November off the French coast, the skipper and co-skipper were sitting on the windward boom when a gust hit and the boat began to climb alarmingly quickly. Obviously none of the crew members can then get rid of pressure by opening the sheet, the traveler or the genoa sheet. And so the boat climbs slowly and painfully until it finally capsizes. For a few seconds it is almost stable in a swimming position of about 95 degrees, then the mast breaks and it capsizes.

When capsizing, skipper Jean-Pierre Dick is catapulted out of the steering seat and falls from above onto the boat and into the water. He injured his spine, but was able to save himself on the upturned boat. Co-skipper Roland Jourdain was able to hold on to the Tri while it capsized. Dick was picked up from the helicopter and flown to a hospital, according to the first reports he was lucky and only bruised vertebrae. However, he remains in the hospital for observation. Both sailors said they had been surprised by the gust, but had opened the traveler from the main and the genoa sheet. Not much of that can be seen in the video. The boat has meanwhile been towed to Lorient and set up again.

The Frenchman can probably forget the start of the Transat in three weeks.

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MOD70 Virbac-Paprec Capsizes

  • By Sailing World Staff
  • Updated: October 11, 2013

Official Statement from Virbac-Paprec sailing team:

VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 capsized this afternoon during training with a view to participating in the Transat Jacques Vabre. Jean-Pierre Dick and Roland Jourdain were sailing in 15-20 knots of wind. They were surprised by a strong gust and were unable to prevent their multihull from overturning. The mast broke into 3 pieces.

Jean-Pierre Dick: “I am still in shock. Everything happened so fast. I felt a strong gust hit us from behind. I gave the sheet traveller some slack, but probably not enough. Everything changed very quickly. I fell from a great height. I hit something and fell into the water. It was violent. Fortunately, I managed to get back on board very quickly.”

Roland Jourdain: “We were sailing in a settled 15 knot wind, but it was irregular with gusts of 18-20 knots. The conditions were workable. Suddenly, there was a gust that was stronger than the others. The boat lifted and lifted. It stayed stationary for a few interminable seconds. I eased out the solent jib. We thought we were going to fall on the right side, and well no, the boat capsized. I was very frightened for Jean-Pierre. It is the first time that I have capsized. I am shaken.” – See more at: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/10/10/virbac-paprec-70-capsized-belle-ile/#sthash.b2VnquKk.dpuf

Roland Jourdain: “We were sailing in a settled 15 knot wind, but it was irregular with gusts of 18-20 knots. The conditions were workable. Suddenly, there was a gust that was stronger than the others. The boat lifted and lifted. It stayed stationary for a few interminable seconds. I eased out the solent jib. We thought we were going to fall on the right side, and well no, the boat capsized. I was very frightened for Jean-Pierre. It is the first time that I have capsized. I am shaken.”

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CAPSIZED TRIMARAN CHANGES THINKING

By Joanne A. Fishman

  • Oct. 24, 1982

CAPSIZED TRIMARAN CHANGES THINKING

In the North Atlantic storm, the Gonzo, a 60-foot trimaran, was running before the wind under a storm staysail and towing lines to slow down. Then a 30-foot wave threw the boat on its side and a second wave broke on top of it, covering the helmsman and the cockpit with water. Seconds later the Gonzo was floating upside down 350 miles southeast of Nantucket Island.

Multihulls have capsized with some regularity in the North Atlantic in the last few years. They include Phil Weld's Gulf Streamer, Rory Nugent's Godiva Chocolatier, and Alain Gliksman's RTL Timex.

For Walter Greene, 38, of Yarmouth, Me., a well-known builder of trimarans and the skipper of the Gonzo, the capsize earlier this month proved a pivotal experience. Greene said he no longer planned to build the ''classic trimarans such as we've been building for the last seven years. Too many have capsized.''

Greene was sailing the Gonzo to San Malo, France, with a crew of two for the start Nov. 7 of the Route du Rhum race. This 4,000-mile solo event ends in Guadaloupe, part of the French West Indies. Despite his harrowing experience, Greene still will compete, in A Capella, a 35-foot trimaran which he also built.

Before leaving for France last Friday, Greene said in a telephone interview that he might build catamarans and proas in the future, but not trimarans. These craft, he continued, are ''capsized by the waves too easily because the weight is centered in the middle and the craft rotates easily.''

After the capsize, Greene and his crew, Robert Goodman, 28, of Freeport, Me., and Anerin Williams, 22, of England, put on survival suits and opened the escape hatch in the hull, which involved cutting around a porthole. They rescued gear and turned on the EPIRB, an acronym for Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.

The rescue beacon's signal was picked up by a Coast Guard plane but the pilot was unable to precisely home in on it, explained Lieut. Comdr. Craig Jud of the Third Coast Guard District at Governor's Island. Then the Air Force picked up the signal from a Soviet-owned satellite, part of a newly operational global search and rescue satellite system. The Air Force notified the Coast Guard of the Gonzo's location, and at dawn the next day, nearly 24 hours after the capsize, a Coast Guard plane was overhead.

Commander Jud said the 870-foot tanker California Jetty was the first boat on the scene but was unable to rescue the men because of the high seas. After the 210-foot Coast Guard patrol boat Vigorous arrived, the tanker provided a wind break, enabling the Coast Guardsmen to throw a line to the sailors and pull them aboard one at a time.

Commander Jud said this rescue was notable in that Greene ''did everything correctly. He was an experienced sailor. He and the crew stayed with the boat. They had lines across the overturned bottom so they could hold on. They had survival suits, good radio communication and EPIRB. Without that experience and equipment, they would not be alive today.''

The commander cautioned that the North Atlantic is more dangerous now than in the summer because ''the weather is so much more drastic out there. Cold fronts are coming down and across the United States and moving on to the North Atlantic, whipping up the water. And it's colder.''

Stronger winds and colder water decrease survival time at sea. Commander Jud noted that if Greene and his crew had not been wearing survival suits, they would not have survived more than a couple of hours because of hypothermia.

The Englishman Ted Tolman, driving the 38-foot Cougar catamaran Peter Stuyvesant, has set an offshore powerboat world record of 109.98 miles an hour in trials sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motornautique. This is 12.6 m.p.h. faster than the previous record, which he set in September 1981.

In the latest trials, conducted on England's Lake Windemere, Tolman's throttleman was Harold Smith of Miami. The boat was powered by twin 650-horsepower MerCruiser engines.

Tony Lush, sailing in the 64-foot ketch Lady Pepperell, was expected to become the first United States sailor to finish the first leg of the B.O.C. Challenge, the solo round-the-world race. Lush, of Alachua, Fla., was expected to arrive in Cape Town yesterday, giving him fourth place in the 16-boat fleet. The race began Aug. 28 off Newport, R.I. In first place is Philippe Jeantot of France with Credit Agricole, followed by Bertie Reed of South Africa sailing Voortrekker and Richard Broadhead of England with Perserverence Medina.

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  • Cruising and Chartering

119 Days Upside Down

  • By Yachting Staff
  • Updated: August 12, 2010

trimaran capsized

Horror makes a noise: a roar, like a deep rumble of thunder rolling across the heavens. It was just before sunrise when John Glennie heard it coming—a phenomenal freak wave more than 16 metres high was bearing down on his small yacht like a damburst of water. It was horrifying.

Within seconds the wave had exploded onto the scene, and it dealt with the yacht like a huge tsunami smashing its way across a low-lying island: Anything in its path was destined to be bulldozed out of the way. Suddenly, after three days of battling this ferocious storm off New Zealand’s east coast, the worst fears held by Glennie and his three crew were about to be realised. The 41-foot-long trimaran Rose-Noëlle , which had been lying beam-on to the seas, was engulfed by an avalanche of white water, pitched to 90 degrees then flipped upside down.

Inside the yacht it was as if a house had been inverted in an earthquake. There were shouts amid the darkness as the crew struggled to free themselves from the debris that had crashed down on them. It was a vice-versa world to what they had known a few minutes earlier: Their ceiling was now their floor. Everything that had been below them was now above their heads, and there was a cold ocean swirling into their habitat. Where would it stop? Were they going to sink?

When this calamitous situation stabilized there was just darkness and near silence. Being upside down meant they had been soundproofed from the howl of the storm that raged outside. Before long the water level settled. They were still afloat, and destined to stay that way until…whenever!

For 19 years, Glennie had dreamed of this voyage from his native New Zealand to Tonga and onwards to other enchanting islands in the South Pacific. He was a highly experienced offshore yachtsman with more than 40,000 cruising miles to his credit, and that included sailing in the Roaring Forties. He had designed and built Rose-Noëlle in Sydney a few years earlier based on this experience.

It was now 1989 and his plan was to escape the clutches of the worst of the New Zealand winter, but as the departure date of 1 June drew closer, his frustrations associated with crew selection and the general preparation of the yacht were rising proportionately. His initial desire was to have friends join him for the cruise, but when those friends, who were all good sailors, advised at the last minute they couldn’t make the trip he opted for three people he barely knew, and they had little or no sailing experience. His first recruit was 41-year-old Phil Hofman, who was keen to try bluewater sailing. Surprisingly, he had never ventured in any way outside New Zealand even though he lived aboard his yacht in Picton. Next came another New Zealander, Rick Hellreigel, 31, who had heard that Glennie was looking for crew. He wanted to erase the memories of a disastrous cruise to Fiji some years earlier by giving offshore sailing another chance. Jim Nalepka, 38, was an American cook and the third crewmember to sign on. Even though he had never been sailing, he jumped at this opportunity after Rick, who was a close friend, told him that he was going to make the voyage and suggested they go together.

This happened just a few days before the planned departure, and it was so unsettling for Glennie that, even on the day he was due to cast off, he was wondering if he should put to sea. The thought was also influenced by an unfavourable and stationary weather pattern to the east of New Zealand. However, a last-minute analysis of the conditions convinced him that, while the first stage of the passage would be uncomfortable, it was safe to set sail.

Cook Strait provided a favourable wind and soon Rose-Noëlle was scooting along at up to 16 knots, a speed that impressed all on board. As darkness settled, the wind increased in strength and the seas grew accordingly. It quickly became apparent that it would be a long night ahead: Glennie would have to be alert at all times simply because of the inexperience of his crew. There would be no “breaking-in” period in relatively dormant weather conditions. Even so, he established a watch system where everyone had a two-hour stint on deck and four hours below.

The wind remained strong from the northern sector overnight so Glennie continued on a course away from the coast, a course which he maintained for the next 24 hours. He noted that the barometer was dropping—a sign of deteriorating weather.

“As the day wore on, the wind strength grew and so did the alarm of the crew. I reefed down again and finally dropped the mainsail altogether. Rose-Noëlle was running with the waves under a partly furled headsail, but she wasn’t yet surfing. The conditions were no different to those I had sailed through many times before.

“Phil was on the wheel but was having trouble steering. He seemed really frightened by the strength of the wind and the speed we were doing, yet of the three crew he had the most experience as a sailor. I took the wheel, and the steering felt fine to me, but Phil’s alarm had unsettled the others.”

Rick and Phil called on Glennie to launch a small sea anchor off the stern to help reduce speed, even though he didn’t feel there was any reason for concern: “It was the beginning of a series of events over which I should have taken more control. It was my boat, and I was by far the most experienced person on board.”

While Glennie was convinced they were safe, the anxiety coming from what was by then an increasingly vocal crew saw him acquiesce to their demands. When the sea anchor was set they were 140 miles offshore and still south of the 40th parallel. This was the Roaring Forties— the breeding ground for some of the worst storms imaginable.

From this moment the problems compounded. The gale-force winds strengthened and the breaking seas increased to alarming proportions. Enough, thought Glennie: It was time to lower all sail and set the large parachute sea anchor he had bought for such a situation. It would hold the yacht’s bow into the seas while they rode out the storm.

When this was done, the crew were able to retire to the cabin below, climb into their bunks and wait. For them, there was nothing else they could do.

During the early part of the evening Glennie sensed that the motion of the yacht had changed, and it concerned him. He donned a safety harness, clambered on deck and quickly realised that the parachute anchor had failed. Rose-Noëlle was lying beamon to the seas—the most vulnerable attitude she could take—but Glennie remained confident that even in such extreme conditions, Rose-Noëlle would never turn over. In fact, he was so confident about the stability of the design that he hadn’t fitted escape hatches in the main hull when he’d built the yacht—hatches that would allow the crew to get out in the event of a capsize.

The crew lay in their bunks listening to the fury of the storm that raged outside. The wind was gusting at between 50 and 60 knots and the yacht was being rocked violently from side to side each time the three hulls crested a wave. The atmosphere in the cabin was full of tension and dread, so Glennie tried to calm the situation by turning on the radio and tuning into some soothing music. However, Phil remained at the opposite end of the relaxed scale: “He had steadily worked himself into a panic. Nothing Rick, Jim or I could say or do would calm him down. He was absolutely convinced the boat was going to capsize. He was terrified and at times close to hysteria. He would lie for a few minutes in his bunk, leap up, peer out of the window, and call out, ‘We’re going to flip over. We’re going to flip over.’”

Between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. on 4 June, the wind began to abate and while the crew were convinced they were seeing the end of the storm, Glennie knew otherwise. A rapid reduction in wind strength was no guarantee that the waves would also abate. A short time later he knew he was right. He heard the roar of what would be their final wave.…

“The death of Rose-Noëlle came quickly. The wave hit her like a freight train roaring out of the darkness towards us, the terrified passengers stalled in its path and trapped inside. There was nowhere to go, nothing we could do. We had only two or three seconds to be frightened, for our guts to clench in that final knot of fear. The giant wall of water came out of the darkness without warning, drowning out all other sound. Its roar overpowered the scream of the wind generator outside, the howl of the wind, the crashing of sea against the trimaran’s hull and decks. It drowned out the sound of the radio playing in the cabin. It drowned out the heartbeat thudding inside our heads.

“The wave hit Rose-Noëlle side-on, and she did not hesitate. Six and a half tons of boat flipped over sideways as if it were a toy plucked from a bath by a child’s hand and dumped unceremoniously on its head. It was 6 a.m., 4 June 1989, mid-winter in New Zealand and still dark.

“The capsize toppled me onto the roof of the cabin above the dinette seat where I had been curled up under a rug, listening to the storm. Rick and Jim were lying in their sleeping bags on the opposite starboard double bunk. When the wave hit they hurtled up in the air and crashed down onto the dinette table below. They landed in a bruised heap on the skylight hatch in the ceiling. I crawled across the roof—now the floor—to join them, water swirling up around our legs.”

With the yacht inverted, its attitude on the sea surface meant that the aft cabin, small as it was, would have to become their principal place of residence as it was the one place where they could build a platform above water level and create a bed. It would be an oppressive, kennel-like environment but in that situation it was their only option.

The natural forces that came with the capsize and the incessant surge of water within the hull created a hellish environment for them in every sense: “The water inside the main cabin had quickly turned to a murky soup after we capsized. A large container of muesli had spilled everywhere and a five-kilo bag of wholemeal flour had split open when it toppled out of a locker beneath the dinette seat. At one stage, Phil watched his camera float past in its case and out through the companionway. Much later he cursed himself for not scooping it up because tucked inside the case was $400 in cash and his new passport.”

Ingenuity was the call of the day as the four inverted sailors struggled to build their new abode. They used blankets, wet weather gear, boots, clothes, cupboard doors and even two dozen toilet paper rolls to create their version of an island bed above water level. Then, with it complete, they crawled one by one through the 23-inch by 23-inch tunnel into the tiny cavity to lie down: “Everything, including our clothes, was soaking wet. We huddled like sardines in a tin in a space as small as a queen-size bed. We had to lie facing the same way, nestled against each other like spoons, wet spoons in a cutlery set. Above us we had just 7 inches of headroom. It was like being trapped in a dark wet cave. Suddenly I remembered the words of a clairvoyant I had visited shortly before leaving on this trip: (You will have an adventure in an underground cave.) Was this it? I wondered.”

Their next two priorities were to search for and secure all the food that could be found in the boat and activate their EPIRB distress beacon. Before long their cache included some tinned food, a three-litre cask of orange juice and soft drink. Rick revealed he had diving skills when he found his way to the submerged fridge and claimed a block of cheese, some butter, two litres of milk and two legs of smoked ham.

“It was a bizarre picnic,” said Glennie of their first meal in 24 hours, “lying soaking wet in the dark with a sickly smell of battery acid still in the air, listening to the fury of the storm. We sliced off pieces of ham with my fishing knife and ate it with cheese and English mustard.”

Incredibly, the thought of rationing their supplies did not go remotely close to entering their minds as they were completely convinced they would soon be rescued. To ensure this would happen, Phil and Glennie moved into the flooded forward cabin where, using what tools they could find, they hacked a hole through the side of the hull leading to the underside of the wing deck that extended between the main hull and outer fl oat: “The toilet was in the way and, as we couldn’t think of a use for an upside-down porcelain pan, we smashed it out with a hammer.”

The EPIRB, which was attached to the side of the hull with the aerial poking outside, was activated and much to their delight the blinking red light confirmed an SOS message was being transmitted to the outside world. It would only be a matter of time before a commercial airliner flew overhead and received that signal—or at least they thought that’s what would happen.

After 40 days of living their nightmare, the four were still managing to survive on food and equipment they were regularly able to scrounge from the submerged lockers within the yacht. For the most part their emotional stability was retained due to a firm belief that they would be rescued at any moment, although Phil maintained his doubts.

However, despite this belief, the three crewmen told Glennie that they wanted to erect a jury rig atop the main hull of the upturned yacht and try to sail back to land: “We had several arguments on this subject because I was convinced our priority was to remain safe and well, and to concentrate on survival, using the resources aboard the boat until we were spotted by a ship or found land. That meant building a reliable water-catchment system and establishing a regular supply of fish, something at which we had been unsuccessful so far.

“To me, the water-catchment system was our top priority as our precious supply of soft drink dwindled and we struggled to survive on three ounces of fluid a day.”

They kept a record of the number of days they had spent drifting by etching marks onto the side of the aft cabin. September 11 was a red-letter day: 100 days since the capsize. They agreed that the time had passed faster than they would have expected.

“All four of us had lost a lot of weight, and Rick and I were particularly thin.

“Phil had lost his big paunch, and in its place were handfuls of skin hanging down from his stomach. When he stripped off to dry out his clothes, he was quite a sight, with his long hair and beard, his sagging skin, and a tattoo of his wife’s name, Karen, on his shoulder.

“Overall we had been blessed with good health during our time adrift. Although we were cold and wet for much of the time during those early days, none of us caught colds. Rick had not suffered from asthma nor been even the slightest bit wheezy. He was dismayed to find that within a week of returning to land he once again needed his inhaler. In the early days Phil used to need medication for his heart condition, but he eventually stopped taking that. Perhaps he’d taken it more from habit than anything else.”

Despite the length of their ordeal and the stifling environment they were living in, the only medical condition that really troubled them was the occasional bout of constipation. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until after the 100th day had passed that they recognised their energy was on a more rapid decline. They were losing muscle tone and looking terribly bedraggled thanks to their gaunt physiques, long and unkempt hair and straggly beards.

“On the afternoon of day 116…I looked up to see a plane flying overhead, low enough to see and hear clearly. We estimated it was about 15,000 feet up and still climbing. It flew directly overhead, and I took a bearing. It was heading magnetic north.”

The four lost souls then spent hours deliberating on how far an aircraft would travel to reach 15,000 feet and decided that it was 80 miles. They also convinced themselves that the aircraft could not have come from Wellington or Christchurch. Taking this information and the direction of their drift they then positioned themselves on a small chart they had retrieved and realised they were heading towards the Hauraki Gulf, which was an outer area of Auckland harbour.

Incredibly this “guess-timation” was almost spot-on because on 28 September they sighted land. Rick, who was perched on the top of the upturned main hull, was transfixed by a dark cloud formation on the horizon which he was convinced was not moving or dissipating. Soon after, Jim joined him and he too noticed, without any prompting from Rick, what appeared to be land low on the horizon. When Glennie went up on deck Rick said casually, “Can you see anything out there?” while pointing in the general direction of the object.

“I spotted the shape instantly. It was a dark image within the cloud, and I knew what Rick and Jim were thinking. ‘It certainly looks like land,’ I replied. ‘Let’s have another look in 10 minutes and see if it’s changed shape.’ It didn’t move, and Rick and Jim told me they had been watching it for a while. When Phil climbed up on deck he stood up and looked around. ‘Land!’ he cried out. ‘That’s land!’”

Excerpted from Hell on High Seas by Rob Mundle. Used by permission of HarperCollins Australia, www.harpercollins.com.au

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Trimaran capsizes, skipper rescued

Yachting World

  • November 11, 2002

Route du Rhum face favourite Franck Cammas capsizes his trimaran, Jean Le Cam promptly collides with it and damages his tri, and Michel Desjoyeaux is also making a pitstop for repairs

Late yesterday evening, Franck Cammas, skipper of the 60ft trimaran Groupama and one of the Route du Rhum race favourites, capsized in 12-15 knots of wind. He has since been rescued and taken aboard a French Coastguard vessel, and his boat is being towed to Roscoff.

Following shortly behind, Jean Le Cam, skipper of the trimaran Bonduelle ran straight into the upturned Groupama, suffering damage to his starboard float that will force him to put into Brest for repairs.

Meanwhile, Michel Desjoyeaux is also to make a pitstop after breaking a batten in an unexplained ‘incident close to the start’.

This statement was issed last night by the Route du Rhum press office:

‘At 2015 hrs yesterday evening Karine Fauconnier (Sergio Tacchini) called the race HQ at the Route du Rhum and signalled that Groupama had just capsized. She is in contact with the skipper Franck Cammas [via VHF], who she was able to hear over the radio. The conditions seemed to be moderate: 12 to 15 knots of wind. The position of Groupama at the time was 25 miles out to sea off Morlaix.

‘Franck Cammas immediately set off his distress beacon and the Cross Corsen (Coastguards) were able to intervene immediately, taking charge of the safety operations.

‘Jean Le Cam (Bonduelle) was extremely unfortunate in this pitch black night (their first at sea). He was following the same course as Groupama and rammed into the upturned trimaran. For the moment, Jean Le Cam has not suffered any serious damage. He is currently circling upwind of the upturned boat.’

Newsflash 2 at 2200 hours

‘In a press conference with a representative of Groupama, it was confirmed that Franck Cammas, like his sponsors, is very disappointed after such a flying start. Obviously their primary concern is for Franck. At the present time a helicopter is directly above him and they have given Franck the option of being airlifted straightaway or of staying on board so as to await a tug boat. [Since this statement was made Cammas has been taken on to the tug.]

‘After circling around Groupama for some time, Jean Le Cam continued on his way. He will make a stopover at Brest or in his base in Port-La-Forêt to repair his starboard float which, according to Jean, is damaged across an area of more than a metre.

‘[The wind angle] has enabled Le Cam to exit the Channel on a single tack. If the conditions hold he could arrive [in Brest] before the night tonight.

‘Other last minute news: Michel Desjoyeaux (Géant) is going to carry out a quick pitstop to repair a broken batten in his mainsail, which he broke in an incident close to the start. He intends to call in to Brest.’

Farrier International

Farrier International

a Division of Daedalus

Mulithull Safety

The modern trimaran with its enormous stability and unsinkability is a very safe craft, and has now established an excellent safety record. They have now circled the globe many times at previously unheard of speeds, with week upon week averages of over 20 knots. However, like all modern craft, this safety is dependent on the operator and how the craft is handled and used.

trimaran capsized

Their unsinkability is now well established, with the only major hazard being capsize, and a few simple rules make this virtually impossible. Capsize is rare with well sailed cruising multihulls, but can occasionally occur with racers pushed to the limit – just like race cars. I raced and rallied cars for 5 years many years ago, and had one roll over. I have raced trimarans for over twenty five years and have never managed to roll one over.

The important factor, as with a car, is that the degree of risk is up to the driver/skipper. Drive or sail too fast for the conditions and the risk of a crash is higher. The decision is yours. It is not taken away from you by a heavy keel below, making it impossible to go fast. Nobody seriously suggests weighing down a car to prevent a roll over, nor should a sailboat be weighed down to limit performance, just because a few may not have the skill or maturity to sail a fast type of craft safely.

trimaran capsized

Thus, like a car, a multihull has the capability of very high speeds when desired, and the risk factor can consequently be higher. The choice is yours however, as it is not compulsory to go fast. There is virtually no chance that I am going to roll over the family car on the road, and similarly, there is no chance I am going to roll over a trimaran while simply cruising around.

In general, the risk factor will only begin to increase when boat speed exceeds 15 knots while reaching, or about 10 knots to windward. Thus when sailed for the conditions, or with safety in mind, and used as intended, Farrier designs are among the safest craft afloat, and better still, will never leave you fighting the elements alone.

trimaran capsized

However, the relative publicity given to multihull capsizes compared to monohull sinkings is way out of proportion, due to the unsinkable multihull stubbornly staying around to where photos can be taken, while the monohull abandons the crew and quietly sinks from sight.

One classic incident of ‘one-sided’ publicity was in the Tasman Sea in 1980, where the 40’ racing trimaran CAPTAIN BLIGH lost a float bow, but stayed upright, and the crew was eventually taken off by a liner. This was front page headline news in Australia “Four rescued off trimaran” etc. But in the same area, and in the same storm, the top line racing IOR monohull “Smackwater Jack” returning to New Zealand from the Sydney Hobart Race disappeared taking five lives. The only press coverage it ever received was four lines in the back pages stating it was missing.

This was headlining a city street fender bender, while the freeway horror smash with five dead is relegated to the back pages. Upon having this pointed out, the editor of the Brisbane paper apologized, but it was not really his fault – the news was readily available on the tri, with nothing other than a ‘missing notice’ on the mono. But the damage was done. Had CAPTAIN BLIGH sunk and lost her crew, multihulls would have been better off, or perceived as more safe, as there would have been little or no story. But because she stayed afloat and very visible, she attracted the publicity and the multihulls reputation suffered – simply by looking after the crew.

Sinking Is Not A Very Good Safety Characteristic

Sinking can be very terminal, and can result from the simplest of things, from hitting debris at sea, or even a simple malfunction in the boat. It is also far more frequent than commonly believed, as most instances just do not get reported.

AN INTERESTING STATISTIC

Meaningful comparative statistics on safety are hard to come by, but with over around 3000 Farrier designs of various types sailing there are now enough to get an idea. The capsize rate appears to be averaging around 0.2% or three or four per year for racers, whereas a rate more like 0.05% applies to cruisers.

Light aircraft make a good comparison, being another modern, fast and very comfortable ‘high tech’ form of travel. Their accidents are also very visible, well documented, and highly publicized, unlike those of the monohull which tend to disappear, without trace, and thus get much less, if any, publicity.

The current serious accident rate (resulting in death or serious injury) amongst U.S. light aircraft is 1.13% per year down from a high of 10.2% in 1948. Thus for Farrier multihulls to have an equivalent safety record as light aircraft, then we should be seeing around 22 capsizes or serious accidents a year, with the boat and crew also probably being lost as a result. It is not even close.

Not all multihulls are the same however as there are some that use huge rigs along with minimal accommodation in order to achieve high performance, and such boats will have a much higher capsize rate. The Farrier design philosophy is to always have roomy accommodation and achieve high performance by good design and efficiency, rather than brute power. All Farrier cruising designs thus have a wind capsize force of over 30 knots for safety. This is the theoretical amount of wind required to capsize the boat with full sail, sheeted in tight, and the boat at 90° to the wind. Some of the extreme boats can have a wind capsize force of less than 20 knots, which is too risky for any cruising boat.

CAPSIZE SAFETY ISSUES

Capsize is not as hazardous as sinking, but must always be considered as a possibility, even if a remote one, and be prepared for. In this regard, there should always be a special safety compartment that is accessible from both above and below for storing safety gear that will be immediately available if capsized. The following items should always be stored in this compartment, with lanyards attached, and in watertight bags:

EPIRB unit Cutting Tools Extra wrenches & tools Bolt Cutters Spare Beam Bolt Wrench Ropes VHF Hand Held Radio Pliers Flares

If an offshore design, then an emergency re-entry/escape hatch should also be fitted as standard, which will allow the crew access both in and out to the boat interior for shelter. Interior should also be setup for inverted living as per the downloadable F-41 detail sheet below.

Surge is the major enemy inside a capsized boat, and the first priority after a capsize should be to seal all hatches, vents etc. and try to keep the boat dry as possible. Pop-top on trailerables will remain in place as this will try to float upwards. Main battery switch should be turned off and all loose objects stored in the cabin settees, these now being above water. Surge will otherwise remove everything. Water level while inverted is around the bottom of the beams – float decks are only just immersed. If possible, the battery should be removed or moved higher as it will discharge under water. It should also only be a sealed unit thereby eliminating the danger of acid or gas. Check also that the watertank cannot drain if inverted, and if so, modify so that it cannot.

One now has a large, relatively comfortable life raft, and well stocked with provisions, which is much better than in a small liferaft with minimal provisions. In fact the record for the longest survival time adrift at sea is now held by the crew of a trimaran capsized off New Zealand in 1990. They were in such good condition when rescued that their story was first believed to be a hoax. The same year the offshore racing monohull GREAT EXPECTATIONS disappeared off Australia, taking 6 lives. Had the crew on this boat been on an unsinkable trimaran, then they may have survived.

RIGHTING A CAPSIZED MULTIHULL?

Righting a capsized multihull at sea, unless outside help is available, is probably not a feasible option with current technology. Best to leave the craft as it is, where the crew are safe, and await rescue. Modern satellite position indicating systems now offer very quick and easy location for a floating, but disabled multihull, whereas a sunken monohull has no such option.

When the opportunity arises, and outside assistance is available, the most successful righting system for any multihull, is to tow the capsized boat fore and aft, the tow line going to the aft end, in the form of a bridle. Which end depends on the boat, but the general rule is to choose the end that is floating highest. Thus as the boat begins to move, the lowest end, be it bows or stern, will begin to sink, and even more so as the water inside rushes forward. The boat should then flip back upright, bow over stern or visa versa.

If the above procedure does not work, then try flooding the end that needs to sink, or add some crew weight (ready to abandon ship once the end concerned starts to go under). If this fails, try towing the other direction. Some controlled flooding may also be required. Towing sideways will not work – fore and aft is the easy and only way to do it.

Another righting method, that uses the Farrier Folding System™, has been tested and shown to be workable on a Farrier designed 19′ Tramp in choppy conditions, as detailed below. It has now been used successfully to right several boats, but usually also with some outside assistance. It has not been successfully tested at sea, is not straight forward, and thus it is considered better to wait for assistance, as the righting action does tend to flood the inverted boat more. Not a good result if the righting attempt doesn’t work.

TRAMP RIGHTING EXPERIMENTS

The below photo sequence shows different stages during righting experiments with my own Tramp, after it had been deliberately capsized. Righting was proved to be possible without outside assistance, but it was difficult and special preparations are needed. Thus it is definitely not a recommended procedure offshore, but it has been used to right boats inshore (usually with some assistance). However, towing fore and aft is probably easier and quicker (as detailed above and in Sailing Manual). Offshore, it is still much safer to have the boat prepared for inverted living, with a built in safety gear emergency compartment, plus an escape/re-entry hatch, and just stay with it.

A Matter Of Safety

F-41 Catamaran Safety Aspects (downloadable PDF file)

Another Righting Test

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Dragonfly Trimarans are built in Denmark to extremely high standards by Quorning Boats. The current Dragonfly range extends from the trailerable 25 and 28 footers, up to the larger 32 and 40 foot models. All Dragonfly Trimarans employ their hallmark “swing wing” system for retracting the floats for docking or in the case of the 25 and 28 for easy trailering. One feature of this system is that the floats remain in the vertical orientation, which is an advantage when keeping the boat in a slip because it eliminates the issue of fouling of the outside surfaces of the floats. Another hallmark of Dragonfly trimarans is their attention to detail in the interior design and finish, creating a beautiful comfortable place to spend time inside the boat. If you are looking for a Dragonfly Trimaran for sale, Windcraft Multihulls is a US dealer located in the Southeastern United States. Contact us for more information.

Click here to read more about why you should buy a Dragonfly Trimaran.

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THE GOUGEON BROTHERS BOATS

Cold molded boat construction.

The Gougeon Brothers began experimenting with boat building while they were kids growing up near the Saginaw Bay. As young adults, they developed a novel boat construction technique based on laminating wood veneers with their proprietary epoxy formulation. Their strong, fast sailboat started winning regattas, leading other competitive sailors to commission them to build a number of high-profile racing sailboats, both monohulls and multihulls.

Let’s take a look at some of the boats the Gougeon Brothers have built over the years.

Perhaps this is the first Gougeon Brothers boat. It's the earliest one we have a photo of.

Sailing Barge

It is no exaggeration to say that the Gougeon brothers engaged in building experimental sailboats their entire lives. In the summer of 1947, Meade adjusts the (literal) sheet while younger brothers Jan and Joel look on.

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DN Iceboats

Living in Michigan, “hard-water sailing” is one way to extend the season. The narrow fuselage, rigging, reduced friction, and sailing angles of DN iceboats (designed by Arrol, Lodge, and Jarret for the Detroit News) would heavily influence all of Meade and Jan Gougeon’s boat designs.

The Gougeons’ first commercial enterprise was building DN iceboats.

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DN 1195 Photo credit: Henry Bosset

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Meade was living in Erie, PA when he built his first trimaran. He called it E1 for “Experiment number one.” He considered this 1963 multihull “a disaster” and didn’t have a lot to say about it, other than it had “too many moving parts.”

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Meade’s constructed his second experimental trimaran, Pencil , under an apartment carport in 1964. Built much too light, Pencil broke under her own weight shortly after her launched.

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Wee Three II

This was Jan’s second version of his Wee Three design (not pictured). The lee ama broke clean off of the original . In 1965, Jan built Wee Three II to be sturdier, and to meet IYRU Class-C rules. Note that she is rigged with a wingmast, much like a DN iceboat.

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Omega , a 25′ trimaran built in 1965, was the first boat the brothers designed with articulating amas. This experimental trimaran performed very well at Yachting magazine’s One-of-a-Kind Regatta in 1965. This success on the racecourse brought notoriety to the Gougeon name in multihull circles.

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Meade Gougeon designed and built Victor T, which he launched in 1969. At just 320 lbs, she earned the distinction of being the lightest Class C competitor in the 1969 Nationals in Hamilton, Ontario. There,  Victor T  took home the win against a strong field of wingmast-powered catamarans.

Back in the day, budgets were tight so Meade repurposed the sails he’d used on Omega (above).

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Launched in 1970 and pictured here in 2018, Meade Gougeon’s 35′ trimaran Adagio was the first large, all epoxy bonded and sealed wooden boat built without the use of fasteners. Meade and Jan Gougeon constructed her in just six months. She’s been sailing on the Great Lakes ever since and continues to be a serious contender in the Mackinac races.

Adagio is proof that epoxy-bonded monocoque structures can last for generations.

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Golden Dazy

Another notable cold-molded boat: the Ron Holland-designed  Golden Dazy . Launched in 1973, she won the 1975 Canada’s Cup . The success of these wood/epoxy composite boats led to a “mini-revolution” amongst builders and designers. They realized that they could build stiffer and stronger hulls with wood and epoxy than they could with fiberglass, and do so without increasing the weight. Many custom builders continue to choose wood and epoxy as their construction materials today.

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Built in 1976, Hot Flash was a cold-molded, fast, half-ton racing monohull designed by Gary Mull. The Usnis brothers, who sailed out of Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club, commissioned the Gougeons to construct her with wood and WEST SYSTEM Epoxy. The boat was later rechristened Boomerang .

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In 1977, the Brothers built  Rogue Wave , a Dick Newick-designed trimaran, for Phil Weld to race in the 1980 OSTAR challenge. Unfortunately, a rule change meant Weld never got the opportunity. This impressive 60′ cold-molded trimaran was among the larger boats the Gougeon brothers built.

Photo credit (right): Polly Brown

Rogue Wave is christened outside Gougeon Brothers Boatworks.

The Gougeons launched the 60′ proa Slingshot  in June 1978. Commissioned by Georg and Carl Thomas,  Slingshot  competed in the 1979 speed trials in Weymouth, England, recording the second-fastest speed. Racing the ditch in Texas City, Texas in 1980, the crew posted a speed of 38 knots.

Unfortunately, Slingshot came loose from her mooring during a storm and got destroyed when the waves dashed her against the rocks. A salvaged section of her bow still hangs in the Gougeon boatshop

Slingshot’s crew included Jan Gougeon, Mike Zutek, Ron Sherry, and Olaf and Peter Harken.

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This 1979 Gougeon-designed and built wooden cruising trimaran capsized in the Atlantic in 1980 during a qualifier for the OSTAR challenge. Sailing solo, Jan Gougeon spent four long days in Flicka’s capsized hull. He had plenty of time to think about rightable trimaran designs before a passing freighter rescued him.  Flicka  had to be abandoned at sea.

Read more about Flicka’s capsize at Epoxyworks.com.

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Jim Brown designed this 27′ freshwater trimaran and longtime GBI Technical Advisor, Captain James R. Watson built her in 1979. Watson elaborates:

This boat sports an experimental wingmast constructed of 1/16″ thick aircraft birch plywood outer skin, 1/64″ thick plywood inner skin separated with 1/2″ Tricell H™ (resin impregnated paper) honeycomb. It was fitted to the boat five years after initial launching. With some reinforcing stringers, this laminate stack was lightly vacuumed while flat, then folded and placed into a form to establish an airfoil until all cured.  James R. Watson, Wood/Epoxy Longevity , Epoxyworks 17

Photo credit (left): Janet Townley

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In 1980, Jan began building  Splinter . Following his terrifying experience aboard Flicka , he designed this developed plywood trimaran to be rightable if capsized. Splinter was the second boat, after Adagio, the Brothers launched with a wingmast. Pictured (at right) in 2019, she still competes on the Saginaw Bay against other noteworthy Gougeon-built multihulls including Adagio and  Ollie.

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Named after the Gougeons’ grandmother,  Ollie  was started in 1984 using the Gougeon brother’s developed plywood technology. The design was trademarked as a Stressform™ 35 along with Stressform wingmast plans.  Ollie’ s design further advanced Jan’s ideas for self-righting multihulls.

Jan was always thinking of the next boat and had an appetite for solo sailing. After the Atlantic capsized of Flicka , every boat he designed was self-righting. Ollie (right) acing on the Saginaw Bay in 2019.

Jan Gougeon, a founder of the Gougeon Brothers at his drafting table.

Adrenalin is a Formula 40 Trimaran with articulating amas. GBI built her for Bill Piper of Ossineke, Michigan in 1987. This boat amazed the sailboat racing world by taking an extremely close second place during her first regatta: the Formula 40 Grand Prix circuit in Brest, France, in April of 1988.

A Formula 40 rule change later legislated Adrenalin  out of contention.

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The G-32 is an innovative 32’catamaran designed and built by the Gougeons in the early 1990s. These production boats feature a water-ballast system, are self-righting, and are trailerable. The masthead float doubles as a wind vane and prevents the boat from going completely upside down if capsized.

The Gougeons conceived the G-32 as an affordable cruising and racing vessel but it didn’t achieve market success in the short time that it was produced. The fourteen that they built are still racing and sailing today.

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Meade and Jan’s first powerboats were these 32′ Gougmarans launched in 2007. Based on Dick Newick-designed hulls, the brothers conceived these comfortable shallow-water cruisers for stability, low wetted surface, minimal wake, and excellent fuel efficiency.

Read more in Birth of the Gougmarans at Epoxyworks.com.

Brothers Meade and Jan Gougeon kick back and relax aboard Meade's Gougmaran.

Chris Beckwith designed the i550, an 18′ stitch-and-glue sportboat. The Gougeon Brothers built Hot Canary in 2011 and raced in the Everglades Challenge.

She is now under new ownership and has been renamed Vivacious . Read the story about how her new owners refit her for camping/cruising .

Strings may be one of the Gougeon Brothers most unusual multihulls.

Jan Gougeon’s final boat project was Strings , a 39’7′ “folding cat with a fuselage. He launched her in 2011. She has long, narrow hulls and a center cabin that rides above the water. An elaborate network of lines (aka strings ) makes this ingenious boat perfect for solo sailing.

Although Jan passed away in 2012, Strings sails on, competing in regattas on the Great Lakes.

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Elderly Care

This was the last of several boats Meade designed and built for competing in the grueling, 300-mile Everglades Challenge. An outrigger sailing canoe, Elderly Care provided accommodations for Meade to sleep at night and race during the day. His tactic worked: He place first in his class in the 2017 Everglades Challenge just five months before he passed away at age 78.

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The Gougeon Brothers’ experiments in boat design

IMAGES

  1. How to right a Weta Trimaran after Capsize

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  2. Crew-member airlifted to hospital and another injured after trimaran

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  3. A 32-metre trimaran capsized unexpectedly off the coast of Morocco

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  4. Capsize and Grounding in Route du Rhum

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  5. French lone skipper's trimaran capsized off Cape Horn

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  6. Capsized catamaran in RNLI rescue after nearly drifting into Solent

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VIDEO

  1. Pretty Nice Corsair Trimaran All Tucked into Santa Cruz Harbor

  2. Lake’s first trimaran cruise around the Quepos coast

  3. self built trimaran LIGHTNESS #shorts

  4. Trimaran gold pen 🖊 #shorts

  5. Trimaran Wireless

  6. My new trimaran for exams

COMMENTS

  1. Lawson's trimaran capsized off Mexico >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

    (July 26, 2023) - The family of missing sailor Donald Lawson reports a vessel found capsized off the coast of Mexico is, indeed, Defiant, Lawson's 60-foot racing trimaran. The U.S. Coast Guard ...

  2. Boat of Baltimore sailor found capsized near Mexico, but he's still missing

    Donald Lawson's capsized trimaran was found Thursday night by a patrol boat involved in the search 356 nautical miles (about 410 miles) southwest of the resort city of Acapulco, according to the ...

  3. Rose-Noëlle

    Trimaran. Tonnage. 6.5 tons. Length. 12.6 m. Map of the last voyage. Rose-Noëlle was a trimaran that capsized at 6 AM on June 4, 1989, in the southern Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Zealand. [1] [2] Four men (John Glennie, James Nalepka, Rick Hellriegel and Phil Hoffman) survived adrift on the wreckage of the ship for 119 days.

  4. Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson's capsized trimaran found in Pacific; U

    Mexican authorities have located Baltimore sailor Donald Lawson's capsized trimaran in the Pacific Ocean 300 miles south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico, Lawson's wife, Jacqueline, said i…

  5. Multihull Capsize Risk Check

    Hallucine capsized off Portugal on November 11 of this year. This is a high performance cat, in the same general category as the familiar Gunboat series. It was well reefed and the winds were only 16-20 knots. According to crew, it struck a submerged object, and the sudden deceleration caused the boat to capsize.

  6. Why Catamarans Capsize, A Scientific Explanation (For Beginners)

    The cat was 9 m long, and the owner had modified the boat by adding keels. The study consists of a data set of over 120 incidents reported, of which only 33 are catamarans showing that catamaran capsizing is something very uncommon. The reason for a catamaran sailboat capsizes; 28% Gust of wind. 28% Wind.

  7. 4 Sailors' 118 Days at Sea: Survival Tale or Hoax?

    By SIMON LOUISSON. Oct. 22, 1989 12 AM PT. REUTERS. AUCKLAND, New Zealand —. Four sailors' survival at sea for 118 days in an upturned trimaran ranks as one of the world's greatest survival ...

  8. New Trimaran's Shocking Capsize

    New Trimaran's Shocking Capsize. A shocking bit of news came out of western Europe over the weekend as current Vendée Globe champion and Banque Populaire skipper Armel le Cléac'h and a shorthanded crew capsized the brand-new Banque Populaire IX maxi-trimaran west of Morocco and the Strait of Gilbraltar while on a delivery from the team ...

  9. A Capella, the invincible little yellow trimaran

    A Capella is an iconic 37-year-old trimaran that has been abandoned and rebuilt three times, but will line up for the start of this year's Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race. They say a cat ...

  10. Capsized "Virbac Paprec 70"

    Video: Virbac-Paprec 70 trimaran capsized 2024, March. 2024 Author: Allison Derrick | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:04 ... And so the boat climbs slowly and painfully until it finally capsizes. For a few seconds it is almost stable in a swimming position of about 95 degrees, then the mast breaks and it capsizes. ...

  11. MOD70 Virbac-Paprec Capsizes

    The MOD70 Virbac-Paprec, sailed by Jean-Pierre Dick and Roland Jourdain, capsized on Oct. 10 off Belle Ile. VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 capsized this afternoon during training with a view to participating in ...

  12. CAPSIZED TRIMARAN CHANGES THINKING

    Too many have capsized.''. Greene was sailing the Gonzo to San Malo, France, with a crew of two for the start Nov. 7 of the Route du Rhum race. This 4,000-mile solo event ends in Guadaloupe, part ...

  13. 119 Days Upside Down

    After their trimaran capsizes, four men face storms, starvation, and the merciless sea. By Yachting Staff Updated: August 12, 2010 119 Days Upside Down. Horror makes a noise: a roar, like a deep rumble of thunder rolling across the heavens. It was just before sunrise when John Glennie heard it coming—a phenomenal freak wave more than 16 ...

  14. How to right a Weta Trimaran after Capsize

    A step by step guide of how to get your Weta back up after capsizing it with a few shots of my attempts to capsize at the end. In only 10-15 knots it was rea...

  15. Trimaran capsizes, skipper rescued

    Route du Rhum face favourite Franck Cammas capsizes his trimaran, Jean Le Cam promptly collides with it and damages his tri, and Michel Desjoyeaux is also making a pitstop for repairs

  16. Capsize of the sailboat Virbac Paprec

    Capsize: the trimaran MOD 70 Virbac Paprec has capsized October 10th 2013 while training for the Transat Jacques Vabre. the skipper Jean PIerre Dick and his...

  17. Capsize of the MOD 70 Virbac Paprec

    Capsize: The trimaran MOD 70 Virbac Paprec has capsized offshore Belle Ile (France) October 10th 2013. The skipper Jean Pierre Dick and his crew Roland Jourd...

  18. 50 Foot Trimaran Capsized

    The French flagged sailing vessel Nim was capsized 1000 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. Coast Guard 5th District received a 406*emergency position-indicating radio beacon alert from the French based Grig-Nez Maritime Rescue Coordination Center informing them that the 50-foot trimaran had capsized, but the sailers were doing well and staying ...

  19. Mulithull Safety

    The modern trimaran with its enormous stability and unsinkability is a very safe craft, and has now established an excellent safety record. They have now circled the globe many times at previously unheard of speeds, with week upon week averages of over 20 knots. ... However, the relative publicity given to multihull capsizes compared to ...

  20. Dragonfly Trimaran for sale

    Dragonfly Trimarans for Sale in the US. Dragonfly Trimarans are built in Denmark to extremely high standards by Quorning Boats. The current Dragonfly range extends from the trailerable 25 and 28 footers, up to the larger 32 and 40 foot models. All Dragonfly Trimarans employ their hallmark "swing wing" system for retracting the floats for ...

  21. Trimaran

    USA-17—a 90-foot-long (27 m) trimaran, type BOR90. A traditional paraw double-outrigger sailboat from the Philippines. A trimaran (or double-outrigger) is a multihull boat that comprises a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls (or "floats") which are attached to the main hull with lateral beams. Most modern trimarans are sailing yachts designed for recreation or racing; others are ...

  22. How to (almost) capsize a c-foil trimaran

    Bowsprit camera view of a Corsair F31 1D production trimaran at full speed in the San Francisco's Northbay. An unexpected strong gust causes the Ama/float to...

  23. THE GOUGEON BROTHERS BOATS • Gougeon Brothers, Inc

    This 1979 Gougeon-designed and built wooden cruising trimaran capsized in the Atlantic in 1980 during a qualifier for the OSTAR challenge. Sailing solo, Jan Gougeon spent four long days in Flicka's capsized hull. He had plenty of time to think about rightable trimaran designs before a passing freighter rescued him. Flicka had to be abandoned ...